Clinician's Roundtable

Guest: Alexia Torke, MD, MS Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Dr. Alexia Torke, assistant professor of medicine at Indiana University, discusses how standard bioethical approaches with surrogates do not often match what actually happens at the bedside. Physicians use their clinical judgement and what they feel is right for the incompetent patient in determining a course of action. Much can be done to establish this important relationship with surrogates, beginning with creating trust and assessing their own grief and emotional stress. Hosted by Dr. Maurice Pickard.

Guest: Maureen Corry, Ms. Host: Bruce Japsen New data suggests that nearly one in five women suffers postraumatic stress following labor and delivery; however, the postpartum experience of new mothers runs the gamut, oftentimes meaning little or no support. Maureen Corry, executive director of the Childbirth Connection, tells host Bruce Japsen of the Chicago Tribune about issues facing these women and their medical care providers.

Host: Cathleen Margolin, PhD Guest: Helen Mayberg, MD Standard treatments for depression are effective in providing relief in most cases. However, some individuals suffer from depression that does not diminish despite adequate trials of antidepressants, psychotherapy and even electroconvulsive therapy. There is new hope for those suffering from treatment-resistant depression in the form of deep brain stimulation. Electrodes implanted in the brain that provide continuous current to a specific area of the brain has provided relief to subjects in groundbreaking new studies . Dr.Helen S. Mayberg, professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at Emory University School of Medicine joins host, Dr. Cathleen Margolin to discuss deep brain stimulation for depression. Dr. Mayberg's studies over the past 20 years in neural network models of mood regulation in health and disease have led to the recent development of a new intervention for treatment resistant patients using deep brain stimulation.

Guest: Helen Mayberg, MD Host: Cathleen Margolin, PhD Dr. Helen Mayberg, professor of psychiatry and neurology at Emory University School of Medicine, joins host Dr. Cathleen Margolin to discuss neural network models of depression. Sharing more than two decades of work in this area, Dr. Mayberg explains how models of mood regulation have led to the development of a new intervention for treatment-resistant patients using deep brain stimulation.

Guest: Christopher B. Colwell, MD Host: Shira Johnson, MD Evidence-based medicine has changed resuscitation in the field and in the emergency department. Dr. Christopher Colwell, associate director of emergency medicine at Denver Health Medical Center and medical director of the Denver Paramedic Division and the Denver Fire Department, reviews what what we know now about pre-hospital care. He discusses CPR, medications, and therapeutic post-arrest hypothermia with host Dr. Shira Johnson.

Host: Shira Johnson, MD Guest: Calvin A. Brown III, MD Once the sole domain of anesthesiologists, rapid sequence intubation is now a skill practiced by all emergency department physicians. Dr. Calvin Brown III, attending physician in the emergency department at Brigham and Woman's Hospital in Boston, explains the state of the art in intubation. Dr. Brown is interviewed by Dr. Shira Johnson as he reviews the basic technique of RSI, some of the pearls and pitfalls, and what is on the horizon for this skilled intubation technique.

Guest: Rachel Chin, MD Host: Shira Johnson, MD Tattoos and body piercings have been around for hundreds of years. But now they are turning up in your office or your ED. Dr. Rachel Chin is a professor of emergency medicine at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. She and Dr. Shira Johnson look at the potential complications you may see and how to treat them.

Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD Guest: Howard Heit, MD Pain is generally considered to be the most common reason our patients come to see us. Yet it's a phenomenon that we don't fully understand and one that varies widely from patient to patient. With regard to the prescription of potent painkillers like methadone, should the often cryptic nature of pain warrant additional pain management training for practitioners ordering these meds? Dr. Howard Heit, a nationally recognized chronic pain and addiction medicine specialist practicing in northern Virginia, and an assistant clinical professor at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, joins host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill to address the challenges of properly prescribing pain medication. What grade would Dr. Heit give our profession for our overall performance on pain management, and how can we improve that evaluation?

Guest: Howard Heit, MD Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD A drug that first gained prominence as a treatment for heroin addiction, methadone is now more commonly prescribed by medical practitioners for a range of severe pains. Why are we seeing this rise in methadone use? Are we, as prescribers, doing everything we can to understand the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of methadone, and to ensure that our patients are also cognizant of the dangers? Dr. Howard Heit, a nationally recognized chronic pain and addiction medicine specialist practicing in northern Virginia, and an assistant clinical professor at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, shares his clinical expertise on the perils of the drug that is now the fastest growing cause of narcotic death in the United States. Dr. Mark Nolan Hill hosts.

Guest: Wayne Peters, MD Host: Larry Kaskel, MD Recent studies indicate that some patients may not obtain the full benefits of aspirin's antiplatelet effects Guest Dr. Wayne Peters discusses with host Dr. Larry Kaskel the benefits of aspirin to prevent and manage heart disease, and the tests available to measure aspirin resistance or platelet function. Dr. Peters outlines the clinical importance of these tests and the various factors that can affect absorption including medications such as ibuprofen, smoking and high cholesterol. Tune in to hear how a simple urinary test will provide the primary care physician the information to effectively use aspirin for the prevention and management heart disease in combination with other prevention mechanisms.