CardioExchange Archive

July 30th, 2012

USPSTF Maintains Recommendation Against ECG Screening of Asymptomatic, Low-Risk Adults

Larry Husten, PHD

The  U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has reaffirmed its 2004 recommendation against ECG screening for asymptomatic adults who are already at low risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). The task force also concluded that there was insufficient evidence to assess the risks and benefits of ECG screening in asymptomatic people at intermediate or high risk for […]

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July 27th, 2012

FDA Approves New Prescription Fish Oil Pill

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA has approved a new prescription formulation of fish oils for treating very high triglyceride levels. The drug will be sold under the brand name Vascepa. According to Amarin, the manufacturer, it will be indicated as an adjunct to diet to reduce triglyceride levels in adult patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia (>500 mg/dL). Vascepa contains ultra-purified ethyl EPA, an […]

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July 26th, 2012

ESC Position Paper: Population-Based Strategies to Reduce CV Deaths

Larry Husten, PHD

About half of all cardiovascular deaths could be prevented by implementing population-level changes, according to a position paper from the European Society of Cardiology published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. Torben Jørgensen and colleagues maintain that population-level interventions are much more effective than current strategies that seek to reduce individual risk. Population-based strategies include taxation, legislation, and […]

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July 25th, 2012

ROMICAT-II Provokes Opposing Views on CT Angiography in the ED

Larry Husten, PHD

For patients with suspected acute coronary syndromes (ACS), CT angiography (CTA) compared to standard treatment can reduce the time in the emergency department (ED), according to results of the ROMICAT-II (Rule Out Myocardial Infarction/Ischemia Using Computer-Assisted Tomography) trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine. However, CTA resulted in more tests being performed and increased radiation exposure. One […]

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July 24th, 2012

St. Jude Spills the Beans on PFO Closure Trial

Larry Husten, PHD

Larry Husten asks readers to assess the ethical dimensions of St. Jude’s recent statements about the RESPECT trial.

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July 23rd, 2012

Elevated Risk for Acute MI After Total-Hip or -Knee Replacement Surgery

Larry Husten, PHD

A large study reports a high increased risk for acute MI (AMI) in the first 6 weeks after total-hip replacement (THR) or total-knee replacement (TKR) surgery. Analyzing a nationwide cohort from Denmark that included 95,227 patients who underwent THR or TKR and matched controls, Arief Lalmohamed and colleagues calculated the adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for AMI. Their […]

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July 18th, 2012

FDA Approves Another New Weight Loss Drug

Larry Husten, PHD

The US FDA approved on Tuesday a new weight loss drug that will be called Qsymia, the brand name for the combination of two previously approved drugs, phentermine and extended-release topiramate. The drug is manufactured by Vivus, Inc. In a press release, the FDA said Qsymia had been approved for use in obese adults (BMI of 30 or […]

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July 17th, 2012

Still the One: Cleveland Clinic Retains Top Spot on U.S. News & World Report Heart Hospital Rankings

Larry Husten, PHD

U.S. News & World Report has published its 2012-13 “Best Hospitals” list. Once again, the Cleveland Clinic is the top hospital for heart and heart surgery. Massachusetts General was the top hospital overall, followed by Johns Hopkins, Mayo Clinic, and the Cleveland Clinic. Here are the top 20 hospitals for heart and heart surgery: Cleveland Clinic Mayo Clinic Johns […]

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July 16th, 2012

Ticagrelor Joins Clopidogrel and Prasugrel in Updated NSTEMI Guidelines

Larry Husten, PHD

Ticagrelor (Brilinta, AstraZeneca) gains equal standing with prasugrel (Effient, Lilly) and clopdiogrel in the newly released focused update of the ACCF/AHA guidelines for unstable angina and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). The change had been widely anticipated since last year’s FDA approval of ticagrelor. “We have put it on equal footing with two other antiplatelet medications, clopidogrel […]

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July 16th, 2012

The Name Game: Why Did “TAVI” Suddenly Become “TAVR”?

Larry Husten, PHD

One of the great, unexplained mysteries of the cardiology world in recent years is the sudden name change from TAVI  (transcatheter aortic valve implantation), which had been the universally-used name for the procedure during most of its development period, to TAVR  (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) about the time when the procedure edged closer to U.S. approval. Now, in […]

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