Clinician's Roundtable

Techniques for open repair of aortic aneurysms have remained remarkably steady over the past several decades. But with the trend toward minimally-invasive procedures sweeping across medicine, how are advancing techniques in endovascular repair of aortic aneurysms enhancing the standard of care? How do the current success rates for emergent and elective endovascular procedures compare with open repair? Dr. Michael Marin, professor and chair of surgery at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, examines these questions and more with Dr. Mark Nolan Hill.

More and more children are presenting with overuse injuries. What is happening at the cellular level and how do their bodies repair? Dr. Paul Stricker, board certified in both pediatrics and sports medicine joins host Dr. Bill Rutenberg to discuss pediatric overuse injuries. They discuss the need for individual treatment and question the decision to order an MRI. Also, find out what guidelines can you offer patients to help avoid injuries.

Is the child uncoordinated and not likely to be good at baseball? Or, might he just be developmentally unable to evaluate a moving object coming at him and catch it in mid air? Our guest, Dr. Paul Stricker, board certified in both pediatrics and sports medicine and author of the recent book, Sports Success RX tells host Dr. Bill Rutenberg that a combination of physical, emotional and chemical milestones will indicate if a child has the ability to be successful at a particular sport or activity. Pediatricians can help make parents aware of these milestones and use them to guide their children towards positive sport experiences.

Lisa D'Andrea talks with Shepard Stone, a Physician Associate Anesthesiologist at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut. He is also an Associate Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology at Yale University School of Medicine. Shepard Stone is one of a very elite group of PAs practicing in the field of Anesthesia today.

Dr. Jean Lud Cadet, chief of molecular neuropsychiatry at the National Institutes of Health, talks with host Dr. Larry Kaskel about the impacts of marijuana on cardiovascular and neurological systems. According to Dr. Cadet, chronic marijuana users have learning abnormalities. Dr. Cadet presents the findings of two studies and discusses the areas of altered brain tissue.

Dr. Jean Lud Cadet, Chief of Molecular Neuropsychiatry Branch at the National Institutes of Health joins host Dr. Larry Kaskel to explain a recent study in which he and his colleagues studied cardiovascular impacts of heavy marijuana use. What impact does heavy marijuana use have on apolipoprotein C3 (apoC3)? How does this effect triglyceride levels. Join us to learn more.

Exercise and physical therapy are commonly touted as keys to preventing an array of conditions: heart attack, depression, cancer and more. But how does the exercise equation change once a patient is diagnosed with an illness? How does a patient's perspective on their disease impact their outlook on exercise? Dr. Marilyn Moffat, professor of physical therapy at New York University and an internationally-respected voice in physical therapy, provides her perspective on the value of exercise in encouraging patients stricken with illness to work beyond the boundary of what they initially believed they could accomplish. Dr. Mark Nolan Hill hosts.

We are acutely aware of the value of exercise in maintaining good health. But how do the benefits of exercise and physical therapy apply specifically to patients who are coping with a disease or an illness? Dr. Marilyn Moffat, professor of physical therapy at New York University and an internationally-respected voice in physical therapy, joins host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill for a conversation about exercise regimens for patients already burdened by illness. Are our patients receiving exercise and therapy guidance that is rigorous enough to accelerate the healing process?

Prohibitive costs and lack of health insurance in the United States is leading a rising number of Americans to seek medical care abroad. But what kind of care will they receive in India, Thailand or Mexico, for example, via a company in the medical tourism business? Alex Marxer, co-founder and chief operating officer of the California-based Health Travel Guides, details the rapid growth of his company with host Bruce Japsen, healthcare reporter for the Chicago Tribune. How does the company address concerns about quality raised by the AMA and other organizations?

Women around the world are more likely to be infected with HIV, in part because of their social and economic vulnerability. The stark lack of empowerment of women in many parts of the world indicates the need for men to help protect their gender counterparts from the scourge of HIV. Stephen Lewis, co-director of AIDS-Free World, a former United Nations special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa and former deputy executive director of UNICEF, speaks about our need to address the role of sexual violence in furthering the spread of HIV with host Dr. Cathleen Margolin.