CardioExchange Archive

Aspirin for Primary Prevention: Aspirin did not reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease in asymptomatic people with a low ankle brachial index (ABI) in the Aspirin for Asymptomatic Atherosclerosis trial. According to the report in JAMA, investigators screened nearly 30,000 men and women from Scotland and randomized 3,350 who had a low ABI to either aspirin or placebo. After 8.2 years of follow-up, there were no significant differences in outcomes between the two groups. An accompanying editorial by Jeffrey Berger concludes that “aspirin appears to have marginal benefits for reducing initial cardiovascular events when used for patients without clinically evident CVD and is associated with higher rates of bleeding events in these patients.”


ICDs and Cognitive Problems: Hallas et al. administered neuropsychological tests to 52 patients before, 6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months after ICD implantation. In a study published in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, 31%-39% of patients had evidence of cognitive problems at some point following the procedure. Most but not all of the problems were resolved by 12 months. The authors assume the cause of the problem is ventricular defibrillation testing of the device following implantation.

Secondary Smoke and 13-Year-Olds: Arterial damage caused by secondhand exposure to smoke is evident as early as the age of 13, according to a new report from Finland’s ongoing prospective randomized Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project (STRIP), appearing in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.