CardioExchange Archive

June 8th, 2011

FDA Recommends Limiting Use of High-Dose Simvastatin

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA today recommended significant limitations in the use of high-dose (80 mg) simvastatin because of the increased risk for myopathy. The FDA said the 80-mg dose should be used only in people who have been taking the high dose for at least one year and have had no evidence of myopathy. The high dose […]

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June 7th, 2011

Scans or Scams? ProPublica Investigates Heart Check America

Larry Husten, PHD

ProPublica, the nonprofit public interest journalism site, has once again focused on a heart-related topic (for previous ProPublica reports see our stories here and here). This time journalist Marshall Allen reports the results of a detailed investigation of Heart Check America, a chain of imaging centers featuring electron-beam CT calcium scans. The story begins with an […]

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June 6th, 2011

Smoking Found to Be ‘Potent’ Risk Factor for Symptomatic PAD in Women

Larry Husten, PHD

The latest report on the 40,000 women enrolled in the Women’s Health Study provides further demonstration that smoking is a “potent” risk factor for symptomatic peripheral artery disease. The paper, by David Conen and colleagues, appears in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Here are the age-adjusted incidence rates per 1000 person-years of follow-up: never smoked: 0.12 former […]

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June 5th, 2011

PARTNER A Results Published in NEJM

Larry Husten, PHD

Following its initial presentation at the ACC meeting in March, the results of PARTNER A have now been published online in the New England Journal of Medicine, in conjunction with a presentation at the Transcatheter Valve Therapies meeting in Vancouver. As reported previously, 699 high-risk older patients with severe aortic stenosis were randomized to either transcatheter aortic […]

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June 2nd, 2011

FDA: ARBs Don’t Increase Risk of Cancer

Larry Husten, PHD

Concluding a nearly one-year safety review, the FDA has announced that angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) do not increase the risk of cancer. The FDA initiated the review after a meta-analysis published in Lancet Oncology found a small but statistically significant increase in the risk of cancer among people taking ARBs. The FDA meta-analysis included 31 […]

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June 2nd, 2011

CDC: Death Rates for Heart Disease and Cancer Converge

Larry Husten, PHD

Preliminary data released by the CDC shows that the age-adjusted death rates for heart disease and cancer are converging dramatically. From 1999 through 2009, the death rates for heart disease and cancer declined by 30.8% and 11.9%, respectively. In 1999, the risk for death from heart disease was 31.9% higher than from cancer. By 2009, […]

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June 2nd, 2011

Small Study Suggests Possible Benefits of Fish-Oil Supplements for PCI Patients

Larry Husten, PHD

A small study from Poland raises the possibility that supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids may have beneficial effects when given to PCI patients already taking aspirin and clopidogrel. The investigator-initiated study randomized 54 PCI patients to either 1 g per day of n-3 PUFA daily or placebo for one month. The results have been published […]

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June 1st, 2011

More Questions Raised About Biotronik’s Relationships with Cardiologists

Larry Husten, PHD

A story by Barry Meier in the New York Times provides new details about a widening investigation into the suspiciously close relationship of referring cardiologists and implanting electrophysiologists with the upstart heart device manufacturer Biotronik. The story cites examples of exchanges between Biotronik employees and their dealings with the physicians. According to Meier, the company […]

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May 31st, 2011

Biomarkers: Don’t Believe the Hype

Larry Husten, PHD

Watch out for hype when examining the biomarker literature, a new study published in JAMA suggests. John Ioannidis and Orestis Panagiotou first searched the literature and identified highly cited studies of biomarkers that included a relative risk calculation of effect size on a particular outcome. Most of the 35 studies reported cancer- or cardiovascular-related outcomes. […]

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May 26th, 2011

NHLBI Stops the AIM-HIGH Trial of Niacin

Larry Husten, PHD

The AIM-HIGH (Atherothrombosis Intervention in Metabolic Syndrome with Low HDL/High Triglycerides: Impact on Global Health) trial of niacin has been stopped early by the NHLBI. The trial was designed to test the addition of high-dose, extended-release niacin to statins in people at risk for CV events who had well-controlled LDL but low HDL and elevated […]

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