CardioExchange Archive

April 4th, 2011

STICH Illuminates CABG in Heart Failure, Finally

Larry Husten, PHD

After a very long wait, the Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH) trial has finally shed light on the common but poorly understood use of CABG in heart failure patients with ischemic heart disease. The results were presented by Eric Velazquez at the ACC and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine. Some […]

---

April 4th, 2011

MitraClip Compared with Surgery in EVEREST II

Larry Husten, PHD

The final results of the highly anticipated  EVEREST (Endovascular Valve Edge-to-Repair Study) II  were presented by Ted Feldman at the ACC Scientific Sessions in New Orleans and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine. Some 279 patients with moderately severe or severe mitral regurgitation (MR) were randomized on a 2:1 basis to either […]

---

April 3rd, 2011

PARTNER B Substudy Examines Cost-Effectiveness of TAVI

Larry Husten, PHD

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is about as cost-effective as other common cardiovascular procedures, according to results of the PARTNER B cost-effectiveness substudy, which were presented today at the American College of Cardiology meeting in New Orleans. (The main results of PARTNER B, which studied the safety and efficacy of TAVI in patients with severe […]

---

April 3rd, 2011

PARTNER A: TAVI Noninferior to Surgery, but Stroke Might Be a Problem

Larry Husten, PHD

Here are the main results of the much anticipated PARTNER A trial comparing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) versus surgery for aortic valve replacement (AVR). They were presented this morning in New Orleans at the ACC. Some 699 high-risk older patients with severe aortic stenosis were randomized to either TAVI or AVR.  The primary endpoint, all-cause […]

---

March 30th, 2011

Choosing a PARTNER for Life: A or B?

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

What is TAVI? During Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI), a bioprosthetic valve is inserted through a catheter and implanted within the native stenotic aortic valve. The self-expanding CoreValve (Medtronic) and balloon-mounted Edwards SAPIEN (Edwards Lifesciences) valve are approved in Europe and under investigation in the U.S. for TAVI and can be implanted via the transfemoral, subclavian, or transapical route. […]

---

March 30th, 2011

ACC Preview: A STICH in Time

Eric Jose Velazquez, MD

Eric Velazquez is the principal investigator of the STICH (Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure) trial. He will present the main results of the trial at the Late’Breaking Clinical Trials II session on Monday morning. Velazquez relates the origins of STICH more than a decade ago and discusses some of the fascinating challenges of completing […]

---

March 25th, 2011

A Meeting That Could Change How You Practice

John Ryan, MD

There is a lot on offer this year at ACC in New Orleans. Whether you are going to live the high life and dine at the Commanders Palace, or crank out the karaoke tunes at Cat’s Meow on Bourbon Street, most fellows lucky enough to attend ACC this year will come away with a vision […]

---

February 8th, 2011

Biomarker Levels Post-CABG Strongly Linked to Mortality

Larry Husten, PHD

Creatine kinase (CK-MB) and troponin levels obtained in the first day after CABG are a strong predictor of long-term mortality, according to a new report appearing in JAMA. Michael Domanski and colleagues analyzed data from 7 studies that included 18,908 patients who underwent CABG and for whom data on biomarkers and mortality were available. Mortality was […]

---

January 26th, 2011

Study Finds Declining Stroke Rate After CABG

Larry Husten, PHD

Despite the increasing complexity of cases, the risk of stroke after CABG may be declining, according to a new study published in JAMA. Khaldoun Tarakji and colleagues prospectively studied more than 45,000 patients who underwent CABG at the Cleveland Clinic from 1982 through 2009. The overall stroke rate was 1.6%. The stroke rate was highest in […]

---

January 3rd, 2011

PLATO CABG Substudy Raises Hope and Questions

Larry Husten, PHD

The much-anticipated CABG substudy from the PLATO (Platelet Inhibition and Patient Outcomes) trial comparing ticagrelor to clopidogrel in ACS patients has been published online in JACC. About 10% of the 18,624 patients enrolled in  PLATO underwent CABG. The substudy reports on the 1,261 who received the study drug within 7 days prior to their surgery. […]

---