CardioExchange Archive

November 29th, 2012

Following Earlier Recall, Ranbaxy Halts Manufacturing of Atorvastatin

Larry Husten, PHD

Ranbaxy, the often-troubled manufacturer of generic drugs, will temporarily stop manufacturing generic atorvastatin. On November 9, 2012, the company announced a voluntary recall of some lots of atorvastatin because of possible contamination with glass particles. An FDA statement today said that Ranbaxy will discontinue making the drug “until it has thoroughly investigated the cause of the […]

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November 29th, 2012

European Medicines Agency Destroys the Dam: Slight Dampness Results

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

Richard Lehman recounts an EMA data transparency workshop during which ideas for how to execute its new policy of allowing access to all data submitted for drug licensing were discussed.

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November 28th, 2012

Statins and Exercise: Independently Beneficial, Even Better in Combination

Larry Husten, PHD

It’s no secret that statins and exercise are good for people with dyslipidemia. Now a study published in the Lancet offers fresh evidence suggesting that the two may be independently beneficial, and that the two together may yield greater benefits than either alone. U.S. researchers analyzed data from 10,043 people with dyslipidemia treated at either of two Veterans […]

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November 28th, 2012

The End of Fellowship: What Happens Next?

John Ryan, MD

Our training programs have a uniform deficiency — they do not prepare fellows on how to leave. I know this well, as I am currently transitioning from cardiology fellow to faculty member. Fellows typically enter medical school in their twenties and over the next ten years become institutionalized into full-time understudies. Part of this is […]

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November 27th, 2012

Longer Warfarin Therapy After Bioprosthetic Aortic Valve Replacement May Be Beneficial

Larry Husten, PHD

Three months of warfarin is the usual standard of care following bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement (AVR),  although the supporting evidence base for this practice is limited. A new, large registry study published in JAMA suggests that more-prolonged warfarin therapy may be beneficial. Danish researchers identified 4075 patients who underwent bioprosthetic AVR. As expected, warfarin treatment between 30 […]

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November 26th, 2012

Model Finds High Cost for ECG Screening of Athletes

Larry Husten, PHD

A national program of ECG screening for U.S. athletes would save almost 5,000 lives over 20 years but would cost more than $50 billion dollars, according to a paper published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The advisability of routine ECG screening for athletes has divided the experts: currently the ESC recommends ECG screening […]

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November 26th, 2012

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: November 26th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include fish oil and postoperative AF, low-dose aspirin for preventing recurrent VTE, a long-term comparison of endovascular and open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm, and more.

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November 24th, 2012

Author of Trial on Transcendental Meditation and Heart Disease Responds

Robert H. Schneider, MD, FACC

Dr. Robert H. Schneider, lead author of a recent study on cardiovascular benefits of Transcendental Meditation, responds to Larry Husten’s corrected critique of that study.

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November 23rd, 2012

Undiagnosed Hypertension in Younger Adults

Heather M Johnson, MD, MS

Dr. Johnson answers questions about her research group’s study of undiagnosed hypertension in younger adults.

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November 21st, 2012

HeartWare LVAD Approved By FDA For Transplant Patients

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA said today that it had granted approval to the HeartWare Ventricular Assist System for use in heart failure patients waiting for a transplant. Approval of the device had been expected after the FDA’s Circulatory System Devices panel recommended approval of the device earlier this year. HeartWare was approved based on data from the pivotal ADVANCE trial, in which […]

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