Personal perspectives: having a series of cardiac events

It has never been clear to me whether being a medically qualified patient has positive or negative associations. In 2019, after a prostatectomy, where I had extended bleeding per urethra, I suffered two myocardial infarctions, underwent three coronary angiograms and eventually coronary stenting. Junior doctors never examined me at any point, while senior ones worried over the risk of stent placement in an actively bleeding patient. I report my views on how this seemed as a largely passive, but still actively thinking patient.

Clinical Approach to and Work-up of Bleeding Patients

A bleeding patient is a common consult for interventional radiologists. Prompt triage, preprocedural evaluation specific to the site of hemorrhage, and knowledge of resuscitative strategies allow for a potentially life-saving procedure to be appropriately and safely performed. Having a firm understanding of the clinical work-up and management of a bleeding patient has never been more important. In this article, a discussion of the clinical approach and work-up of a bleeding patient for whom interventional radiology is consulted is followed by a discussion of etiology-specific preprocedural work-up.

Special Considerations in the GI Bleeding Patient

Lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) is an increasingly common problem in patients with comorbid medical conditions that place them at higher bleeding risk. This discussion of some special considerations in the GI bleeding patient encompasses an overview of the elderly patient, and selects comorbid conditions that place patients at higher risk of developing intestinal bleeding. The discussion lends itself to exploring the challenges of and new advancements in anticoagulation therapy. Radiation induced proctitis and rectal varices as sources of LGIB will also be addressed.