CardioExchange Archive

PLATO-Invasive: A large substudy from PLATO of ACS patients undergoing an invasive strategy has been published in the Lancet.  The substudy found that ticagrelor was superior to clopidogrel in 13,408 ACS patients for whom an invasive procedure was planned. Christopher Cannon et al. reported that the combined rate of CV death, MI, and stroke was significantly cut from 10.7% in the clopidogrel arm to 9.0% in the ticagrelor arm. There were no additional major bleeding complications in the ticagrelor group. In an accompanying editorial, Gregg Stone said “the introduction of ticagrelor, a more potent and effective agent which is as safe as its predecessor, is a landmark event that should redefine the care of patients with acute coronary syndromes.”
ACC loses court battle: A US Judge has rejected the American College of Cardiology’s lawsuit to overturn recently established cuts in Medicare reimbursement for cardiology services. The ACC said it plans to continue fighting the reduction in payments. The ACC has a statement on its website.