CardioExchange Archive

December 5th, 2013

Large Study Finds Favorable Risk-Benefit Profile for the New Anticoagulants

Larry Husten, PHD

A very large new meta-analysis finds a favorable risk-benefit for the new oral anticoagulant drugs in the setting of atrial fibrillation. The findings, published online in the Lancet, were remarkably consistent for all four of the new agents which have been fighting to replace warfarin, which was the only oral anticoagulant available for decades until the arrival of […]

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November 26th, 2013

Edoxaban and the Changing Landscape of Novel Anticoagulants for Atrial Fibrillation

Christian Thomas Ruff, MD, MPH

Christian Thomas Ruff, a coauthor of the ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48 trial of edoxaban versus warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation, discusses the future of novel anticoagulants.

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November 25th, 2013

FDA Reprimands 23andMe, Grants Breakthrough Status to Factor Xa Inhibitor, and Approves Promus Premier Stent

Larry Husten, PHD

It was a busy morning at the FDA. Three new FDA actions may be of considerable interest in the cardiology universe: FDA Halts 23andMe Personal Genome Test: The FDA sent a scathing letter to 23andMe ordering the company to stop selling its Personal Genome Service (PGS) test.  The FDA highlighted two cardiology-related uses of PGS as “particularly concerning,” including […]

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November 19th, 2013

Another New Anticoagulant Works Well in AF Patients

Larry Husten, PHD

Edoxaban, a direct oral factor Xa inhibitor, is the latest in the series of new oral anticoagulants seeking to take over the troubled role of warfarin in clinical practice. The results of ENGAGE-AF-TIMI 48 were presented at the American Heart Association meeting in Dallas and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the trial, more than 21,000 […]

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November 4th, 2013

Should Plasma Levels of Dabigatran Guide How We Dose the Drug?

Stuart J Connolly, MD

Stuart J. Connolly discusses his research group’s analysis of data from the RE-LY trial, concerning the relationship between plasma concentrations of dabigatran and the risks for ischemic events and major bleeding.

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October 31st, 2013

Does OPTIMIZE Reveal the Optimal DAPT Time Frame?

Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA and L. David Hillis, MD

Rick Lange and David Hillis pose several important questions triggered by the OPTIMIZE findings.

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October 31st, 2013

Prolonged Dual Antiplatelet Therapy May Not be Necessary for Second-Generation Drug-Eluting Stents

Larry Husten, PHD

The precise duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following implantation of a drug-eluting stent (DES) has been the subject of considerable controversy. On the one hand, prolonged therapy may help prevent late stent thrombosis, which was particularly evident in first generation DESs. On the other hand, the risk of stent thrombosis may have diminished in […]

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October 29th, 2013

Using CAC Scores to Determine the Best Candidates for a Polypill

Anita Vashi, MD, MPH

Khurram Nasir discusses his research group’s JACC study, which examines whether the coronary artery calcium score can be used to determine the target population for a polypill.

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September 23rd, 2013

HDL-P: The Better Marker of Residual Risk?

Samia Mora, MD, MHS

CardioExchange Editors interview Samia Mora about her investigative group’s analysis of data from the JUPITER trial, which reveals that HDL-P may be a better marker of residual risk than chemically measured HDL-C or apoA-1.

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September 19th, 2013

Clopidogrel’s Benefits Seen Mainly in Smokers

Nicholas Downing, MD

Clopidogrel appears to offer more protection against cardiovascular events among smokers than nonsmokers, according to a systematic review in BMJ. Researchers examined data from six randomized trials comparing clopidogrel (alone or with aspirin) with control treatments (namely, aspirin alone or lower-dose clopidogrel plus aspirin). Nearly 75,000 patients with established cardiovascular disease, 30% of whom were smokers, […]

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