Carotid revascularization capable of improving mood in depressed patients with carotid atherosclerosis

A prospective study has demonstrated that carotid intervention can improve mood in depressed patients with advanced carotid disease, in addition to enabling cognitive improvements irrespective of baseline depression. These findings were presented during the Plenary Session 1: William J. von…
UPMC study probing stress-reduction interventions among high-burden specialties begins enrollment

A new study aiming to establish whether a series of mindfulness and physical interventions can help reduce stress and burnout among physicians who treat high-acuity patients has started recruitment at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) in Pennsylvania. Led…
An open letter to Epic Systems

Dear Epic, I am not writing to you today as a customer, but rather on behalf of your users. More specifically, I am representative of the 870 American Medical Association (AMA) physicians who gave their electronic health record (EHR) an…
Patients with depression ‘less likely’ to go home after CLTI revascularization

A recent analysis established an association between depression and non-home discharge after revascularization for chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI)—providing further evidence, the authors say, that an increased awareness of mental health is fundamental to care for vascular surgery patients. Joel L.…
Disproportionately more women are affected by depression when pursuing specialty PAD care

A disproportionately higher percentage of women are affected by depressive symptoms when they seek specialty care for new or worsening peripheral arterial disease (PAD) symptoms, with rates almost twice that observed in men, according to a new study published in…
Depression linked to more prevalent subclinical atherosclerosis in women with HIV

Women living with HIV who reported a high burden of psychosocial risk factors like symptoms of depression, stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were more likely to have prevalent subclinical atherosclerosis compared with those indicating a low burden, a study…
Study: Mentoring, social events may decrease burnout in surgery residents

Burnout in surgery residents—associated with higher levels of depression and perceived stress—may be alleviated by programmatic social events, limiting weekend work and formal mentoring programs, a study published in the American Journal of Surgery found. Matthew Smeds, MD, division chief…
Elevated risk of AAAs among individuals suffering depression post-risk factor adjustment discovered in HUNT study

People with depressive symptoms have a significantly higher risk of incident abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) after adjustments for established risk factors, a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found. “Symptoms of depression and risk of abdominal…

