Monthly Introduction to Tech Medicine

What's this blog all about?

My goal in Tech Medicine will be to explore the intersection of medicine, new technologies, and the Internet. This is a purposefully broad topic. Several times weekly I will post focused reviews of issues interesting to health professionals and nonprofessionals alike. Posts may include examinations of medical devices, pharmaceuticals, scientific advances, internet services, and other technologies involving health care and the practice of medicine. Mirroring as it does the nature of the Internet and the sometimes surprising nature of new technologies, the content may also include topics that are wonderful, unusual, hilarious, or strange.

What are some recent posts on Tech Medicine?

In the last month, posts have included a discussion of Tekturna (aliskiren), the first direct renin inhibitor; cases of poisoning with diethylene glycol around the world; the controversy over drugs used to treat anemia (like Procrit and Aranesp); interesting links from medical blogs; E.O. Wilson and the Encyclopedia of Life; heart risks of the drug Avandia (rosiglitazone); and a newly discovered link between MRI contrast (gadolinium) and nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy.

Who are you?

I'm trained as a nephrologist (a kidney and blood pressure specialist). For the last two years I've written Kidney Notes, a blog designed to filter and process medical news. Most recently, Kidney Notes has become a collection of links, commentary, and scraps of information -- a reference database of interesting things with the help of a popular social bookmarking service called del.icio.us. While I will continue posting to Kidney Notes, several friends have asked me to write longer posts of original content -- and this is what I will be writing on Tech Medicine.

There are many topics I plan to cover, but I'm also open to suggestions and tips. Please email them to techmedicine@gmail.com.

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