Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D.  [@chutkaMD;] Guest: Alexander S. Niven, M.D. Pulmonary function tests are extremely useful in both diagnosing and managing patients with respiratory disease. In addition to a medical history, physical exam and imaging studies, they give us a great deal of information of the pulmonary physiology and help us understand why patients have various respiratory symptoms. However, there are quite a number of pulmonary function tests available to us and which tests we should order can be confusing. Do we know when spirometry, lung volumes or diffusion capacity will be ..read more

Guest: Ekta Kapoor, M.B.B.S. Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. [@chutkaMD] Obesity is becoming a serious epidemic in the United States, and it’s estimated that if current trends continue, by 2030 nearly half of all adults in the U.S. will be obese. Prevalence rates of obesity are steadily increasing in both men and women and some of the highest rates are seen in post-menopausal women. Obesity carries an increased risk for a variety of medical conditions and death rates of several types of cancer increase in obese women. The topic for this podcast is obesity in women and our guest is women’s health ..read more

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. [@chutkaMD] Guest: Donald D. Hensrud, M.D., M.S. Today we’re excited to bring back a special lecture by popular demand from Season 1 of the Mayo Clinic Talks Podcast. Darryl S. Chutka, M.D., a general internist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Donald D. Hensrud, M.D., M.S., a physician in Preventative Medicine & the Medical Director for the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program discusses the risks and benefits of drinking coffee. Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @Ma ..read more

Host: Sanjeev (Sanj) Kakar, M.D., [@sanjkakar] Guest: Michael J. Ackerman, M.D., Ph.D. Guest: Thomas M. Munger, M.D. Much attention has been paid to sudden cardiac arrest in athletes. Did you know the likelihood of sudden cardiac arrest in high school athletes is between 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 80,000 and for college-aged players, the risk is estimated at 1 in 13,426. Among National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes, there is an increased risk in those who are male, of black race and play basketball. In this podcast, we discuss what the causes of sudden cardiac arrest are, the role o ..read more

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. [@chutkaMD] Guest: Mairead M. Bartley, M.B., B.Ch., B.A.O. Dementia is a devastating health condition for patients, their families, and a challenging disease for primary care providers. Whereas the diagnosis is usually straightforward to establish, the pharmacologic treatment options have been, at best, disappointing. With little to nothing to offer our patients which would improve their cognitive status; our responsibility for their management doesn’t end there. We still have a responsibility to provide ongoing care to these patients as well as their caregivers as ..read more

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. [@ChutkaMD] Guest: Stephen Kopecky, M.D. [@DrSteveKopecky] Hyperlipidemia is extremely common in the U.S., and we have a variety of pharmacologic agents which are very effective in treating this condition and improving our patients’ lipid profile. Yet there are patients who have elevated lipids but may not meet the criteria for pharmacologic therapy and other patients who don’t tolerate the medications we commonly prescribe. What are the alternative treatments available for managing hyperlipidemia and how effective are they?  How do they compare with pharmacol ..read more

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. [@chutkaMD] Guest: Sanjeev (Sanj) Kakar, M.D. [@sanjkakar] The hand and wrist are very complex parts of our anatomy and composed of multiple tendons, muscles, and nerves. The hand also contains over 30 bones. Hand or wrist complaints are some of the more common reasons patients come to their primary care provider, and at times, the cause can be quite elusive. We need to be able to accurately assess the patient’s symptoms, diagnose the various disorders and determine which ones need to be referred for specialty care and which ones we can manage on our own. In this p ..read more

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. [@chutkaMD] Guest: Mira T. Keddis, M.D. [@keddis_mira] Chronic kidney disease can have a major impact on a patient’s quality of life; reducing their energy level, impacting their diet and may limit medications or alter medication dosages we prescribe. It’s estimated that kidney disease affects nearly 40 million people in the U.S. or 15% of the population, and two out of five adults with severe kidney disease don’t even know they have it. As primary care providers, we need to know how to prevent kidney disease, how we assess renal function and how to manage those wi ..read more

Guest: Cheryl L. Khanna, M.D. Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D.  [@chutkaMD] Glaucoma is a very common eye disease affecting more than 70 million people worldwide and it’s a leading cause of blindness, accounting for over 12% of blindness around the world. While it tends to be more common in older individuals, it can occur in younger patients as well. There are a variety of types of glaucoma as well as several new treatment options available. In this podcast, we’ll discuss the various types of glaucoma, its treatment options and what we should do as primary care providers to help patients get ..read more

Guest: Regan N. Theiler, M.D., Ph.D. Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. @chutkaMD Abortion is a common procedure. three out of ten pregnancies and six out of ten unintended pregnancies end with an induced abortion. Overall, about one in four women in the U.S. will have an abortion by the age of 45 years. The U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2022 ruling to overturn Roe vs. Wade has shifted the legal battle over abortion to the states, resulting in some states prohibiting abortion and others moving to safeguard it. The topic for this podcast is abortion and what the primary care prov ..read more