Speaker 1:
0:00
Welcome to the MedEvidence Monday Minute Radio Show hosted by Kevin Gettings of WSOS St Augustine Radio and powered by Angkor Research Group. Each Monday morning, dr Michael Coran calls in to bring you the latest medical updates with insightful discussions. Medevidence is where we help you navigate the real truth behind medical research, with both a clinical and research perspective. So sit back, relax and get ready to learn about the truth behind the data in medicine and healthcare. This is MedEvidence.
Speaker 2:
0:31
Dr Michael Coran joins us. Live on the studio line. How are you this morning, Doc?
Speaker 3:
0:35
I'm doing well. That's what my staff thinks to me when I ask them to do something, Mr Bigstuff who do you think you are?
Speaker 2:
0:44
I don't think that's true.
Speaker 3:
0:45
Actually, we get to work with your staff and they really like you, you know genuinely, oh, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 2:
0:52
Dr Michael Coran is with us, Of course. He's a medical doctor, cardiologist, big part of our family here at WSOS. He's also a research scientist as well and involved with Encore Docs. They do medical research, clinical trials here in St John's County and throughout Northeast Florida. Their office is here locally near Flagler Hospital in the Whetstone building and you can learn more about how you can participate in clinical trials. I've participated in them. Karen on our team has as well. Lots of our listeners have too. You can learn more by going to EncoreDocscom or you can call a telephone number that I'm gonna give you when we're through talking so you'll have time to punch it into your cell phone. And one of the items that you've been researching over the years, many years, especially as a cardiologist, and you know a lot about it, is AFib and we all pretty much have a family member or a friend who has that diagnosis, it seems, doctor.
Speaker 3:
1:43
Yeah, yeah. Over the weekend Tyler Shatley from our beloved Jacksonville Jaguars was diagnosed with AFib. Fortunately it was short-lived and it was back on the field, but it just reminded people that it's a very common problem. We call it an arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat, and it's associated with some medical conditions that are important and has some implications that are important. So, for example, people with high blood pressure or heart artery disease or valve disease or sleep apnea are more prone to develop a treblation. So sometimes when somebody is diagnosed with this condition, it starts a process of looking more deeply to find out what the underlying medical issues are. That's one thing. The other thing is that when you have a treblation, you're at a much higher risk of having a stroke. So a lot of research that we've done over the years is to determine how to prevent strokes in people who either have a treblation or are prone to a treblation.
Speaker 2:
2:39
And is it genetic? I mean, are you more inclined if your dad had AFib or your granddad are you more inclined to have it?
Speaker 3:
2:45
There is a genetic component. Not everybody has that particular problem but there have been studies showing that certain genotypes are more likely to have it and there are some families that have what's called lone AFib, which is each treblation unassociated with any other condition and that may be more genetically mediated. But I would say for the average person it's more likely related to longstanding hypertension or sleep apnea or having coronary artery disease or having some other cardiac condition that leads to scarring in the heart which ultimately leads to a treblation.
Speaker 2:
3:19
That's Dr Michael Korn. He's with us, live on the Studio Line, as he is every Monday morning around this time. Afib is it more common with men or women, or pretty much evenly divided between the genders?
Speaker 3:
3:32
Men probably a little bit more, just because men have more heart disease. But women are certainly a vulnerable to a treblation as well.
Speaker 2:
3:40
If people have AFib or they've been diagnosed with AFib, are there studies, things they can participate in to be on the cutting edge of treatment?
Speaker 3:
3:48
Yeah, absolutely. We're doing lots of work in the arrhythmia space right now and we're doing lots of work on the underlying conditions for H-fibrillation. So, for example, we're doing programs right now that use these very sophisticated monitoring devices for people who have congestive heart failure or other cardiac conditions like hypertropic cardiomyopathy, and these folks are much more likely to develop H-fibrillation and the monitoring systems can determine if, in fact, they're prone to that problem or if they're having that problem. So we're doing that as we speak. We're doing studies that are looking at anticoagulation for patients who are actually in H-fibrillation. So that's a big focus. We're doing studies in hypertension. We're doing studies in cholesterol problems. Cholesterol problems lead to heart disease, of course, and that in turn leads to problems like H-fibrillation. So one thing leads to another and then, ultimately, you'll have an arrhythmia that gets your attention.
Speaker 2:
4:43
And, of course, if you choose to participate in one of these, you're going to get some of the most intensive quality care you've probably ever received as a patient dealing with. Afib correct.
Speaker 3:
4:52
Oh yeah, it's. One of my favorite statistics to quote is that people have never been involved in a clinical trial. When asked whether or not they're interested, say well, maybe 30 or 40% of them. So many many surveys have been done and people with no exposure say maybe not. But once somebody has actually been in a clinical trial, 97% to 99% of people said they would do a second one. So how many products are out there, kevin, where once you're exposed to it, you become a lifelong fan?
Speaker 2:
5:23
Yeah, no, it's unbelievable. And all those sort of preconditions you might have thought or the notions you've had of clinical research, oh, they're going to poke me and prod me and it's not going to be pleasant, totally wrong, totally wrong. Is somebody who has been through this experience with Encore Docs? It's really kind of fun. You get to sit with medical professionals. Don't feel rushed. They actually genuinely want to hear what you have to say. They don't care about any sort of trivial issue. You may think it's trivial, they don't think it's trivial. It's a very different experience. It's a very fun and fulfilling way to access health care.
Speaker 3:
5:55
Yeah, People get service. It's a really funny thing Unfortunately, everybody is so pressed for time in the medical industry nowadays is that it's really hard to give service. But in the clinical trial setting we're really focused on the service.
Speaker 2:
6:09
Yeah, yeah, Well it's. You need to learn more, you know, regardless of what health situation you may be dealing with and a lot of our listeners are dealing with some sort of a chronic health condition oh, even if you want to try out the very latest in flu shots, like I'm getting ready to do, you can participate in that sort of thing as well. You know there's too much for us to cover here, but we encourage you to check out the website, EncoreDocscom, or, better yet, call them, you know, and start the process and see how you can participate in clinical research right here in your own backyard. That's it EncoreDocs, very close to Flagler Hospital in the Whetstone Building on 312-904-7300166-904-7300166. Now we have to let Dr Michael Coran go. He has lives he has to save right doctor.
Speaker 3:
6:58
I am on my way to save lives as we speak, Kevin.
Speaker 2:
7:01
Dr Coran, thank you very much. We'll talk with you next week.
Speaker 3:
7:04
Sounds great.
Speaker 1:
7:05
Thanks for joining the MedEvidence podcast. To learn more, head over to medevidencecom or subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
