Clinician's Roundtable

Guest: Beverly Green, MD, MPH Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD By the year 2025, it is predicted that more than 1.5 billion people around the world will have hypertension, accounting for nearly half of heart disease risk and three-quarters of stroke risk. With new Web-based technologies emerging as potential treatment options, how will we change our approach to care? How might these programs impact the treatment of hypertension on a global scale? Dr. Beverly Green, an affiliate investigator at the Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle, and the lead author of research published in JAMA on innovative Web-based interventions for patients with uncontrolled hypertension, peers into the future of hypertension care during this discussion with host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill.

Guest: Beverly Green, MD, MPH Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD The Internet plays such an integral role in so many of our lives, it's only natural to consider expanding its position in medicine. This process is underway, and moving rapidly in some areas, with the first large-scale, randomized clinical trial probing web-based hypertension interventions. How can we, as clinicians, adapt to new digital mechanisms for providing care? Does this particular hypertension concept mesh with the idea of a fee-for-service payment plan? Dr. Beverly Green, an affiliate investigator at the Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle, and the lead author of research published in JAMA on innovative web-based interventions for patients with uncontrolled hypertension, explains more about this collaborative approach to care with host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill.

Guest: Beverly Green, MD, MPH Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD For each 10 millimeter drop toward normal systolic blood pressure, research tells us that heart disease mortality risk drops by an average of 30 percent. New internet-based hypertension interventions are proving they could produce this steep, impressive decline. How can these web initiatives help our patients take a more active role in their care? If patients are based at home, how can we ensure that they are following proper protocol for taking blood pressure measurements? Host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill takes a closer look at these issues and more with Dr. Beverly Green, an affiliate investigator at the Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle, and the lead author of research published in JAMA on innovative web-based interventions for patients with uncontrolled hypertension.

Guest: Kristine A. Rapp Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Kristine Rapp, vice president of global ethics & compliance at Hospira, Inc., discusses with host Dr. Maurice Pickard the new PhRMA Code and the significant limitations on gifts to healthcare professionals. The hope is that marketing practices will be held to a higher ethical level.

Guest: Rosalie Greenberg, MD Host: Michael Greenberg, MD There is hope for children with bipolar disorder, says Dr. Rosalie Greenberg, assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University School of Physicians and Surgeons, and author of the book, Bipolar Kids: Helping Your Child Find Calm in the Mood Storm. Dr. Greenberg joins host Dr. Michael Greenberg to discuss diagnosis, misdiagnosis, and genetics of the disorder, along with treatment options and potential outcomes.

Guest: Rosalie Greenberg, MD Host: Michael Greenberg, MD Pediatric bipolar disorder may be more common than our diagnoses indicate. What constitutes a proper diagnosis? Host Dr. Michael Greenberg is joined by Dr. Rosalie Greenberg, assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University School of Physicians and Surgeons, and author of the book, Bipolar Kids: Helping Your Child Find Calm in the Mood Storm. Dr. Rosalie Greenberg discusses the nuances and easily overlooked symptoms in children eventually diagnosed with the disorder, and shares her perspective on the challenges of bipolar disorder for children and their families.

Guest: Michael P. Siegenthaler, MD Host: Matthew J. Sorrentino, MD, FACC, FASH Dr. Michael Siegenthaler, associate professor of surgery and associate director of the Artificial Heart Program at the University of Pittsburg, will discuss the current state of the art of ventricular assist devices and the artificial heart as an alternative therapy for end stage heart failure patients.

Guest: Michael P. Siegenthaler, MD Host: Matthew J. Sorrentino, MD, FACC, FASH Dr. Michael Siegenthaler, associate professor of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, describes the Impella 2.5 system: a percutaneously-placed ventricular-assist device, now approved for high risk coronary interventions, that has earned the moniker, 'world's smallest heart pump.' Dr. Matthew Sorrentino hosts.

Guest: Sarah de Ferranti, MD, MPH Host: Bill Rutenberg, MD The American Academy of Pediatrics Report on Lipid Screening and Cardiovascular Health in Childhood, published in July 2008, triggered extensive discussion and debate among pediatricians. Dr. Sarah de Ferranti, director of the Preventive Cardiology Clinic at the Children's Hospital in Boston, shares her interpretation of the report and its recommendations with host Dr. Bill Rutenberg. How concerned should we be about the scarcity of long-term data on statin use among pediatric patients? What do we know about statins and puberty? Will the future bring non-invasive ways to assess the cardiovascular status of a child? Join us to learn more.

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, MD, PhD Dr. Stefan Friedrichsdorf, medical director of the Pain and Palliative Care Program at Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, discusses a range of topics within the field of pediatric palliative care. In contrast to the expected standard of care for adults, many children with life-limiting and terminal diseases receive inferior treatment in this area. Given that a child's condition may last well into adulthood, effective programs embrace physical, emotional, social and spiritual elements, with a focus on enhancing the child's quality of life and providing support for their family. Dr. Maurice Pickard hosts.