CardioExchange Archive

January 27th, 2014

Prevention Guidelines in Practice: Vignette 3

Siqin Ye, MD

Tell us how you’d determine this 41-year-old African American woman’s 10-year CVD risk, and if you’d put her on a statin.

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January 23rd, 2014

Prevention Guidelines in Practice: Vignette 2

Andrew M. Kates, MD

This vignette is the second in our series “Making Sense of the New Prevention Guidelines — The View from Clinical Practice” A 45-year-old man sees you for cardiac risk assessment. His father died at age 42 from a myocardial infarction. He exercises regularly and feels he eats well. He does not smoke. His blood pressure is […]

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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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November 12th, 2012

Nonfasting Lipid Testing Gains Growing Acceptance

Larry Husten, PHD

Although fasting before a lipid test has long been recommended, a new study and accompanying commentaries make the case that nonfasting lipid levels are acceptable and may even be superior to fasting levels for the assessment of cardiovascular risk. Investigators at the University of Calgary analyzed data from laboratory tests obtained from more than 200,000 people […]

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August 21st, 2012

Cardiovascular Risk Prediction: Two More Studies, Little Progress

Larry Husten, PHD

Two studies published in JAMA provide new data — and, perhaps, some additional clarity — about using additional markers to help improve risk prediction for coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). In one study, Joseph Yeboah and colleagues used data from 1330 intermediate-risk participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)  to analyze the prognostic value […]

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June 19th, 2012

New Uses Found for a Traditional Walking Test

Larry Husten, PHD

The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) can improve risk prediction in people with stable coronary disease, according to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The 6MWT may also be cost-effective and — and may help physicians motivate their patients to exercise, suggest the authors. Alexis Beatty and colleagues performed a 6MWT and a treadmill exercise […]

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April 10th, 2012

Baseline ECG Abnormalities in Older Patients Tied to Increased CHD Risk

Larry Husten, PHD

Although routine ECG screening in asymptomatic people is not recommended by guidelines, a new study raises the possibility that ECGs in an elderly population can provide a modest improvement in risk classification. In the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study, published in JAMA, Reto Auer and colleagues followed 2192 adults 70 to 79 years of age without known […]

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July 26th, 2011

Coronary and Cerebrovascular Disease May Differ in Their Heritability

Larry Husten, PHD

Although coronary and cerebrovascular disease usually receive equal weight when family history is assessed as a risk factor, a new study suggests that family history may play a more important role in MI and ACS than in stroke or TIA. In an article published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics, Amitava Banerjee and colleagues report the results of […]

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July 25th, 2011

Adding HbA1c Measurements Improves CV Risk Prediction in Diabetics

Larry Husten, PHD

Current risk prediction models classify diabetes as equivalent to established cardiovascular disease. Now, a new report from the Women’s Health Study and the Physician’s Health Study II suggests that adding HbA1c measurements to the model can improve risk prediction and lead to downward classification of some diabetics. In a paper published in Archives of Internal Medicine, […]

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October 4th, 2010

Gene Expression Test Brings Modest Improvement to Patient Classification

Larry Husten, PHD

A gene expression test can improve the prediction of CAD but may not be clinically useful, according to results of the Personalized Risk Evaluation and Diagnosis in the Coronary Tree (PREDICT) study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The PREDICT investigators, led by Eric Topol, evaluated a gene expression test based on 23 genes […]

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