CardioExchange Archive

October 24th, 2013

Surgery Preferable to Stents in Elderly People with Carotid Disease

Larry Husten, PHD

Age should play an important role in choosing a revascularization procedure for people with blocked carotid arteries, according to a new paper published in JAMA Surgery.  Carotid endarterectomy surgery (CEA) is preferable to carotid artery stenting (CAS) in elderly people; for younger patients, the two revascularization procedures are broadly similar. George Antoniou and colleagues analyzed data from 44 studies […]

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October 17th, 2013

New Insights Into Surgery vs. Stents for Diabetics with Multivessel Disease

Larry Husten, PHD

Last year the large NHLBI FREEDOM trial demonstrated that coronary-artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery was superior to PCI when treating diabetic patients who have multivessel coronary disease. CABG resulted in significant reductions in death and MI, but this was offset slightly by a higher rate of stroke in the CABG group. Now, a new report from FREEDOM […]

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October 7th, 2013

Study Supports Loosening Guidelines for Surgery After Stent Implantation

Larry Husten, PHD

According to current guidelines, noncardiac surgery should be delayed for six weeks after bare-metal stent (BMS) implantation and for one year after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation, though there is little good evidence to support these recommendations. Stent thrombosis caused by discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy in order to lower the risk of bleeding during surgery is the […]

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September 6th, 2013

Early Surgery vs. Watchful Waiting for Flail-Leaflet Mitral Regurgitation

Rakesh Mark Suri, MD, D.Phil., Maurice Enriquez-Sarano, MD and John Ryan, MD

Rakesh M. Suri and Maurice Enriquez-Sarano discuss their research group’s comparison of early mitral valve surgery with initial medical management among patients in the Mitral Regurgitation International Database.

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September 1st, 2013

Disappointing Results with Dabigatran for Mechanical Valves

Larry Husten, PHD

For more of our ESC.13 coverage of late-breaking clinical trials, interviews with the authors of the most important research, and blogs from our fellows on the most interesting presentations at the meeting, check out our Coverage Headquarters. Despite being more durable than bioprosthetic valves, mechanical heart valves are often not chosen because of the requirement for lifelong […]

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August 29th, 2013

Inexpensive Accelerometer Could Help Monitor Progress After Heart Surgery

Larry Husten, PHD

An inexpensive off-the-shelf fitness monitor can help physicians monitor and perhaps customize their treatment of patients after heart surgery, according to a new study from the Mayo Clinic published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery. Although the mobility of patients after surgery has long been recognized as a significant predictor of outcome, the authors of the study note that […]

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August 28th, 2013

American Heart Association Announces Late-Breaking Clinical Trials

Larry Husten, PHD

There are still a few days left in August, and the European Society of Cardiology meeting doesn’t start until this weekend in Amsterdam. Nevertheless, the American Heart Association has released the list of late-breaking clinical trials for its annual meeting in November. Late-Breaking Clinical Trials 1: Acute Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Care Sunday, Nov 17, 2013, 4:00 PM – 5:19 PM […]

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August 28th, 2013

Remote Ischemic Preconditioning for CABG: An Investigator’s Perspective

Gerd Heusch, Prof. Dr. med. Dr.h.c. and John Ryan, MD

Gerd Heusch discusses his study group’s randomized trial of remote ischemic preconditioning before coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

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August 22nd, 2013

Expert Perspective: Remote Ischemic Preconditioning for CABG

Zhe Zheng, M.D., Ph.D. and Shengshou Hu, M.D.

Dr. Zhe Zheng and Dr. Shengshou Hu, of Fu Wai Hospital in Beijing, discuss the findings from the recent randomized trial conducted in Germany.

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August 15th, 2013

Remote Ischemic Preconditioning Beneficial Before CABG

Larry Husten, PHD

For several decades cardiologists have been intrigued by the concept of ischemic preconditioning. A small body of research has consistently found that brief episodes of ischemia appeared to somehow prepare the body to better handle a major episode of ischemia. Now a new study from Germany holds out the promise that deliberate ischemic preconditioning prior […]

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