Brit J Hosp Med
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Coronary artery disease continues to be the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Recent clinical trials have not demonstrated any mortality benefit of percutaneous coronary intervention compared to medical management alone in the treatment of stable angina. ⋯ The latest National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and European College of Cardiology guidelines emphasise the importance of using these imaging techniques first to inform diagnosis. This review discusses these guidelines and imaging techniques, alongside their benefits and drawbacks.
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Breaking bad news is a challenging station in postgraduate exams. Candidates can struggle if they have not practised delivering sensitive information in a professional and empathetic way. Limited experience of using this clinical skill as a junior doctor often compounds candidates' uncertainty in exams. ⋯ This is a stepwise approach that allows candidates to break bad news in a structured way. This is beneficial in clinical practice, but is also invaluable in postgraduate exams, which often have prescriptive marking schemes. This article highlights the key topics and pitfalls that candidates may encounter and suggests tips for success in exams.
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Environmental dry surface biofilms are a new type of biofilm found on dry surfaces, that are not visible to the human eye. Dry surface biofilms harbour multidrug-resistant organisms, are resistant to cleaning and disinfection and cannot be detected by wet or dry swabbing, so may play an important role in the persistence of pathogens in the healthcare environment.