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TAVR: An Alternative to Open-Heart Surgery for Aortic Stenosis Patients
Aortic stenosis, a common condition in older adults, is caused by the progressive narrowing of the aortic valve, the main…
Why a Good Night’s Sleep Might Be Critical to Heart Health
Heart disease is the No.1 cause of death in the U.S.—so plenty of traditional prevention tips exist, ranging from the…
Are Female Doctors Better at Treating Heart Attacks in Women?
The world of medicine has historically been dominated by men. But an August 2018 study published in the Proceedings of…
Diastolic Heart Failure Makes Up Two-Thirds of Heart Failure Cases—Here’s How We Treat it
Relaxing is an important part of life—even for the heart. When the heart has trouble relaxing between beats, the left…
Celebrated Physician: Sanna Ronkainen, MD
Good physicians learn a great about their patients’ condition through observation, and skin is often the most revealing attribute of…
How Calcium Helps Identify Heart Disease Risk
Artery buildups serve as silent danger signs of a heart attack, and one of the buildups we look for the…
How New Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatments Revolutionize Patient Care
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory condition that primarily affects peripheral joints (typically the hands, wrists, elbows, knees, feet, and…
100 Years in the Making: How Patients Benefit from Thoracic Robotic Surgery
When the first minimally invasive surgery—also called laparoscopic surgery—was performed in the early 1900s, a surgeon would use a hollow…
Celebrated Physician: Meghan MacCleary, DO
Physicians regularly make a difference in the lives of their patients. For Meghan MacCleary, DO, it was the other way…
Total Joint Revision: A Second Lease on Life
Total joint replacement, comprised of hip or knee replacements, is one of the most common surgical procedures in the U.S….
Vasectomy: How It Works and What to Expect
A vasectomy is one way men can prevent their partners from becoming pregnant—without affecting sexual function or the ability to…
How Does Laser Therapy Work for Scars?
It might seem unusual at first to think of a doctor using laser therapy to treat a burn injury scar….
Our Top Five Healthcare Stories of 2018
Everyone wants to keep up with news in the ever-growing healthcare industry, which is why our blog team at MedStar…
How We Diagnose and Treat Patients with Chronic Pancreatitis
Whenever we eat or drink, we’re putting the pancreas to work. The pancreas is a large gland that’s tucked behind…
Missing Teeth? Dental Implants Could Be the Solution
Some people feel uncomfortable smiling for the camera because of a missing front tooth or have trouble eating because of…
How the Winter Holidays Can Impact Heart Health
The holidays offer us time with friends and family, and sometimes even vacations from work. But one thing we have…
Why It’s Important to Treat Endometriosis Sooner than Later
In most women, the endometrium—the mucous membrane lining the uterus—grows inside the uterus and sheds during the monthly period. But…
The Lowdown on Diarrhea: When is It Time to See a Doctor?
Diarrhea is a menace in the form of hard-to-control bowel movements and loose, watery stools three or more times per…
Celebrated Physician: Anirudh Rao, MD
During his training at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Anirudh Rao, MD, found the most meaningful…
Hallucinations, Confusion, Dizziness: Symptoms of ICU Delirium
“You’re trying to steal me!” “Don’t put me in that oven!” These are actual comments we’ve heard in the intensive…
Small Gland, Big Impact: Functional and Nonfunctional Pituitary Tumors
The pituitary gland is a tiny organ, only about the size of a pea, located at the base of your…
3 Groups at Increased Risk for High Blood Pressure—and How to Beat It
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a well-known condition in America. We regularly check it during doctor’s visits and see…
Attack Joint Replacement Surgery Pain Before It Starts
Hip and knee replacements have played an important part in the treatment of arthritis and other painful joint conditions for…
Six Non-Heat Injuries That Burn Center Doctors Should Treat
When most people think of a burn center, they think of heat-related injuries. While we are the only adult burn…
A Delicate Balance: Control High Blood Pressure to Reduce Stroke Risk
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease. But many patients don’t realize that high blood pressure…
From Fainting to the Spins—Facts About Dizziness
Feeling dizzy can be scary—and rightfully so. We see many patients in the emergency department or urgent care seeking medical…
How Oncoplastic Surgery Gives Women More Natural Breasts After Cancer
Surgery is the gold-standard breast cancer treatment, but some techniques leave women flat-chested or with lopsided breasts. Today, many women…
The Lowdown on High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
High blood pressure is a serious problem that continues to grow in our country. Among women of childbearing age, we…
Better Imaging, Better Neurosurgery: The Airo Portable CT Scanner
“Measure twice, cut once.” It’s a simple expression that reminds us to be precise, and it applies in many situations—even…
4 ways women can take control of their breast cancer risk
Breast cancer is one of the most daunting diseases in women’s health, as it affects about one in eight U.S….
3 experiences of hospital care and why we measure them
We aim to enhance patient experiences at MedStar Washington Hospital Center (MWHC) through a trickle-down approach, from staff to patient….
How the flu can increase heart attack risk
Each year, up to 20 percent of Americans get the flu, resulting in over 130,000 hospitalizations—in fact, about 200,000 in…
DCIS breast cancer: Not every woman needs surgery
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is the earliest form of breast cancer. DCIS is confined to the milk ducts of…
3 questions and answers for mammograms
A mammogram is an imaging test used to screen the breast tissue for breast cancer, which affects about one in…
Penicillin allergy testing: Why it’s important to know the facts
Antibiotics are among the most effective treatments for bacterial infections, and our go-to option often is penicillin. But up to…
How we use PET-CT scans to find more cancer faster than ever
PET-CT (positron emission tomography and computed tomography) often is referred to as the gold standard of cancer imaging. This tool…
From surgery to radioactive iodine and beyond: Hope for patients with thyroid cancer
Most patients respond well to standard therapies for thyroid cancer. The five-year survival rate is more than 98 percent, and…
Why I stand behind digital rectal exams for prostate cancer screening
“You want to put your finger where? Why? Do you really need to do that?” I’ve heard many men say…
100 Blessings
“When we bless life, we restore the world.” ~ Rabbi Marcia Falk I am a Chaplain in a 912-bed inner-city…
Outpatient hip or knee joint replacement: Healthier, faster and more effective
Increasingly younger patients are seeking partial or total hip or knee joint replacement—people in their 40s, 50s and 60s who…
Triple-negative breast cancer: Who should get tested for their genetic risk?
Triple-negative breast cancer is notoriously difficult to treat. It grows aggressively, and it lacks the three most common markers (estrogen…
Tiny salivary glands, big problems: How we treat these painful disorders
Most of the time, people don’t notice their salivary glands. They are located in the mouth and throat, and they…
How a gastroenterologist can help relieve heartburn
Does this sound like a typical day? Maybe you take an antacid with your morning coffee, a Zantac with lunch…
Don’t suffer with chronic pelvic pain—treatment is available!
Imagine feeling one or more of these symptoms in your pelvic area up to 95 percent of the time: Burning…
Acid reflux? Bloating? It could be a paraesophageal hernia
Hernias are common, and you likely know someone who has had one at some point in their life. So, perhaps…
Partial knee replacement: Arthritis relief without a long recovery
The number of first-time total knee replacements, also known as arthroplasties, is expected to grow by 673 percent, reaching 3.48…
How common pituitary tumors can have huge health effects
As the American Cancer Society notes, doctors diagnose about 10,000 pituitary tumors each year in the United States. However, that’s…
Can a heart valve be repaired without surgery?
Heart valve disease, a malfunction of one or more of the valves that allow blood to flow through the heart,…
How to manage medications in the elderly
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the typical Medicare patient sees two primary care providers and five…
COPD in D.C.: A tale of two cities
A September 2017 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that the number of Americans who…