CardioExchange Archive

March 9th, 2010

Monday, March 8 News: What is the “Warranty” for Zero Calcium? 

Larry Husten, PHD

Zero Calcium: What is the “warranty period” for a zero calcium score? Min et al. studied 422 people who had a normal calcium scan (CAC=0) and who then received annual screens. One quarter of the patients had a subsequent calcium score >0 within 5 years, according to the report in the Journal of the American […]

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March 4th, 2010

Thursday, March 4 News: Apixaban Advances

Larry Husten, PHD

Apixaban, a new factor Xa inhibitor under development, was compared with enoxaparin for thromboprophylaxis following knee replacement surgery in the ADVANCE-2 trial. The new report appears in the Lancet. In the primary efficacy analysis, the primary outcome — the composite of asymptomatic and symptomatic deep vein thrombosis, nonfatal pulmonary embolism, and all-cause death during treatment — was reached in 15% […]

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March 3rd, 2010

Wednesday, March 3: Drugs for Shock Compared

Larry Husten, PHD

Norepinephrine and dopamine are both recommended as first line drugs for the treatment of shock. In a report by De Backer et al in the New England Journal of Medicine, 1,679 shock patients were enrolled in the SOAP II trial and randomized to initial vasopressor therapy with one of the drugs. At 28 days there […]

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March 2nd, 2010

Tuesday, March 2 News Roundup: Aspirin for Primary Prevention; ICDs and Cognitive Problems; Secondary Smoke and 13-Year-Olds

Larry Husten, PHD

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 […]

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March 1st, 2010

Monday, March 1 News Roundup: ECGs and Young Athletes; Diet and Atherosclerosis; Reducing Sodium; Vitamin D Supplements

Larry Husten, PHD

ECGs and Young Athletes: In recent years, opinion has divided over the role of ECG screening in young athletes. Two studies and an editorial in Annals of Internal Medicine shed new light on the topic. Baggish et al. found that ECGs increased the sensitivity of preparticipation cardiovascular screening, but at the cost of a higher rate of […]

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February 26th, 2010

Friday February 26: Carotid Stenting Gets a Boost from CREST

Larry Husten, PHD

Results of the Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy Versus Stenting Trial (CREST) were presented in San Antonio at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2010. The trial compared carotid endarterectomy to carotid stenting in 2,502 patients at centers in the US and Canada. The primary outcome—the 30 day rate of stroke, death, and MI combined with the rate […]

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February 25th, 2010

Thursday, February 25 News Roundup: Carotid Stenting vs. Endarterectomy; Ischemic Preconditioning; Krumholz on Avandia

Larry Husten, PHD

Carotid Stenting vs. Endarterectomy: The International Carotid Stenting Study (ICSS) is an ongoing randomized trial comparing carotid stenting to carotid endarterectomy in 1,713 patients. The primary endpoint is the 3-year rate of fatal or disabling stroke. The ICSS investigators report in the Lancet the results of an interim safety analysis. The rate of stroke, death, […]

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February 24th, 2010

Wednesday February 24 Avandia Roundup: AHA & ACC Publish Science Advisory on TZDs; GlaxoSmithKline White Paper

Larry Husten, PHD

AHA/ACC Publish Science Advisory on Thiazolidinedione Drugs: Apparently in response to the renewed controversy over rosiglitazone (Avandia), the AHA and the ACC published a science advisory on thiazolidinedione drugs and cardiovascular risks. The advisory contains a highly detailed and balanced analysis of the issue. The authors, led by Sanjay Kaul, conclude that “an association between […]

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February 23rd, 2010

Tuesday, February 23 News Roundup: Avandia Remains in the News; Dutch Study Questions Platelet Function Tests; IOM Report on Hypertension

Larry Husten, PHD

Avandia Stays in the News: Responding to all the news last weekend about rosiglitazone (Avandia), the FDA announced an ongoing review of the cardiovascular safety of Avandia based on the RECORD trial and published a safety announcement along with additional information for patients and healthcare professionals. Adding even more drama to events, a New York Times story by Gardiner Harris […]

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February 22nd, 2010

Monday February 22 News Roundup: Distal Protection for Primary PCI; 1 Million Stroke Patients Who Got the Guidelines

Larry Husten, PHD

Distal Protection for Primary PCI: The DEDICATION (Drug Elution and Distal Protection in STElevation Myocardial Infarction Trial) trial has turned up a troubling suggestion of an increased risk for stent thrombosis in STEMI patients who received distal protection (DP) adjunctive to primary PCI. In a study appearing in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the […]

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