CardioExchange Archive

March 23rd, 2015

Dangerous Interaction: New Hepatitis C Drug and Old Arrhythmia Drug

Larry Husten, PHD

Late last week Gilead Sciences issued a warning about a rare but potentially fatal interaction between its stellar new hepatitis C drug sofosbuvir and amiodarone, a potent but tricky antiarrhythmic agent. Sofosbuvir is marketed as Sovaldi and, in combination with another antiviral agent, as Harvoni. Amiodarone is a class III antiarrhythmic with a number of […]

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March 16th, 2015

A Requiem for Routine Thrombectomy?

Larry Husten, PHD

Primary PCI is the treatment of choice in the early period of an acute MI. One limitation is the risk of dislodging part of the clot, leading to new downstream blockages of the microvasculature. One strategy that has been under development for a long time is thrombectomy, in which a device extracts the clot prior […]

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March 15th, 2015

Encouraging 5-Year Results for TAVR

Larry Husten, PHD

The publication five years ago of the two-part PARTNER trial brought a major change to the treatment of aortic valve replacement. The trial demonstrated that transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) was a reasonable treatment option, first for patients who were not surgical candidates and then for patients who were at high risk for surgery. One […]

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March 15th, 2015

More Information Emerges About the PCSK9 Inhibitors

Larry Husten, PHD

New information emerged today about two new cholesterol-lowering drugs that have been attracting a lot of attention. Data about the PCSK9 inhibitors — evolocumab, under development by Amgen, and alirocumab, under development by Sanofi and Regeneron — were presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting in San Diego and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine. […]

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March 14th, 2015

Has CT Angiography Lived Up to Its Early Promise?

Larry Husten, PHD

Computed tomographic angiography (CTA) enjoyed an explosion of growth over the past decade or more, fueled by enthusiasm for its ability to deliver speedy, high-resolution images of the coronary arteries. Many anticipated that CTA would prove its worth and justify its expense and radiation dose. As explained by one cardiologist, Duke University’s Dan Mark, with […]

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March 14th, 2015

DAPT ‘Approaching the Point of Diminishing Returns’?

Larry Husten, PHD

After a myocardial infarction (MI), patients remain at high risk for recurrent events. The precise role of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) to lower this risk has been the subject of considerable disagreement.  Now a new study offers fresh evidence that prolonged DAPT can lower risk over a long period, but only at the cost of […]

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March 14th, 2015

FDA Approves Watchman Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device for AF

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA has approved Boston Scientific’s long-delayed Watchman Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device. According to the company, the Watchman is indicated as an alternative to long-term warfarin therapy for the reduction of thromboembolism from the left atrial appendage in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation at increased risk for stroke and systemic embolism. Although an alternative to warfarin, […]

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March 10th, 2015

First Good Look at TAVR in The Real World

Larry Husten, PHD

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is one of the most important advances in cardiovascular medicine in recent years. Although it is associated with significant risks, TAVR can offer some patients a less invasive alternative to traditional aortic valve replacement surgery.  Because of early concerns about potential overuse and misuse of TAVR, many observers have been eagerly […]

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March 9th, 2015

Appropriate Use Criteria for Diagnostic Catheterization are Weak

Larry Husten, PHD

Appropriate use criteria (AUC) are designed to help make sure that medical procedures and interventions are performed in patients most likely to benefit and, in turn, are not performed on people unlikely to gain benefit. Now a new study published in Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that the AUC for one very widely performed procedure, diagnostic cardiac […]

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March 4th, 2015

Genetic Screening Test Could Identify People More Likely To Benefit From Statins

Larry Husten, PHD

A genetic risk score can identify people at high risk for coronary disease, according to a new report in the Lancet. The score can also help find those who are most likely to benefit from statin therapy. The genetic risk score, derived from 27 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), successfully identified individuals at highest risk for a cardiac event within […]

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