CardioExchange Archive

July 21st, 2014

Probiotics May Help Reduce Blood Pressure

Larry Husten, PHD

As interest in probiotics has grown in recent years, some evidence has emerged that probiotics may favorably reduce blood pressure, but trials have been small and inconsistent. Now a meta-analysis published in Hypertension suggests that the blood-pressure lowering effects of probiotics may be genuine. Saman Khalesi and colleagues analyzed data from nine parallel, randomized, controlled trials including 543 […]

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June 2nd, 2014

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: June 2nd

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include the durability of class I ACC/AHA clinical practice guideline recommendations and several papers on hypertension.

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May 29th, 2014

Large Study Uncovers New Details About the Role of Hypertension in CVD

Larry Husten, PHD

Although high blood pressure has long been recognized and studied as a cardiovascular risk factor, a large new study published in the Lancet provides a more detailed, granular view of the specific role of different forms of hypertension. Eleni Rapsomaniki and colleagues in the U.K. analyzed data from 1.25 million people without existing cardiovascular disease age 30 and […]

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April 24th, 2014

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: April 24th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include trials of aspirin and clonidine in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery, changes in diabetes-related complications in the U.S., and more.

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April 14th, 2014

The Uncertain Future of Renal Denervation

Larry Husten, PHD

Following the spectacular crash and burn of the SYMPLICITY HTN-3 trial at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) meeting two weeks ago, the future of renal denervation (RDN) — the once highly promising catheter technology that many thought would cure resistant hypertension — appears in doubt. Although the device has not been approved in the U.S. — and will not be approved […]

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March 29th, 2014

Negative Findings on Renal Denervation for Hypertension: Sweet SYMPLICITY?

Sandeep Mangalmurti, MD, JD

Deepak L. Bhatt, co-principal investigator of the SYMPLICITY HTN-3 trial, discusses the trial’s findings and their implications for clinical practice.

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March 29th, 2014

No Benefit Found in First Real Test of Renal Denervation

Larry Husten, PHD

SYMPLICITY HTN-3, the eagerly awaited first rigorous test of renal denervation, shows that the real effect of the novel blood-pressure-lowering technology is dramatically lower than earlier expectations, which had been fueled by data from previous uncontrolled trials. Results of SYMPLICITY HTN-3 were presented at the American College of Cardiology conference in Washington, DC, and published simultaneously […]

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February 24th, 2014

Meta-Analysis Links Vegetarian Diet and Lower Blood Pressure

Larry Husten, PHD

A new meta-analysis provides the strongest evidence yet that a vegetarian diet is strongly associated with lower blood pressure. Although various health benefits of a vegetarian diet have often been proposed, a rigorous examination of the effect on blood pressure has not been previously performed. In a paper published in JAMA Internal Medicine, Japanese researchers analyzed data from […]

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February 4th, 2014

Blood Pressure Trajectory Over 25 Years Predicts Atherosclerosis Risk

Larry Husten, PHD

Everyone knows that blood pressure is one of the most important measurements of cardiovascular risk. Less well known is that most studies of blood pressure have relied on single or isolated measurements of blood pressure. Few studies have even attempted to examine the significance of blood pressure patterns over a long period of time. Now, in […]

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January 22nd, 2014

SERIES: Making Sense of the New Prevention Guidelines — The View from Clinical Practice

Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM

A series of clinical vignettes involving decisions affected by the recently published prevention guidelines (JNC 8, ACC/AHA, ESC)

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