Dr. Archer's Blog | Department of Medicine | School of Medicine | Queen's University | Department of Medicine | School of Medicine

Replacing the Aortic Valve Without Surgery: Queen’s and KGH Enter the Fray

- 22 February 2013

You can learn a lot form your siblings. In this case, I learned How to Save a Life. My brother, Brian Archer (Queen’s Meds ’88) is a radiologist at the Regional Hospital in Saint John, New Brunswick. For the past 5 years, an interprofessional team has quietly been replacing heart valves in patients who have a valve disease called Aortic Stenosis. What is remarkable is that this is done without surgery, with the valve being delivered to its resting place on a catheter inserted through the femoral artery.

Stroke’s Quantum Jump: The Interprofessional Team

Dr. Archer's Blog

- 11 February 2013

There is a moment in the management of a disease when a quantum jump lays bare the futility or wrong mindedness of past therapies. These rare, hard-won moments occur when our understanding of disease mechanisms becomes correct (or at least not totally incorrect). A quantum leap in Medicine, like the movement of electron to a higher orbital, requires input of energy (or so I vaguely recall from Physics 101).

The Loving of the Game: Lessons from Johnny’s Ice House

Dr. Archer's Blog

- 31 January 2013

I recently received an unusual email from a friend in Chicago. The attachment was a photograph showing a cardiac surgery operating room….. with a hockey trophy prominently displayed at the bedside. At first I was confused but then the meaning of the image became clear and I thought of the late Chicago folk singer, Steve Goodman.

Why We Still Need Medical Grand Rounds

Dr. Archer's Blog

- 15 January 2013

Medical Grand Rounds has been the premiere education event of Departments of Medicine since the foundation of the modern Department of Medicine. Historically, patients were presented and their cases carefully dissected, in their presence, for the edification of the audience: a mixture of trainees and faculty members. Grand Rounds was a mixture of show and tell, how-to and meet the expert. The wisdom of the experienced physician was distilled into one hour and consumed by the medical house staff.

A Report on Influenza From The State of Denial

Dr. Archer's Blog

- 3 January 2013

Did you get your flu shot this year? Yes, I am asking you….More importantly, Canadian icon Rick Mercer and I are asking you, but read on. Influenza has a disarming common name, the flu. This virus, spread by droplets through the air is, however, ‘fully armed’. It can knock a a healthy adult off his or her feet suddenly, with a potent assault characterized by fever, chills, coughing, sore throat, achiness, headaches, and fatigue. It can also kill.

To Remain or Retire: Advice For Physicians From Leonard Cohen

Dr. Archer's Blog

- 18 December 2012

Leonard Cohen's “Old Ideas” Tour stopped in Kingston this December and 5000 fans filled the K-Rock Center to hear 78-year old Cohen. He sang the entire repertoire, from So Long Marianne, and Suzanne to Hallelujah and I’m your Man. The audience, young and old, were captivated. As I watched him sing, rising lithely from bended knee, it was clear he had a youthful spirit. He was fully connected with the audience and we in turn were connected to him. He played for four hours.