CardioExchange Archive

May 9th, 2013

Bruise Control: Continued Warfarin Beats Heparin Bridging During Device Implantation

Larry Husten, PHD

Many patients receiving an ICD or a pacemaker are already receiving oral anticoagulants. Current guidelines recommend replacement of the oral anticoagulant with the temporary use of heparin as a bridging strategy. Now a new study, BRUISE CONTROL (Bridge or Continue Coumadin for Device Surgery Randomized Controlled Trial), offers convincing evidence that this strategy is not […]

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May 9th, 2013

Another Disappointing Study for Fish Oil Supplements

Larry Husten, PHD

Another large study has failed to find any benefits for fish oil supplements. The Italian Risk and Prevention Study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, enrolled 12,513 people who had not had a myocardial infarction but had evidence of atherosclerosis or had multiple cardiovascular risk factors. The patients were randomized to either a fish oil supplement […]

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May 7th, 2013

Longer Detection Time Helps Prevent Unnecessary ICD Shocks

Larry Husten, PHD

Increasing the detection intervals in ICD programming can reduce the number of unnecessary or inappropriate shocks, according to results of the ADVANCE III study published in JAMA. A group of Italian investigators randomized 1,902 patients receiving an ICD to programming with either long- or standard-detection intervals. After 12 months of followup, patients in the long-detection group […]

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May 7th, 2013

Burton Sobel, Towering Cardiologist, Dead at 75

Larry Husten, PHD

Burton Sobel, a towering scientist and cardiologist, died at home on May 3 at the age of 75. Sobel had been treated in the past for prostate cancer and had suffered a recurrence, but it is not known if this was the immediate cause of his death. Sobel was among the most powerful and influential cardiologists […]

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May 6th, 2013

Meta-analysis Finds Same-Day Discharge for Low-Risk PCI May Be Feasible

Larry Husten, PHD

Although elective PCI for most low-risk patients is extremely safe, overnight observation is still standard practice in the U.S., largely due to the lack of evidence demonstrating that same-day discharge is safe. Now a new meta-analysis, published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, provides support for same-day discharge in carefully selected […]

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May 3rd, 2013

FDA Approves Combination of Ezetimibe and Atorvastatin

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA has approved a new combination drug from Merck for lowering cholesterol. The drug, which will carry the brand name of Liptruzet, is a combination of two previously approved cholesterol-lowering drugs, ezetimibe and atorvastatin. Merck said the new drug (pronounced “LIP-true-zett”) would be commercially available starting next week. Liptruzet will be available as a once-daily […]

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May 2nd, 2013

Danish Study Finds No Increased CV Risk with Azithromycin in General Population

Larry Husten, PHD

A large observational study found no increased risk for cardiovascular events associated with azithromycin (Zithromax, Pfizer) in a general population of young and middle-age adults. In a paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Danish investigators report the results of a large national observational study comparing people who took azithromycin with matched controls […]

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May 1st, 2013

FDA Warns That Tolvaptan Can Lead to Serious Liver Injury

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA has issued a drug safety communication concerning tolvaptan (Samsca, Otsuka), a selective vasopression V2-receptor antagonist used in heart failure patients to treat clinically significant hypervolemic and euvolemic hyponatremia. The FDA said tolvaptan “should not be used for longer than 30 days and should not be used in patients with underlying liver disease because […]

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April 30th, 2013

Anticoagulation Update: New Agent for Urgent Anticoagulation Reversal, Pradaxa Label Revised

Larry Husten, PHD

Here are two small but important changes in the anticoagulation field: FDA approves new product for urgent reversal of anticoagulation. The FDA yesterday approved Kcentra (Prothrombin Complex Concentrate, Human) for the urgent reversal of vitamin K antagonist (VKA) anticoagulation in adults with acute major bleeding. Unlike plasma, which is currently the only available method to reverse […]

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April 29th, 2013

Unconventional Analysis Finds Threshold for LDL Reduction with Statins

Larry Husten, PHD

Using an unconventional mathematical approach, a group of Japanese researchers say there may be no good reason to reduce LDL cholesterol more than 40 mg/dl. Their research letter has been published online in JAMA Internal Medicine. According to the authors, members of the ALICE (All-Literature Investigation of Cardiovascular Evidence) Group, most meta-analyses use linear models that […]

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