CardioExchange Archive

April 25th, 2012

When You’re Hot, You’re Hot: Salim Yusuf Second Most Influential Scientist in 2011

Larry Husten, PHD

McMaster University’s Salim Yusuf has tied for second place in the annual ranking of the “hottest” scientific researchers, according to Thomson Reuter’s Science Watch. Yusuf was a co-author of 13 of the most cited papers in 2011. Only one other researcher, genomic pioneer Eric Lander of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, had more highly-cited papers than Yusuf. Two of […]

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April 25th, 2012

Study Sheds Light on Cardiac Device Infective Endocarditis

Larry Husten, PHD

A new study sheds light on a rare but highly dangerous complication associated with device implants: cardiac device infective endocarditis (CDIE). Approximately 10% to  23% of device infections result in CDIE, leading, in one estimate, to an overall rate of 1.14 cases per 1000 device-years. In a paper published in JAMA, Eugene Athan and colleagues analyzed data from […]

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April 24th, 2012

Meta-Analysis Compares Drug-Eluting and Bare-Metal Stents for Primary Angioplasty

Larry Husten, PHD

A new meta-analysis comparing drug-eluting stents (DES) and bare-metal stents (BMS) in patients with MI has provoked opposing take-away messages from the study authors and an editorialist. The authors emphasize the reduction in target-vessel revascularization (TVR) associated with DES, but the editorialist focuses on several potential DES weaknesses suggested by the study. In the paper, published in […]

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April 23rd, 2012

FDA Posts Results of Cameron Subcutaneous ICD Pivotal Trial

Larry Husten, PHD

In preparation for Thursday’s meeting of the FDA’s Circulatory System Devices advisory panel, the FDA has released the results of the pivotal trial for the Cameron Health subcutaneous ICD system (S-ICD). The results have not been previously available. Unlike previous ICDs, which require threading a transvenous lead to the heart, the S-ICD system contains no leads to connect the device to […]

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April 20th, 2012

Aliskiren (Tekturna) Gets New Warning and Contraindication from FDA

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA has issued new warnings about antihypertensive drugs containing the direct renin inhibitor aliskiren (including Tekturna, Amturnide, Takamio, and Valturna) when used in combination with ACE inhibitors or angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs). The FDA now states that these drug combinations are contraindicated in patients with diabetes, and it is adding a new warning to avoid […]

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April 19th, 2012

Arizona Cardiac Surgeons Pay $100,000 to Settle HIPAA Violations

Larry Husten, PHD

An Arizona cardiac surgery group has agreed to pay $100,000 to resolve an investigation into potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). In the agreement, the surgical group did not offer an admission of liability but did agree to implement a corrective action plan in addition to the payment. According […]

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April 18th, 2012

AHA: No Convincing Evidence That Periodontal Disease Causes CV Disease

Larry Husten, PHD

Demonstrating once again that association and causation should not be confused, the American Heart Association today published a scientific statement in Circulation asserting that there is no convincing evidence showing that periodontal disease causes cardiovascular (CV) disease or that treating periodontal disease will reduce CV disease risk. The statement does not rule out the possibility that periodontal […]

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April 18th, 2012

Preoperative Statins Found to Reduce AF and Length of Stay but Not Mortality

Larry Husten, PHD

In a systematic review published in the Cochrane Library, investigators at the University of Cologne in Germany analyzed data from 11 trials that tested the effects of preoperative statins in 984 patients undergoing heart surgery. Preoperative administration of statins reduced the risk for developing atrial fibrillation (AF) and shortened the length of stay in the ICU and in […]

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April 17th, 2012

Million Dollar Bonuses for Five Ohio State University Electrophysiologists

Larry Husten, PHD

Five Ohio State University electrophysiologists received 2011 bonus payments greater than $1 million, resulting in total pay for the year for each cardiologist of about $2 million. The news was first reported by the Dayton Daily News and subsequently covered by Heartwire. Five out of seven bonuses that topped $1 million at OSU went to the electrophysiologists. […]

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April 11th, 2012

Study Evaluates Losartan Efficacy in Heart Failure

Larry Husten, PHD

The angiotensin II-receptor blocker (ARB) losartan has labored under the perception that it is not as potent as other ARBs, and some evidence has suggested that it may not confer the same clinical benefits as other ARBs in heart failure patients. In a paper from Denmark published in JAMA, Henrik Svanström and colleagues performed a country-wide registry study […]

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