CardioExchange Archive

To celebrate the holiday season, CardioExchange asked several of our contributors to choose the 3 most important cardiology-related events of the past year and  to make 3 predictions for 2011.

Looking back at 2010:

1. Dabigatran etexilate approved to prevent stroke in atrial fibrillation. Several studies have shown that even good Coumadin clinics keep the INRs of patients in the desired range only about 75% of the time. Dabigatran will be a good alternative to warfarin in some large subgroups of patients.
2. A paper looking at women in the JUPITER trial along with a meta-analysis of women in primary prevention trials shows a clear reduction in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in women who meet the JUPITER criteria. The Archives of Internal Medicine Editorial Board does not seem to believe these findings. The accompanying insightful editorial was also stellar. 🙂
3. ACCORD (ACCORD BP and ACCORD Lipid): No reduction in CV events with more aggressive BP lowering SBP of 119 vs. 133 or with adding fenofibrate to statin therapy except in those with low HDL and tG >200.

Predictions for 2011:

1. Tom Brady wins NFL MVP and Mike Vick is 2nd. Those two will meet in Super Bowl after Eagles upset Falcons in NFC championship game. Pats win it all.
2. ATP IV and JNC 8 are published at time of next AHA.
3. Greg Schwartz’s CETP inhibitor trial with dalcetrapib is successful in ACS patients.
4. IMPROVE-IT shows a modest 12% reduction in CV events by end of 2011.
5. Sanjay Kaul finds a trial design and a DSMB that he likes!