CardioExchange Archive

September 24th, 2012

‘Dramatic’ Increase in Bleeding Accompanies Addition of Oral Anticoagulant Therapy in ACS

Larry Husten, PHD

The newer oral anticoagulants may help reduce ischemic events after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), but only at the cost of a “dramatic” increase in bleeding complications, according to a new meta-analysis published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Hungarian researchers performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of seven trials in which 31,286 ACS patients were […]

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September 21st, 2012

Apixaban (Eliquis) For Atrial Fibrillation Gets Positive European Recommendation

Larry Husten, PHD

The European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended approval for apixaban (Eliquis, Pfizer and BristolMyers Squibb) for atrial fibrillation. The drug is already approved in Europe for the prevention of venous thromboembolic events following hip or knee replacement surgery. The drug has not yet been approved in the United States. Here is the CHMP-proposed indication for the […]

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September 17th, 2012

Resuming Warfarin After a GI Bleed: Benefits Appear to Outweigh the Risks

Nicholas Downing, MD

Many patients who’ve had a warfarin-associated gastrointestinal bleed can safely resume warfarin therapy soon after the bleeding event, according to an industry-funded, retrospective study in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Researchers identified some 440 adults who experienced a GI bleed while taking warfarin; nearly 60% either stayed on warfarin continuously or resumed treatment within about a […]

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September 7th, 2012

News Briefs: Cholesterol Trends, AHA Late-Breakers, FDA Updates On Rivaroxaban And Heartware HVAD

Larry Husten, PHD

Cholesterol Trends The Centers for Disease Control issued a new report with the latest details about the prevalence of cholesterol screening and high blood cholesterol in U.S. adults. Here is their summary of the key findings: …cholesterol screening increased from 72.7% in 2005 to 76.0% in 2009, whereas the percentage of those screened who reported being told […]

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August 28th, 2012

WOEST: Get Rid of the Aspirin in Triple Therapy

Larry Husten, PHD

According to current guidelines and clinical practice, PCI patients already taking an oral anticoagulant generally end up on triple therapy comprising the anticoagulant plus clopidogrel and aspirin. However, there is no supporting evidence base for this approach, and the triple-therapy regimen is known to increase bleeding complications. Now a new study — the first randomized […]

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August 26th, 2012

Prasugrel vs. Clopidogrel in ACS: The TRILOGY Take

John Ryan, MD

TRILOGY author Matt Roe answers CardioExchange’s questions about his team’s study of clopidogrel vs. prasugrel in ACS.

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August 15th, 2012

Observational Study Fills Gaps in Understanding AF Patients with Kidney Disease

Larry Husten, PHD

Although people with atrial fibrillation (AF) and people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at elevated risk for stroke and other vascular events, people with both conditions have not been well studied, since those with CKD have been excluded from most clinical trials of stroke prevention for AF. The problem is further compounded because the […]

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August 3rd, 2012

To Repeat — or Not to Repeat — the TEE

Eric Joseph Oligino, M.D. and James Fang, MD

Is cardioversion without a repeat transesophageal echocardiogram appropriate when an initial TEE revealed a small thrombus and the patient has already undergone 3 weeks of anticoagulation?

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July 23rd, 2012

Elevated Risk for Acute MI After Total-Hip or -Knee Replacement Surgery

Larry Husten, PHD

A large study reports a high increased risk for acute MI (AMI) in the first 6 weeks after total-hip replacement (THR) or total-knee replacement (TKR) surgery. Analyzing a nationwide cohort from Denmark that included 95,227 patients who underwent THR or TKR and matched controls, Arief Lalmohamed and colleagues calculated the adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for AMI. Their […]

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July 16th, 2012

Ticagrelor Joins Clopidogrel and Prasugrel in Updated NSTEMI Guidelines

Larry Husten, PHD

Ticagrelor (Brilinta, AstraZeneca) gains equal standing with prasugrel (Effient, Lilly) and clopdiogrel in the newly released focused update of the ACCF/AHA guidelines for unstable angina and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). The change had been widely anticipated since last year’s FDA approval of ticagrelor. “We have put it on equal footing with two other antiplatelet medications, clopidogrel […]

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