CardioExchange Archive

December 2nd, 2014

Adherence to Mediterranean Diet Linked to Marker of Healthy Aging

Larry Husten, PHD

Following a string of recent successes and favorable publicity for the Mediterranean Diet, a a new study published in The BMJ finds that women who more closely followed a Mediterranean diet had longer telomeres, a key measure of healthy aging. The new report is based on data from 4676 women in the Nurses’ Health Study who completed food-frequency […]

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December 1st, 2014

Study Suggests Epinephrine for Cardiac Arrest May Be Harmful

Larry Husten, PHD

Epinephrine has been a cornerstone of therapy during cardiac resuscitation after cardiac arrest because of its well-established ability to stimulate the heart and increase the probability of a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). In recent years, however, concerns have been raised that people treated with epinephrine may have worse neurological outcomes following their resuscitation. In a […]

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November 28th, 2014

FDA Approves New Noninvasive FFR Technology

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA said Wednesday that it had granted approval to a novel technology that noninvasively measures fractional flow reserve (FFR) using data obtained from a CT scan of the heart. In recent years a catheter-based form of FFR has been used by interventional cardiologists during catheterization procedures to measure the pressure gradient in partially blocked […]

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November 24th, 2014

European Review Confirms Increased Risk with Ivabradine

Larry Husten, PHD

Following a review provoked by troubling findings that emerged from a large clinical trial, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is making several recommendations intended to lower the risk of heart problems linked to the heart-rate-lowering drug ivabradine. The drug is marketed by Servier in Europe under the brand names of Corlentor and Procoralan and is indicated for […]

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November 21st, 2014

Encouraging Results for Two New Drugs for Hyperkalemia

Larry Husten, PHD

Two new agents under development may help curb and prevent hyperkalemia, the common and serious side effect of drugs that inhibit the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), which are the cornerstones of the treatment of chronic kidney disease and heart failure. In a phase 3 study, published online in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers first randomized 753 […]

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November 21st, 2014

Encouraging Results For Two New Drugs For Hyperkalemia

Larry Husten, PHD

Two new agents under development may help curb and prevent hyperkalemia, the common and serious side effect of drugs that inhibit the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), which are the cornerstones of the treatment of chronic kidney disease and heart failure. … Click here to read the full post on Forbes.  

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November 19th, 2014

U.S. Proposal Would Greatly Expand Transparency of Clinical Trials

Larry Husten, PHD

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today proposed new rules that would greatly expand the number of clinical trials that companies and researchers are required to report. “Medical advances would not be possible without participants in clinical trials,” said NIH Director Francis Collins. “We owe it to every participant and the public at large to […]

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November 18th, 2014

Losartan No Better Than Atenolol in Marfan’s Syndrome

Larry Husten, PHD

Beta-blockers have been the standard treatment for people with Marfan’s syndrome, a rare inherited connective tissue disorder that affects about 1 in 5000 people. The goal of treatment is to prevent or slow down the dilation of the aorta and avoid aortic dissection, the main cause of death. In recent years, studies have raised the […]

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November 18th, 2014

Don’t Count the Numbers. HDL Function Looks Like the Key

Larry Husten, PHD

A new study offers important evidence explaining the protective role of HDL cholesterol against cardiovascular disease. Previous studies with drugs that increase HDL levels, including niacin and CETP inhibitors, have not been found beneficial. The new study suggests that simply increasing HDL levels isn’t useful. Instead, cholesterol efflux, the ability of HDL to remove cholesterol from […]

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November 17th, 2014

Large Japanese Trial Casts Further Doubt on Aspirin for Primary Prevention

Larry Husten, PHD

A large trial from Japan failed to provide any evidence to support the use of routine aspirin in high-risk elderly people to prevent a first cardiovascular event. The Japanese Primary Prevention Project (JPPP),  presented at the American Heart Association meeting in Chicago and published simultaneously in JAMA, enrolled patients between 60 and 85 years of age with hypertension, dyslipidemia, or […]

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