The first “wild” Ebola case in the United States has occurred in Dallas, Texas. The patient, who is from Liberia and had contact with a pregnant Ebola victim in his native country, was initially sent away from the Emergency Department (ED) of a Dallas hospital after reporting there with viral symptoms. He told the triage… Continue reading Ebola – Missing the Diagnosis
Author: mannd
I am a retired cardiac electrophysiologist who has worked both in private practice in Louisville, Kentucky and as a Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado in Denver. I am interested not only in medicine, but also in computer programming, music, science fiction, fantasy, 30s pulp literature, and a whole lot more.
AutoLayout Revisited
My initial experiences with Apple’s iOS AutoLayout were pretty negative. Using Interface Builder’s (IB) ability to generate AutoLayout constraints automatically based on the positioning of views turned out to be frustrating, as it would generate constraints that were incompatible with iOS 7. As iOS 8 has only been out for a few weeks, I definitely… Continue reading AutoLayout Revisited
How Secure is Your Medical Data?
With the recent discovery of the ShellShock vulnerability affecting a large number of computers, the question comes up again: how secure is medical data? Thanks to the federally mandated push to transfer medical data from paper charts to computer databases, most if not all of this data is now fertile ground for hackers. As pointed… Continue reading How Secure is Your Medical Data?
The Approaching Sunshine Apocalypse
On September 30, a week from today as I write this, the US government will release the long-anticipated Sunshine Act Open Payments data to the general public. Or at least some of it, maybe two thirds. It’s not clear. What is clear is that Open Payments has gotten off to a rocky start, reminiscent of… Continue reading The Approaching Sunshine Apocalypse
AutoLayout Headaches
The new larger iPhones and iOS 8 are here. Xcode 6, upgraded to deal with these new beasts, is also ready for download. Anyone who has written apps designed for the iPhone has to make sure their apps run on these new devices and the new iOS. Previous iPhones had two different heights (3.5 and… Continue reading AutoLayout Headaches
Don’t Turn Your Back on Your Patient
One of the most important “tricks of the trade” that I learned in Medical School was what some might have considered a little “throw-away” bit of advice. During my psychiatry clinical rotation the preceptor advised that, when applying the stethoscope to the patient’s back, one should rest the other hand gently on his or her… Continue reading Don’t Turn Your Back on Your Patient
What Motivates Doctors?
As a recently retired physician, I still maintain an interest in medical research, though I have to ask myself: Why? Surely not just from the point of view of a potential future patient. But not from the point of view of a practicing physician either. Perhaps I keep up just from a lifetime of habit?… Continue reading What Motivates Doctors?
Doctors Concerned About Possible Brain Injury From the Ice Bucket Challenge
Well, not really. But it does seem ironic to me that the ALS Foundation has embraced what is essentially a blow to the head with ice cubes and water as a fund-raising activity, in order to treat a disease which may in part be related to head trauma. A large number of football players have… Continue reading Doctors Concerned About Possible Brain Injury From the Ice Bucket Challenge
A New Treatment for Chronic Health Syndrome
The XYZ Drug Company Internal Memo August 29, 2014 CONFIDENTIAL For internal use only AntiRobustium™ Marketing Strategy Introduction With the anticipated FDA approval of AntiRobustium™ (arsenic trioxide), the first and so far only treatment for CHS (Chronic Health Syndrome) will soon be available to the general public (prescription only). As with the introduction of drugs for other… Continue reading A New Treatment for Chronic Health Syndrome
Using Social Media in Moderation
I’ve been backing off from social media recently. For someone who writes a blog as well as publishing medical apps this may appear to be a risky tactic. In truth this retreat has not been completely voluntary. Something known as “real life” has been seeking my attention and gotten in the way of my online life… Continue reading Using Social Media in Moderation