We’re back and better than ever with a NEW host! This season, Kieran Quinn takes the reigns and is excited to bring you the latest and greatest in the world of emerging clinical evidence. Along outgoing host Amol Verma, the two hosts discuss two studies:

Just how dangerous are opioids in the treatment of chronic pain in patients without cancer? A retrospective study examines the risk of death in patients initiated on long-acting opioid therapy for chronic pain compared to other non-opioid analgesics. Kieran and Amol consider the potential mechanism for this shocking finding and the broader implications for opioid prescribing.

Is “newer” always better? Ticagrelor is the newest antiplatelet kid on the block and has demonstrated superior benefits in secondary prevention Cardiology trials, but can it stand up to the trials of stroke and TIA? Kieran and Amol discuss the findings and how they might change clinical practice.

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The Papers

1. Opioids and Death: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2528212

2. Ticagrelor versus ASA: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27160892

Good Stuff

1. http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/08/hospitals-are-partnering-with-uber-to-get-people-to-checkups/495476/?utm_source=atl

2. http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/08/15/489991111/creamed-canned-and-frozen-how-the-great-depression-changed-u-s-diets

Music Credits (Creative Commons)

In your Robotic Heart – Nicolai Heidlas https://soundcloud.com/nicolai-heidlas/in-your-robotic-heart

Drive – Nicolai Heidlas https://soundcloud.com/nicolai-heidlas/drive-fresh-upbeat-pop-background-music

Vintage Dream – Nicolai Heidlas https://soundcloud.com/nicolai-heidlas/vintage-dream-loungejazzy-background-music

All tracks have been modified for the purposes of this podcast.