CardioExchange Archive

October 10th, 2013

CardioMEMS Heart Failure Device Gets Mixed Reception From FDA Advisory Panel

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA’s Circulatory System Devices Panel sent a mixed message to the FDA today about the CardioMEMS Champion HF Pressure Measurement System.  The small implantable device provides daily pulmonary artery pressure measurements to guide physicians in their treatment of patients with congestive heart failure. In December 2011 the same panel voted 9-1 that the device was safe, 7-3 that the […]

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October 10th, 2013

Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease Likely to Increase Despite Gains in Treatment

Larry Husten, PHD

It is the best of times and the worst of times in the battle against cardiovascular disease. On the one hand, mortality rates from cardiovascular disease in the U.S. have dropped by more than half in the last 30 years, likely due in large part to improvements in treatment for elevated blood pressure and cholesterol […]

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October 9th, 2013

New Drug for Pulmonary Hypertension Approved by FDA

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA approved on Tuesday a new drug for pulmonary hypertension. Bayer HealthCare’s riociguat (brand name Adempas) was approved for two indications: the treatment of adults with persistent/recurrent chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) after surgical treatment or inoperable CTEPH to improve exercise capacity and WHO functional class the treatment of adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to improve […]

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October 9th, 2013

People Who Live Near Airports at Increased Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

Larry Husten, PHD

Most previous research on the health effects of noise has focused on road noise. Now two new observational studies published in BMJ extend the research to noise from airports and provide fresh evidence that people who live near airports are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. In the first paper, Anna Hansell and colleagues in the U.K. analyzed data from 3.6 […]

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October 7th, 2013

Study Supports Loosening Guidelines for Surgery After Stent Implantation

Larry Husten, PHD

According to current guidelines, noncardiac surgery should be delayed for six weeks after bare-metal stent (BMS) implantation and for one year after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation, though there is little good evidence to support these recommendations. Stent thrombosis caused by discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy in order to lower the risk of bleeding during surgery is the […]

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October 3rd, 2013

News From Our ‘Statin Civilization’: High-Dose Statins Found to Reduce Gum Disease Inflammation

Larry Husten, PHD

In addition to their well-known benefits in heart disease, high-dose statins appear to reduce gum inflammation caused by periodontal disease, a new report published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows. The findings offer more evidence that heart disease and gum disease may be linked, and also help support the view that statins achieve at least […]

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October 1st, 2013

Long-Term Study Results Offer Broad Perspective on Hormone Therapy for Menopausal Women

Larry Husten, PHD

More than a decade ago, the NHLBI’s Women’s Health Initiative trials overturned the conventional wisdom that hormone therapy (HT) for menopausal women helped protect women from a broad spectrum of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease. The findings caused dramatic reductions in the use of HT but important questions remained, many involving the age or time since menopause […]

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September 27th, 2013

Saying Sorry May Not Be Good Enough for Novartis

Larry Husten, PHD

Novartis has issued a formal apology over misconduct relating to valsartan (Diovan) research in Japan, but that apology does not appear likely to satisfy the Japanese Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, which plans to fully investigate the company’s role in the scandal. If necessary, ministry officials are prepared to raid the company’s offices in Japan. A Novartis official apologized to […]

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September 26th, 2013

Increase In Deaths Linked To First-Line Treatment With Sulfonylureas

Larry Husten, PHD

First-line treatment with sulfonylureas instead of metformin in people with type 2 diabetes is associated with a significantly elevated risk of death, according to results from an observational study presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) meeting in Barcelona. Although guidelines do not recommend the use of sulfonylureas for first-line treatment, the drugs are still […]

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September 24th, 2013

Study Raises Questions About Digoxin Use Today

Larry Husten, PHD

Digoxin is one of the oldest medicines in the cardiovascular arsenal. When William Withering identified it as the active ingredient in the foxglove plant more than 200 years ago, he was only codifying a longstanding folk remedy for heart failure, or “dropsy” as it was known then. Digoxin fully entered the modern era with the publication […]

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