CardioExchange Archive

June 27th, 2012

Panel: Early Surgery for Infective Endocarditis

Larry M. Baddour, MD, Sabet W Hashim, MD and John E Brush, MD

Will findings from this trial of early surgery for infective endocarditis change your practice?

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June 26th, 2012

Unlikely PARTNERs Support TAVR

Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA

The FDA approval of TAVR and the design of postmarketing surveillance involved a remarkable degree of collaboration and cooperation among the stakeholders. What to do while we wait for data to accumulate?

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June 14th, 2012

FDA Advisory Panel Recommends Expanded Indication for Sapien Transcatheter Heart Valve

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA’s Circulatory System Devices Panel voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to recommend an expanded indication for the Edwards Sapien Transcatheter Heart Valve in patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis who have high operative risk. The device is currently approved for use only in patients who are not surgical candidates. The committee voted 10-2 that the Sapien device was […]

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June 11th, 2012

FDA Reviewers Raise Questions About Sapien Heart Valve System

Larry Husten, PHD

FDA reviewers have raised a number of questions about the safety and efficacy of the Sapien heart valve system. The review was published online ahead of Wednesday’s meeting of the Circulatory System Devices Panel meeting to evaluate the Sapien system for use in patients eligible but at high risk for aortic valve surgery. The Sapien system was […]

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June 11th, 2012

The Changing Face of Mitral Valve Surgery

John A. Dodson, MD

A new study of mortality and other trends among Medicare patients who undergo mitral valve surgery may influence whom you choose to refer for this type of procedure.

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May 15th, 2012

No Benefit Found for Exercise Echocardiography in Asymptomatic Patients Following CABG Or PCI

Larry Husten, PHD

Routine exercise echocardiography in asymptomatic patients after revascularization does not lead to better outcomes, according to a new study published in Archives of Internal Medicine. Although guidelines generally discourage the practice, post-revascularization stress tests are still commonly performed. Serge Harb and colleagues performed exercise echocardiography on 2105 patients after CABG surgery or PCI and followed them […]

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May 14th, 2012

Revascularization in New York State: High Questionable Rates for PCI but Not CABG

Larry Husten, PHD

A large study looking at real-world use of elective coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) and stenting (PCI) in New  York State finds that nearly two thirds of PCI procedures have inappropriate or uncertain indications. By contrast, 90% of CABG procedures were deemed appropriate and 1.1% inappropriate. In a paper published in the Journal of the American College […]

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May 7th, 2012

Politics and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Larry Husten, PHD

Larry Husten takes to task a conservative activist who is trying to inject politics where it’s neither needed nor wanted.

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May 2nd, 2012

Real-World Experience with TAVI: Vive la France!

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

A study of data from FRANCE 2, a prospectively maintained, multicenter registry of the French national experience with transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), has now been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The registry captured every TAVI performed at all 34 active centers in France and Monaco; it therefore reflects “real-life” experience with TAVI in patients with […]

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May 2nd, 2012

CMS Issues National Coverage Decision for TAVR

Larry Husten, PHD

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued on Tuesday its national coverage decision (NCD) for  transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). As expected, CMS will offer reimbursement for TAVR, but only if a number of criteria are first met. The NCD was initially requested by the American College of Cardiology and the Society of Thoracic […]

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