Commentary and Observations from
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Welcome to PCE's The Exchange—Stay Current on Issues That Matter Most to You and Your NP/PA Colleagues
PCE is excited to announce the launch of The Exchange, a collection of short commentaries from your NP/PA colleagues on a broad range of topics relevant to your practice. The Exchange will bring you reflections on trends in medicine, observations about new treatments and guidelines, and advice related to career decisions and practicing in today's changing healthcare environment.
Brain Natriuretic Peptide in Clinical Trials: Why This Matters for Practitioners
Posted By: 
Daniel Thibodeau, MHP, PA-C
May 26, 2020
As we look to improve the treatment and quality of life of our patients with heart failure, we often use relevant labs to help us determine the extent of the disease. In addition, the use of clinical trials helps us understand how lab values can influence treatment options and therapies for our patients. An example of this is brain natriuretic peptide, or BNP, and N-terminal-proBNP (NT-proBNP). The measurement of this biomarker allows an understanding of the stretch receptors in cardiac tissu... Continue Reading
Filed under: Cardiometabolic
What’s Changed for Basic and Advanced Life Support During COVID-19
Posted By: 
Debra A. Danforth, DNP, APRN
May 22, 2020
How we do CPR and advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) has changed in the last several months. The American Heart Association collaborated with other organiz... Continue Reading
Filed under: Health Policy and Trends, Infectious Diseases
Using Topical Steroids Safely and Effectively
Posted By: 
Kristine Kucera, PA-C, MPAS, DHS
May 19, 2020
Since their introduction in early 1950s, topical corticosteroids (TCS) have become the drugs most commonly prescribed by dermatologists for outpatients and a... Continue Reading
Filed under: Dermatology
Determining the Cause of Hair Loss
Posted By: Kristine Kucera, PA-C, MPAS, DHS
May 15, 2020
Hair loss, also known as alopecia, is one of the of most common disorders that dermatology practitioners diagnose and treat. With so many potential causes, i... Continue Reading
Filed under: Dermatology
Silent Hypoxia in COVID-19 Patients
Posted By: 
Mary Knudtson, DNSc, NP, FAAN
May 12, 2020
Emergency rooms in New York are finding COVID-19 pneumonia in some patients who have no shortness of breath. Clinicians have reported that when they did x-ra... Continue Reading
Filed under: Infectious Diseases, Pulmonary Medicine
National Nurses Week May 6-12: Let’s Not Forget Where It Started
Posted By: Debra A. Danforth, DNP, APRN
May 08, 2020
Two hundred years ago, on May 12th, Florence Nightingale was born—it is now a day when we celebrate nurses around the world. Did you know that... Continue Reading
Filed under: Miscellaneous, NPs & PAs
Asthma and COVID-19
Posted By: Mary Knudtson, DNSc, NP, FAAN
May 05, 2020
The early data on mortality from COVID-19 infections are showing that asthma is not one of the top risk factors. The top ten COVID-19 comorbidities (in rank... Continue Reading
Filed under: Infectious Diseases, Pulmonary Medicine
Do Traumatic Fractures Relate to Osteoporosis? Is a Paradigm Shift Coming?
Posted By: 
Richard S. Pope, PA-C, MPAS
May 01, 2020
A new study by Leslie and colleagues evaluating high and low trauma fractures may change our thought process regarding how traumatic fractures pertain to ris... Continue Reading
Filed under: Orthopedics, Rheumatology
Throat Abscess Differentiation
Posted By: 
Ben Taylor, PA-C, PhD, DFAAPA
April 28, 2020
Deep neck space infections are frequently seen in medical clinics and EDs despite the advent of antibiotics. They most commonly arise from a septic focus of... Continue Reading
Filed under: Miscellaneous
Who Gets the Egg: The Chicken or the Rooster? Hydroxychloroquine Under the Microscope
Posted By: Richard S. Pope, PA-C, MPAS
April 24, 2020
What We Know We know that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is FDA approved for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus... Continue Reading
Filed under: Health Policy and Trends, Public Health