CardioExchange Archive

January 27th, 2011

End of an Era: Eugene Braunwald Steps Down, Marc Sabatine Assumes Chair of TIMI Group

Larry Husten, PHD

Marc Sabatine has replaced Eugene Braunwald as the chairman of the TIMI study group. Braunwald, who has been the dominant figure in cardiology for many decades, is 81. Sabatine was appointed Vice Chairman of the TIMI group last summer and he assumed the chairman’s role on January 1. Braunwald is not retiring and will continue to […]

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January 26th, 2011

Study Finds Declining Stroke Rate After CABG

Larry Husten, PHD

Despite the increasing complexity of cases, the risk of stroke after CABG may be declining, according to a new study published in JAMA. Khaldoun Tarakji and colleagues prospectively studied more than 45,000 patients who underwent CABG at the Cleveland Clinic from 1982 through 2009. The overall stroke rate was 1.6%. The stroke rate was highest in […]

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January 25th, 2011

Inappropriate ICD Shocks Linked to Increased Mortality

Larry Husten, PHD

A large, single-center observational study has found a link between inappropriate ICD shocks and mortality. In a report published in JACC, Johannes van Rees and colleagues from the Netherlands followed 1,544 patients who received an ICD from 1996 to 2006. Thirteen percent of patients had at least one inappropriate shock over 41 months of followup. Age below 70 […]

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January 25th, 2011

New Study Finds Hydrochlorothiazide Inferior To All Other BP Drugs

Larry Husten, PHD

At the dosages most often used, hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), the most widely used antihypertensive agent in the world, is “consistently inferior” to all other drugs, according to a new meta-analysis published in JACC. Franz Messerli and colleagues performed a systematic review of studies that compared HCTZ to other drugs using 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and found […]

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January 24th, 2011

AHA Estimates Cost of Heart Disease Will Triple by 2030

Larry Husten, PHD

The American Heart Association (AHA) is projecting that the cost to treat heart disease in the U.S. will triple by 2030, from $273 billion today to $818 billion. The AHA policy statement is published in Circulation. The AHA estimates that the incidence of stroke and heart failure will each  grow by about 25% by 2030. “These estimates don’t […]

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January 21st, 2011

Heart Rhythm Society Advising DOJ in Investigation of ICD Implants

Larry Husten, PHD

The Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) has informed its members that it is “aware of an ongoing U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) civil investigation of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) implants” and that it has “agreed to assist in an advisory role to lend expertise concerning proper guidelines for clinical decision making.” HRS explained that its role involved […]

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January 20th, 2011

Braunwald: Vorapaxar Problem Based on Intracranial Bleeding in Patients with History of Stroke

Larry Husten, PHD

A key detail has now emerged about the problems encountered with vorapaxar, Merck’s thrombin receptor antagonist that suffered a large setback last week. TIMI investigators in the TRA-2P TIMI 50 trial have been informed by Eugene Braunwald that the reason vorapaxar would be discontinued in patients who experienced a stroke prior to entry or during the trial […]

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January 19th, 2011

Review Raises Questions About Statins for Primary Prevention

Larry Husten, PHD

A Cochrane Review raises troubling questions about the evidence base supporting the use of statins for primary prevention. The Cochrane reviewers analyzed 14 randomized trials including 34,272 participants and found that statins were associated with significant reductions in overall mortality, fatal and nonfatal CV endpoints, and revascularization procedures. The reviewers found no evidence of harm. However, […]

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January 18th, 2011

Study Supports a New Enhanced Form of CPR

Larry Husten, PHD

A study published in the Lancet lends support to a new form of CPR that uses a combination of two devices to provide three times more blood flow to the heart and brain than standard CPR. The first device is a small suction cup on the patient’s chest used to actively lift the chest and […]

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January 14th, 2011

FDA Warns About Severe Liver Injury Associated with Multaq (Dronedarone)

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA has released a safety communication about severe liver injury associated with Multaq (dronedarone). The FDA said that information about the risk of liver injury would be added to the dronedarone label. The drug’s manufacturer, Sanofi-Aventis, has also sent a letter to healthcare professionals informing them of the warning. The FDA is recommending that doctors advise […]

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