Tag Archives: high blood pressure

ACE Inhibitors

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Michael Aaronson, M.D.

Question: I’m at a conference and the speaker (who is a nephrologist) says ACE inhibitors (used to protect the kidneys and decrease high blood pressure) may worsen kidney function (they can increase the creatinine and cause the GFR to go down). Two questions: Wow do they cause the creatinine to go up and the GFR to go down? And why do we use ACE inhibitors if they worsen kidney function? Dr. Aaronson: Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitors lower blood pressure. ACE inhibitors prevent the formation of a hormone called angiotensin … Continue reading →

Posted in Wellness | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Diastology

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Eric Van De Graaff, M.D.

In this post I’m going to talk you through a little cardiac physiology. For those of you who have interest in this sort of thing, read on. The remaining 90% of you can simply click the “back” button in your browser and move on to checking your Facebook profile or browsing the latest news about celebrities acting badly. Every once in a while I feel the urge to write about something that’s actually educational, in contrast to previous posts about drug names, anxiety, and poetry dedicated to toxic flowers. With … Continue reading →

Posted in Cardiology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

What’s In A Name?

Posted on June 28, 2010 by Eric Van De Graaff, M.D.

I was a medical student when I made my first medication error.  Most doctors wait until they’re out of training and can actually write prescriptions and give orders before they screw things up.  Not me. It was the very first clinical rotation of my third year and we had admitted a lady to our service who had chest pain and high blood pressure.  All of the testing had come back normal and it was looking less likely that she was actually experiencing a heart attack or aortic dissection (much to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cardiology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Lasix

Posted on June 1, 2010 by Michael Aaronson, M.D.

  Lasix is a water pill used in heart failure patients and as a treatment for high blood-pressure. Many people are prescribed Lasix. In fact, I’m willing to bet you a penny that you know at least one person who is on it. Unfortunately, many people are incorrectly using Lasix. When I was in medical school at the University of Connecticut, one of my favorite rotations was my surgery experience. At night, on call, and waiting for admissions, I sometimes watched television with the residents — usually if we were … Continue reading →

Posted in Wellness | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment