Primary Care
Physician perspectives on preventive care, chronic disease management, and evidence-based primary care practice.
Recent Discussions
When would you consider a diagnosis of peritonitis in a patient with SLE?
As noted in the question, clinically significant peritonitis is unusual/rare in lupus patients. In 25 years, I have seen two patients I was convinced had lupus peritonitis. The common thread was that both of them had had at least one abdominal surgery for an acute abdomen. The patients were known to...
Would you prescribe vaginal estrogen cream for vaginal dryness to a patient in her 40s with a history of stage IA granulosa cell tumor?
Systemic serum absorption after use of low-dose vaginal estradiol inserts (such as 10 mcg estradiol tablet or 7.5 mcg/day estradiol ring) is very low. One study (Notelovitz et al., PMID 12039110) showed that baseline serum estradiol levels were 7-8 pg/ml in postmenopausal women. With the use of a 10...
Should in-office oscillometry for lung function measurements be utilized in pediatric patients who are unable to reliably perform spirometry?
We don't use oscillometry right now in our office, but the current issue of Annals has several outstanding editorials and reviews looking at oscillometry and how to implement it in your practice. I highly recommend looking at these papers:Link to whole issueEditorials: Oscillometry-determined small ...
How do you counsel patients and caregivers on dietary interventions for autism?
Whole foods diet, e.g., Whole30.com. All the information on that website is free. I will remove common food allergens. Remove all synthetic food dyes. 100% organic to protect the microbiome. Consider a spore-based probiotic for a few months.
What are outpatient strategies to mitigate taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy?
At the present time, there are no established means for preventing taxane-induced neuropathy other than limiting the dose that is given. In patients who are receiving taxane therapy and have developed significant neuropathy, ASCO guidelines suggest that discussion should be had with patients with re...
How have you incorporated LED light therapies in your practice?
High quality evidence is nearly nonexistent, thus I have not incorporated this into my practice.
What is your approach to treating patients with chronically brittle nails?
Brittle nails is a relatively common condition, but pathophysiology of this nail condition is poorly understood. Thus, there is limited clinical trial data of treatments. Inflammatory, infectious, and systemic and traumatic conditions should be ruled in/out before starting treatment. For all patient...
What factors influence your choice between low-dose DOAC therapy and dual antiplatelet therapy for the first 3 months after percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion?
Using the ADALA study and previous observational studies, the use of apixaban 2.5 mg BID appears to be at least as safe if not safer than the use of DAPT. As a result, in patients who are unable to tolerate full-dose anticoagulation, low-dose DOAC is my first line. However, if patients have cerebra...
For how long do you treat an early spinal hardware infection secondary to MSSA after operative washout and retention of hardware?
This infection is a key research interest of mine and one I'm deeply passionate about. I typically treat with a 12-week induction regimen, preferably using antibiofilm-active agents—an approach adapted from the DATIPO trial for prosthetic joint infections (PJI). I generally do not recommend routine ...
Do you use the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) to assess for insulin resistance and change your clinical management of patients?
No. As insulin assays are not standardized nationally, glucose measurements are surprisingly variable across methods and institutions, single measurements of fasting glucose and insulin are somewhat quixotic, and as there is a loose relationship of HOMA measures in individuals and gold-standard meas...