The treatment of hypertension is now evolving into a decision-making process of ever greater complexity. Not only has the range of drugs available increased but so too has our knowledge of the diversity of individual patients' responsiveness to therapy, and the need to tailor their treatment with reference to a wide variety of additional factors. In order to provide effective patient care, the clinician needs to be aware of all the options available, but also of the evidence supporting their use and the extent to which that evidence justifies the choices made. In this new volume, leading authorities in their fields draw on the available evidence to provide answers to a series of key clinical questions facing the clinician treating hypertension: Should we treat prehypertension? How does the choice of therapy change in the presence of comorbidities such as obesity, ischemic heart disease, left ventricular hypertrophy, diabetes or cerebrovascular disease? Evidence-based Management of Hypertension provides answers to these and many other questions, as the authors present an expert analysis of the available evidence and offer authoritative recommendations for treatment planning. In each chapter, tables highlight evidence from a variety of sources, and every chapter concludes with a series of key practice points that present a summary of evidence-based recommendations for best practice, graded according to the quality of that evidence. For any clinician concerned with the care of the hypertensive patient, this volume will be a valuable aid to treatment planning and long-term management.

Winner of a HIGHLY COMMENDED AWARD in the Neurology category of the 2012 BMA Medical Book Competition. More than five million people die from stroke each year. Stroke is also the leading cause of adult disability, affecting over 20 million people worldwide, with two-thirds of stroke victims left permanently disabled. We now know that speed of intervention is critical and patient outcomes are determined by a very narrow therapeutic window, during which physicians need to be able to make their choice of treatment rapidly, based on the best evidence available. The purpose of this book is to review that evidence, for both medical and surgical therapies as well as preventative strategies, drawing on the expertise of leading international authorities to distinguish the issues for which there is a consensus on best practice from those for which the evidence remains inconclusive. For example, for patients with acute ischemic stroke the first choice is intravenous thrombolytic therapy, but does a treatment window of 0-3 hours deliver outcomes significantly better than one of 3-4.5 hours? Arterial hypertension is the single most important modifiable risk factor for ischemic stroke, but what are the effects of blood pressure reduction among acute stroke patients? How effective is blood pressure lowering in primary intracerebral hemorrhage? What are the arguments in favour of continuation versus temporary discontinuation of antihypertensive therapy immediately after acute ischemic stroke? Endovascular procedures (carotid angioplasty/stenting) are increasingly important but what do the data tell us about their safety? Or durability? How do they compare with carotid endarterectomy? The management of unruptured intracranial aneurysms is rife with controversies; clip, coil, wait and watch? The authors examine the evidence for and against. Other sections examine the impact of various risk factors, and special populations. A section on stroke after cardiovascular surgeries reviews the incidence and management of stroke following a whole range of procedures. Another examines special risks during pregnancy. Lastly, the book reviews our understanding of childhood stroke and presents current best practice recommendations for this most challenging group of patients.

The clinical management of patients with diabetes is rapidly evolving. Evidence-based Management of Diabetes provides a succinct summary of a range of topics, including areas where there is already well developed evidence for a particular treatment, but also those areas where the evidence is perhaps doubtful or there is some associated controversy or ambiguity. Where possible throughout the book treatment recommendations are given based on the available evidence and practice guidelines. The book also highlights the gaps in evidence where further research is needed. In the practice of diabetes care, there are many issues influencing practitoners currently. This book addresses many of the most pertinent issues concerning delivery of diabetes care. The authors are internationally renowned experts in the field of diabetes care who successfully and succinctly present state-of-the-art reviews based on the medical evidence designed to help the clinician be as best informed as possible in the care of patients with diabetes.

Now in its thoroughly updated Third Edition, the Hypertension Primer is a comprehensive, readable source of state-of-the-art scientific and clinical information on hypertension. The book contains more than 150 short chapters by distinguished experts that cover every aspect of hypertension and its pathogenesis, epidemiology, impact, and management. The chapters are grouped into three well-organized sections--basic science, population science, and clinical management--and each chapter is cross-referenced to other relevant chapters. Each chapter is easily digestible and begins with a bulleted list of key points.

The most likely reason for unsatisfactory clinical consultations is a failure of values-based practice - not ascertaining the relevant values perspectives and acting on them in an appropriate manner. This book will help clinicians acquire and develop the processes and skills of values-based practice, improving outcomes for patients, carers and clinicians.

Covering all commonly used interventions for acute and chronic low back pain conditions, Evidence-Based Management of Low Back Pain consolidates current scientific studies and research evidence into a single, practical resource. Its multidisciplinary approach covers a wide scope of treatments from manual therapies to medical interventions to surgery, organizing interventions from least to most invasive. Editors Simon Dagenais and Scott Haldeman, along with expert contributors from a variety of clinical and academic institutions throughout the world, focus on the best available scientific evidence, summarizing the results from the strongest to the weakest types of studies. No other book makes it so easy to compare the different interventions and treatment approaches, giving you the tools to make better, more informed clinical decisions. - A multidisciplinary approach covers treatments from manual therapies to medical interventions to surgery, and many others in between. - An interdisciplinary approach enables health care providers to work together. - A logical, easy-to-follow organization covers information by intervention type, from least invasive to most invasive. - Integration of interventions provides information in a clinically useful way, so it's easier to consider more than one type of treatment or intervention for low back pain, and easier to see which methods should be tried first. - 155 illustrations include x-rays, photos, and drawings. - Tables and boxes summarize key information. - Evidence-based content allows you to make clinical decisions based on the ranking the best available scientific studies from strongest to weakest. - Patient history and examination chapters help in assessing the patient's condition and in ruling out serious pathology before making decisions about specific interventions. - Experienced editors and contributors are proven authors, researchers, and teachers, and practitioners, well known in the areas of orthopedics, pain management, chiropractic, physical therapy, and behavioral medicine as well as complementary and alternative medicine; the book's contributors include some of the leading clinical and research experts in the field of low back pain. - Coverage based on The Spine Journal special issue on low back pain ensures that topics are relevant and up to date. - A systematic review of interventions for low back pain includes these categories: patient education, exercise and rehabilitation, medications, manual therapy, physical modalities, complementary and alternative medicine, behavioral modification, injections, minimally invasive procedures, and surgery. - Surgical interventions include decompression, fusion, disc arthroplasty, and dynamic stabilization. - Additional coverage includes patient education and multidisciplinary rehabilitation.