The American journal of medicine
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Review Meta Analysis
Long-Term Outcomes Comparing Medical Therapy versus Revascularization for Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
The ideal management of spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) has yet to be clearly defined. We conducted a comprehensive search of Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Ovid Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Scopus, and Web of Science from database inception from 1966 through September 2020 for all original studies (randomized controlled trials and observational studies) that evaluated patients with SCAD. Study groups were defined by allocation to medical therapy (medical therapy) versus invasive therapy (invasive therapy) (ie, percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting). ⋯ In conclusion, in this meta-analysis of observational studies, the long-term risk of death, recurrent SCAD, and repeat revascularization did not significantly differ among patients with SCAD treated with medical therapy compared with those treated with invasive therapy. These findings support the current expert consensus that patients should be treated with medical therapy when clinically stable and no high-risk features are present. Further large-scale studies including randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings.
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Appropriate use of resources is a tenet of care transformation efforts, with a national campaign to reduce low-value imaging. The next level of performance improvement is to bolster evidence-based screening, imaging surveillance, and diagnostic innovation, which can avert more costly, higher-risk elements of unnecessary care like emergent interventions. Clinical scenarios in which underused advanced imaging can improve outcomes and reduce total cost of care are reviewed, including abdominal aortic aneurysm surveillance, coronary artery disease diagnosis, and renal mass characterization. ⋯ Coronary computed tomography angiography in patients with stable and unstable chest pain can reduce downstream resource use while improving outcomes. Preoperative 99mTc-sestamibi single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) reliably distinguishes oncocytoma from renal cell carcinoma to obviate unnecessary nephrectomy. As technological advances in diagnostic, molecular, and interventional radiology improve our ability to detect and cure disease, analyses of cost effectiveness will be critical to radiology leadership and sustainability in the transition to a value-based reimbursement model.
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Review
Update in Outpatient General Internal Medicine: Practice-Changing Evidence Published in 2020.
In a time of rapidly shifting evidence-based medicine, it is challenging to stay informed of research that modifies clinical practice. To enhance knowledge of practice-changing literature, a group of 7 internists reviewed titles and abstracts in 7 internal medicine journals with the highest impact factors and relevance to outpatient general internal medicine. Coronavirus disease-19 research was purposely excluded to highlight practice changes beyond the pandemic. ⋯ A modified Delphi method was used to gain consensus based on relevance to outpatient internal medicine, impact on practice, and strength of evidence. Clusters of articles pertaining to the same topic were considered together. In total, 7 practice-changing articles were included.