CardioExchange Archive

March 31st, 2014

Aspirin and Clonidine Fail to Help Surgery Patients

Larry Husten, PHD

Myocardial infarction (MI) is among the most common and serious side effects of noncardiac surgery. An effective regimen to minimize this risk has been the subject of considerable debate in recent years. The controversy was recently exacerbated because the recommendation to use beta-blockers in this setting was based on research which has now been discredited. Substantial […]

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March 15th, 2011

Quitting Smoking Shortly Before Surgery: Is It Safe?

Larry Husten, PHD

Quitting smoking soon before surgery is safe, according to a new meta-analysis published in Archives of Internal Medicine. In response to fears that people who stopped smoking within 8 weeks prior to surgery may have had worse outcomes, Katie Myers and colleagues analyzed data from 9 studies and found no association with postoperative complications. The authors […]

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January 24th, 2011

Poor Justification for Compulsory Angiography Before Vascular Surgery

Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM

I recently heard a physician quote a paper from JACC to justify pursuing revascularization in an asymptomatic patient who was scheduled for major vascular surgery. This article is worth a close look in your journal club, even though it was published in 2009. In their discussion, the authors summarize their findings as follows: “For patients in […]

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October 13th, 2010

Transfusions and Cardiac Surgery: “A Major Concern”

Larry Husten, PHD

One new study in JAMA demonstrates very wide differences among hospitals in the use of transfusions during cardiac surgery. A second study finds no differences in outcome based on transfusions. Two editorialists write that “continued inappropriate transfusions among hospitals is a major concern.” Bennett-Guerro and colleagues analyzed the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database to […]

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July 27th, 2010

CABG in the Real World

Larry Husten, PHD

Two studies in Archives of Internal Medicine look at different aspects of CABG in the real world. Auerbach and colleagues analyzed data from more than 80,000 CABG patients and found that quality can be improved and costs reduced by directing patients away from low-volume surgeons and hospitals in favor of higher-volume surgeons and hospitals. However, […]

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