From PEDIATRICS Vol. 120 No. 3 September 2007, pp. 649 (doi:10.1542/peds.2007-1911)

The American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed the publication: Wilson W, Taubert KA, Gewitz M, et al. Prevention of infective endocarditis. Guidelines from the American Heart Association. A guideline from the American Heart Association Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis, and Kawasaki Disease Committee, Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young, and the Council on Clinical Cardiology, Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia, and the Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Interdisciplinary Working Group. Circulation. 2007;

Infective endocarditis prophylaxis for dental procedures should be recommended only for patients with underlying cardiac conditions associated with the highest risk of adverse outcome from infective endocarditis.  Those are prosthetic cardiac valve, previous IE, unrepaired cyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD) including palliative shunts and conduits, completely repaired congenital heart defect with prosthetic material or device during the first 6 months after the procedure, repaired CHD with residual defects at the site or adjacent to the site of a prosthetic patch or prosthetic device which inhibit endothelialization, cardiac transplantation recipients who develop cardiac valvulopathy.  For patients with these underlying cardiac conditions, prophylaxis is recommended for all dental procedures that involve manipulation of gingival tissue or the periapical region of teeth or perforation of the oral mucosa.  Administration of antibiotics solely to prevent endocarditis is not recommended for patients who undergo a genitourinary or gastrointestinal tract procedure.

Refer to the publication below for more background and details:

http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/CIRCULATIONAHA.106.183095v1.pdf

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Google Health is live and looking good. I'll be playing around with it for a bit.

Community Health Network recognizes that the patient population continues to grow within a diverse culture. Each year employees face many obstacles in their quests to provide culturally competent exceptional patient and family experiences.

The network is happy to announce the start of CultureVision, an exciting tool geared toward helping employees understand the unique needs of patients with diverse cultural backgrounds. Using internet–based technology, CultureVision brings cultural competency and volumes of research and information right to the fingertips of care-providing employees.

"I look forward to an enriching next phase of our diversity education that will help each of you provide culturally competent exceptional patient and family experiences," says Deb Whitfield, network director of diversity.

The network began using CultureVision on May 1, 2008.

I was reading the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly and there was an article called "Oscars: Your Burning Questions Answered!"  One of the questions was what the word chuffed meant.  Colin Farrell said it introducing another star.  I was surprised that this question was in there because I knew the meaning of the word and have heard it frequently.

Then I realized that I knew what it meant because I am an anglophile and watch a lot of British television.  Also, it occurred to me that I have had a similar experience in talking with my family doctors who sometimes seem to be speaking a different language.  The trick is to share complex medical concepts and terminology in a way the a layperson can understand.  I have found myself doing this with technology terms.  A layperson can understand information technology concepts if they are explained in a non-technical manner.

I hope that our consumer health library explains complex medical concepts in a layperson's terms.  I believe that it does but since I work in health care, I know that I'm not the typical user.