CardioExchange Archive

June 16th, 2014

European Medicines Agency Initiates Review of Ivabradine

Larry Husten, PHD

There may be trouble on the horizon for ivabradine, a heart drug marketed by Servier under the brand names of Corlentor and Procoralan. The drug is widely available in Europe and elsewhere, though it is not available in the U.S., where it is under development by Amgen. Although it hasn’t been widely reported,  the European […]

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June 13th, 2014

FDA Advisory Panel Supports Novel Drug-Coated Balloon

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA’s Circulatory System Devices advisory panel voted unanimously on Thursday to support approval of CR Bard’s Lutonix Drug-Coated Balloon (DCB). It would be used to enlarge arteries in a subset of patients who have peripheral arterial disease — including obstructive de novo or nonstented restenotic lesions (≤ 15 cm in length) in native femoropopliteal arteries […]

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June 13th, 2014

CoreValve Gains New Indication for High-Risk Patients

Larry Husten, PHD

Medtronic’s CoreValve system today gained a second indication from the FDA for use in patients with severe aortic stenosis who are at high risk for surgery. The transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) system was initially approved earlier this year for use in patients who were  too ill or frail for traditional open heart surgery. The new approval is based on results from […]

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June 10th, 2014

Major Medical Organizations Establish Ambitious Diabetes Registry

Larry Husten, PHD

Our knowledge of diabetes today is a bit like the way blind men understand an elephant. With a myriad of isolated perspectives it’s nearly impossible to gain a broad overview. Now, a new initiative from a group of major medical organization will seek to provide the tools to better see a full picture of the elephantine […]

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June 9th, 2014

Wide Range of Radiation Dose in Children Undergoing Cardiac Procedures

Larry Husten, PHD

Children with heart disease are at increased risk for developing cancer later in life due to their exposure to radiation during imaging procedures. Since an ever-growing number of children with heart disease now reach adulthood, this may become an increasingly important public health issue. A new study published in Circulation offers some reassurance in finding that […]

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June 4th, 2014

Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease in the U.K.: It’s Complicated

Larry Husten, PHD

Epidemiology studies have provided powerful evidence linking air pollution to cardiovascular disease, especially MI and stroke. By some estimates, air pollution may be responsible for 3.2 million deaths each year, most from cardiovascular causes. At first glance, a new study published in Heart appears to cast doubt on this association. Analyzing U.K. data from more than 400,000 MIs, […]

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June 3rd, 2014

Prophylactic ICDs Appear Effective in Less Severe HF Patients

Larry Husten, PHD

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators are routinely implanted in heart failure patients with ejection fractions of 35% and lower to prevent sudden cardiac death. However, the benefits in patients at the higher end of the spectrum — EFs between 30% and 35% — have not been well demonstrated in clinical trials, since few patients in this range have […]

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May 29th, 2014

Large Study Uncovers New Details About the Role of Hypertension in CVD

Larry Husten, PHD

Although high blood pressure has long been recognized and studied as a cardiovascular risk factor, a large new study published in the Lancet provides a more detailed, granular view of the specific role of different forms of hypertension. Eleni Rapsomaniki and colleagues in the U.K. analyzed data from 1.25 million people without existing cardiovascular disease age 30 and […]

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May 28th, 2014

Portrait of the Global Obesity Pandemic

Larry Husten, PHD

A new, comprehensive analysis, published in the Lancet, paints a frightening portrait of the global obesity pandemic.  Analyzing data from a wide variety of international sources, the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 finds that from 1980 through 2013, the worldwide prevalence of overweight and obesity rose by 27.5% for adults and by 47.1% for children. The […]

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May 28th, 2014

Prescription Delay Following Stent Implantation Is a Common and Deadly Problem

Larry Husten, PHD

After receiving a stent, many patients delay or fail to fill their prescription for clopidogrel or another antiplatelet agent. Now, a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association offers evidence that this problem is widespread and often leads to serious consequences. Researchers analyzed data from all stent implantations performed in British Columbia from […]

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