CardioExchange Archive

May 25th, 2011

FDA Approves Xience Nano for Small Vessels

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA has approved the Xience Nano everolimus-eluting stent, Abbott has announced. The stent is based on the same platform as the popular Xience V stent, and can be used in vessels as small as 2.25 mm. The approval was based on results from the SPIRIT Small Vessel clinical trial. The rate of target lesion […]

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May 24th, 2011

Copeptin May Help Predict CV Death in Elderly HF Patients

Larry Husten, PHD

The biomarker copeptin, which is a surrogate marker of vasopressin, may help predict the risk for death in elderly heart failure patients, according to a new study in JAMA. Urban Alehagen and colleagues followed 470 elderly HF patients from 1996 through 2009, during which time there were 226 deaths from any cause and 146 deaths […]

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May 24th, 2011

New-Onset AF Linked to Increase in Death and CV Events in Women

Larry Husten, PHD

In the Women’s Health Study, which followed nearly 35,000 women for more than 15 years, mortality was significantly higher in the 1011 women who developed AF than in the women who did not, according to a report by David Conen and colleagues published in JAMA. Here are the incidence rates (per 1000 person-years of follow-up) for […]

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May 23rd, 2011

What Is the Impact of Screening Low-Risk Patients with CT Angiography?

Larry Husten, PHD

In a study published online in Archives of Internal Medicine, John McEvoy and colleagues examine the impact of screening low-risk patients with coronary CT angiography (CCTA). They compared 1000 South Korean patients who underwent CCTA with 1000 matched controls. CCTA identified 215 people with coronary atherosclerosis. At 90 days and at 18 months, statins and aspirin […]

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May 23rd, 2011

Eplerenone Found to Also Reduce AF in Heart Failure Patients

Larry Husten, PHD

Results from EMPHASIS-HF (Eplerenone and Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Systolic Heart Failure and Mild Symptoms) previously showed that adding the aldosterone antagonist eplerenone to standard therapy in patients with NYHA class II heart failure resulted in the reduction of the composite endpoint of death from cardiovascular causes or hospitalization for heart failure. Now, a […]

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May 19th, 2011

FDA Panel Delivers Mixed Verdict on Trilipix (Fenofibrate)

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee delivered a mixed verdict on fenofibrate (Trilipix, Abbott). On the one hand, the panel agreed unanimously that the FDA should require Abbott to perform a large clinical trial in high-risk patients with elevated triglyceride levels and low HDL levels who nevertheless have achieved target LDL cholesterol levels […]

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May 18th, 2011

FDA Announces Details of Severe New Restrictions on Rosiglitazone

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA has announced the details of the updated REMS (risk evaluation and mitigation strategy) for rosiglitazone, the embattled and highly controversial diabetes drug. The new REMS will sharply restrict access to and distribution of drugs containing rosiglitazone (Avandia, Avandamet, Avandaryl). In order for physicians to prescribe and for patients to receive rosiglitazone, they will need […]

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May 18th, 2011

New Technique Cuts Radiation Dose of MPI SPECT by Half

Larry Husten, PHD

A new study raises the possibility that the radiation dose for MPI SPECT imaging can be reduced by half without sacrificing image quality, according to Dr. Nili Zafrir, who presented the results of the study this week at the International Conference of Non-Invasive Cardiovascular Imaging in Amsterdam. Recently, software has become available that can reduce the […]

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May 18th, 2011

The Curse of the Mummy: Coronary Artery Disease?

Larry Husten, PHD

Could the real curse of the mummy be coronary artery disease? Despite strict adherence to the original Mediterranean diet and a complete lack of tobacco, trans fats, and refined sugars, an Egyptian princess who died around 1550 BC is the first person in history to receive a diagnosis of coronary artery disease. A CT scan of […]

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May 17th, 2011

FDA Reviewers Scrutinize ACCORD and Trilipix

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA has released the agenda, questions, roster, and briefing materials for Thursday’s meeting of the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee in which the ACCORD trial and the fate of Abbott’s Trilipix (fenofibric acid) will be discussed. The key questions on which the advisory committee members will be asked to vote are: Should the FDA require […]

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