How Do I Choose the Best Therapy? (Exercise)

Case # 1
A 72 year old patient has been seen by you on 3 separate occasion to confirm the diagnosis of hypertension. The mean of three pressures at the last visit is 152/76. What is your best therapeutic option? Justify that choice.

Case # 2
You are following a 62 year old gentleman with NIDDM and blood pressures in the range of 135-140. He asks about the value of an ACE inhibitor for diabetics, even though he is not hypertensive. What is your response?

Case # 3
You are an intensivist and have been using the Swan-Ganz catheter for a number of years. A new fellow on the service questions the actual value of this procedure since it has never been tested in a randomized trial. What is your response?

Case # 4 (Optional)
You are a family physician and are commonly confronted with the problem of how to provide symptomatic relief for the common cold. You are unhappy about providing antibiotics, although many patients request them. What about zinc gluconate lozenges?