CardioExchange Archive

May 3rd, 2011

CABG Takes the Brunt of Decline in Revascularization Procedures

Larry Husten, PHD

In recent years, the overall revascularization rate in the U.S. has declined only slightly, but CABG rates have taken the brunt of the change, while PCI rates have remained relatively stable, according to a new study by Andrew Epstein and colleagues published in JAMA. The researchers found that from 2001-2002 to 2007-2008: The annual rate of revascularization […]

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May 2nd, 2011

Standard Guidelines Compared with Individualized Guidelines

Larry Husten, PHD

Should patients be treated by standard guidelines, or should guidelines be individualized for patients? In a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, David Eddy and colleagues used data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study to calculate and compare the expected benefit from hypertension treatment based on JNC 7 guidelines with the […]

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May 2nd, 2011

FDA Approves New Drug for Type 2 Diabetes

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA announced today that it has approved linagliptin, a new drug for type 2 diabetes. The DPP-4 inhibitor was developed by Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim and will be sold under the brand name of Tradjenta. Linagliptin was studied in 3,800 patients with type 2 diabetes, the FDA said, and was better than placebo in […]

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April 28th, 2011

U.S. Cardiologists Report $325,000 Median Compensation in Survey

Larry Husten, PHD

Cardiologists were the third-highest-paid physician specialists in 2010, according to a survey of more than 15,000 physicians conducted by Medscape, including a detailed report on the approximately 475 cardiologists in the survey. The cardiologists reported a median compensation of $325,000. Only orthopedic surgeons and radiologists, at a median of $350,000, topped the cardiologists. One-fifth of […]

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April 27th, 2011

Large Meta-Analysis Finds No Link Between ARBs and MI Risk

Larry Husten, PHD

Angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) don’t increase the risk for MI, according to a large new meta-analysis published in BMJ. Concerns about ARBs and MI have lingered since the VALUE trial in 2004 found a 19% increase in the risk for MI, though subsequent trials have not reinforced the finding. Sripal Bangalore and colleagues combined data from 37 […]

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April 26th, 2011

Drug-Eluting Stents Add Nearly $1.6 Billion per Year to Medicare Costs

Larry Husten, PHD

Drug-eluting stents (DESs) cost Medicare an additional $1.57 billion per year, according to a study published online in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Using a random sample of Medicare beneficiaries, Peter Groeneveld and colleagues compared annual costs for patients with coronary artery disease in 2002 (the year before DESs were introduced) with costs from 2002 […]

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April 26th, 2011

FDA Briefs: New Stent Approved, Advisory Committee Meeting on ACCORD Lipid

Larry Husten, PHD

Boston Scientific said on Monday that it had received FDA approval for a third-generation drug-eluting stent, the ION Paclitaxel-Eluting Platinum Chromium Coronary Stent System. The “unique platinum chromium (PtCr) alloy” is specifically designed for use in the coronary arteries. The FDA announced that the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee would meet on May 19 to […]

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April 25th, 2011

ACC and AHA Publish Expert Consensus Document on Hypertension in the Elderly

Larry Husten, PHD

Although 64% of elderly men and 78% of elderly women have hypertension, this was not considered a significant clinical problem until 2008, when the Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial (HYVET) trial demonstrated the substantial benefits of reducing blood pressure in these patients. Largely in response to HYVET, the ACC and the AHA have published […]

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April 21st, 2011

CDC: Half the U.S. Now Protected by Comprehensive Smoke-Free Laws

Larry Husten, PHD

According to a CDC analysis in MMWR, nearly half the U.S. population is now protected from second-hand smoke by comprehensive laws that restrict smoking in three venues (private sector worksites, restaurants, and bars). If the current trend continues, all 50 states and the District of Columbia will be smoke-free by 2020. The first [statewide] law prohibiting […]

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April 20th, 2011

New WHI Analysis Links Calcium Supplements to CV Risk

Larry Husten, PHD

A new analysis may renew concerns that the combination of calcium supplements and vitamin D might increase cardiovascular risk. The link has been proposed before, but the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) found no additional risk. Now, however, in an article appearing in BMJ, Mark Bolland and colleagues point out that more than half the 36,000 […]

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