Internal Mammary Artery Ligation versus Sham Sternotomy for Angina Pectoris

This chapter provides a summary of a landmark historical study in cardiac surgery related to internal mammary artery ligation versus sham sternotomy for angina pectoris. It describes the history of the procedure and a summary of the study including study design and results, and relates the study to a modern-day principle of evidence-based medicine: blinding and sham surgery. Whether or not sham surgery is ethical remains under debate. Proponents for sham surgery agree that it should be used only when a question cannot be answered adequately by other methods. Cobb and his colleagues were among the first to demonstrate the value of sham studies in addressing important clinical questions.

Bilateral internal mammary artery ligation for angina pectoris

The American Journal of Cardiology ◽

10.1016/0002-9149(58)90074-2 ◽

1958 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 46-50 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

J.Roderick Kitchell ◽

Robert P. Glover ◽

Robert H. Kyle

Keyword(s):

Angina Pectoris ◽

Internal Mammary Artery ◽

Artery Ligation ◽

Controlled Studies On the Efficacy of Bilateral Internal Mammary Artery Ligation in Patients With Angina Pectoris*†

Angiology ◽

10.1177/000331975901000103 ◽

1959 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 20-27 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rudolph E. Fremont ◽

Robert Klopstock ◽

Paul Glass

Keyword(s):

Angina Pectoris ◽

Internal Mammary Artery ◽

Artery Ligation ◽

Timing of Cholecystectomy after Biliary Pancreatitis

10.1093/med/9780199384075.003.0046 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Michael P. Catanzaro ◽

Rachel J. Kwon

Keyword(s):

Hospital Admission ◽

Randomized Study ◽

Historical Study ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Biliary Pancreatitis ◽

Increased Risk ◽

History Of ◽

Timing Of Cholecystectomy ◽

Based Medicine ◽

Current Guidelines

This chapter provides a summary of a landmark historical study in surgery related to timing of cholecystectomy after biliary pancreatitis. It describes the history of the disease, a summary of the study including study design and results, and relates the study to a modern-day principle of evidence-based medicine: systematic reviews. This study was the first prospective randomized study to show that early removal of impacted gallstones did not prevent the progression of pancreatitis but did put patients at increased risk for other complications. Current guidelines, informed by this and subsequent studies, recommend that surgery be performed after pancreatic inflammation has subsided but ideally during the same hospital admission.

Comparison of internal mammary artery ligation and sham operation for angina pectoris∗

The American Journal of Cardiology ◽

10.1016/0002-9149(60)90105-3 ◽

1960 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 483-486 ◽

Cited By ~ 207

Author(s):

E.Grey Dimond ◽

C.Frederick Kittle ◽

James E. Crockett

Keyword(s):

Angina Pectoris ◽

Internal Mammary Artery ◽

Sham Operation ◽

Artery Ligation ◽

Acute Appendicitis

10.1093/med/9780199384075.003.0049 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Michael P. Catanzaro ◽

Rachel J. Kwon

Keyword(s):

Acute Appendicitis ◽

Study Design ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Surgical Intervention ◽

Case Series ◽

Historical Study ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Broad Spectrum Antibiotic ◽

History Of ◽

This chapter provides a summary of a landmark historical study in surgery involving management and treatment of acute appendicitis. It describes the history of the disease, gives a summary of the study including study design and results, and relates the study to a modern-day principle of evidence-based medicine: observational studies in study design. Reginald H. Fitz’s insights over a century ago in a seminal case series regarding the nature of appendicitis, its potential sequelae, and the value of urgent surgical intervention changed the disease from a deadly one into one that can be easily cured by surgery. However, with the advent of modern broad spectrum antibiotic therapy, Fitz’s assertion that immediate surgical therapy is always mandated has recently come under question.

Internal-Mammary-Artery Ligation for Angina Pectoris

New England Journal of Medicine ◽

10.1056/nejm195808282590903 ◽

1958 ◽

Vol 259 (9) ◽

pp. 418-420 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Robert G. Fish ◽

Thomas P. Crymes ◽

Martha G. Lovell

Keyword(s):

Angina Pectoris ◽

Internal Mammary Artery ◽

Artery Ligation ◽

Hinchey Classification of Acute Diverticulitis

10.1093/med/9780199384075.003.0048 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Michael P. Catanzaro ◽

Rachel J. Kwon

Keyword(s):

Evidence Based Medicine ◽

Paradigm Shift ◽

Acute Diverticulitis ◽

Scoring Systems ◽

Historical Study ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Hinchey Classification ◽

History Of ◽

This chapter provides a summary of a landmark historical study in surgery: the Hinchey classification of acute diverticulitis. It describes the history of the disease, gives a summary of the study including study design and results, and relates the study to a modern-day principle of evidence-based medicine: validation of scoring systems. Hinchey’s classification of diverticulitis has become the most widespread system and while the Hinchey score may currently have less clinical relevance as it did in his time, its publication and eventual adoption marked a practice-changing paradigm shift in the way diverticulitis is viewed and managed today.

Child-Pugh Score for Mortality in Cirrhosis

10.1093/med/9780199384075.003.0047 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Rachel J. Kwon

Keyword(s):

Liver Cirrhosis ◽

Surgical Intervention ◽

Meld Score ◽

Historical Study ◽

Evidence Based ◽

End Stage Liver Disease ◽

History Of ◽

End Stage ◽

Based Medicine ◽

Objective Tool

This chapter provides a summary of a landmark historical study in surgery deriving the Child-Pugh score for mortality in cirrhosis. It describes the history of the disease, gives a summary of the study including study design and results, and relates the study to a modern-day principle of evidence-based medicine: prognosis studies. There is a critical need for prognostic tools for selecting appropriate patients with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension for surgical intervention. The development of the Child-Pugh score, and now the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, has provided surgeons with an evidence-based objective tool for informing these decisions.

Ranson’s Criteria for Acute Pancreatitis

10.1093/med/9780199384075.003.0045 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Michael P. Catanzaro

Keyword(s):

Acute Pancreatitis ◽

Conservative Management ◽

Evidence Based Medicine ◽

Decision Rules ◽

Clinical Decision ◽

Historical Study ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Surgical Disease ◽

History Of ◽

This chapter provides a summary of a landmark historical study in surgery. It describes the history of pancreatitis, gives a summary of the study including study design and results, and relates the study to a modern-day principle of evidence-based medicine: clinical decision rules. The management of pancreatitis has evolved from primarily a surgical disease to one in which operation is rarely undertaken, in part because stratification tools such as Ranson’s criteria have enabled more conservative management of those likely to have favorable outcomes. The development of Ranson’s criteria also paved the way for newer clinical scores that may have more discriminatory power.

Miasmas, mental models and preventive public health: some philosophical reflections on science in the COVID-19 pandemic

Interface Focus ◽

10.1098/rsfs.2021.0017 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Trisha Greenhalgh

Keyword(s):

Mental Models ◽

Relative Weight ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Science And Policy ◽

Hierarchy Of Evidence ◽

John Snow ◽

History Of ◽

Support Policy ◽

Preventive Public Health ◽

When the history of the COVID-19 pandemic is written, it is likely to show that the mental models held by scientists sometimes facilitated their thinking, thereby leading to lives saved, and at other times constrained their thinking, thereby leading to lives lost. This paper explores some competing mental models of how infectious diseases spread and shows how these models influenced the scientific process and the kinds of facts that were generated, legitimized and used to support policy. A central theme in the paper is the relative weight given by dominant scientific voices to probabilistic arguments based on experimental measurements versus mechanistic arguments based on theory. Two examples are explored: the cholera epidemic in nineteenth century London—in which the story of John Snow and the Broad Street pump is retold—and the unfolding of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and early 2021—in which the evidence-based medicine movement and its hierarchy of evidence features prominently. In each case, it is shown that prevailing mental models—which were assumed by some to transcend theory but were actually heavily theory-laden—powerfully shaped both science and policy, with fatal consequences for some.