I just came out of the cath lab after doing an emergency coronary angiogram on a man suffering a heart attack.  He is a youngish fellow (have you noticed how the term “young” keeps getting more generous as you get older?) with no prior heart problems, but with a bad cigarette habit and genes that are not favorable (a father suffered a heart attack at about the same age). We rushed him into the lab and prepped him for the procedure.  As he lay on the table he seemed to … Continue reading →

The annual Alegent Heart and Vascular Health Fair is coming up soon. On Saturday, February 18, from 7 to 11 a.m., in the Bergan-Mercy Pavillion, you’ll be able to hang out with all kinds of specialists in the field of heart health. There will be booths and volunteers dedicated to every aspect of cardiac wellness just waiting for you to pose your hardest questions. You can undergo a cardiac risk assessment, get your blood pressure taken, your BMI measured, and chat with everyone from exercise therapists to weight management experts. … Continue reading →

I love living in Omaha. Sure, the winters can be miserable (this year being the obvious exception—this global warming thing ain’t so bad, eh?) with snow that falls sideways and potholes the size of national parks in Arizona.  The corn fields can be beautiful in the right light but in my mind don’t quite rise to the majesty of the mountains and red rock of my native Utah.  Worst of all, in my 8 years here I still haven’t converted to the local religion—Husker worship. Still, I love this place, … Continue reading →

Last year I wrote a critique of the electronic medical record (EMR) my organization has adopted.  I came down pretty hard on its user unfriendliness and overall clunkiness, and expressed dissatisfaction with the office note that served as the final product.  In the ensuing months since I published my opinion I’ve come to be even more bothered by the weaknesses of not just our EMR, but the EMR landscape as a whole. In doing a little psychoanalysis on myself I’ve come to the conclusion that my strong feelings about the … Continue reading →