CardioExchange Archive

May 4th, 2015

Increased Mortality Risk Found With Digoxin

Larry Husten, PHD

For more than 200 years physicians have been trying to figure out how and when to use digoxin. Although it has a narrow therapeutic window and potentially dangerous interactions with other drugs, it is endorsed by current guidelines and widely given to patients with heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF). However, there have been no […]

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April 9th, 2015

Digoxin Use in Afib: Revisiting Data from ROCKET AF

Manesh R. Patel, MD

Manesh R. Patel discusses his research group’s retrospective analysis of data on digoxin use among patients with atrial fibrillation in the ROCKET AF trial.

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April 6th, 2015

Cardiac Arrest During Exercise in Middle-Aged People

Larry Husten, PHD

Dropping dead while exercising is a common fear, especially among middle-aged men. Unfortunately there have been limited data on the precise rate of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in middle-aged people and little understanding about the medical history of the victims of SCA. Now a new study fills in some important gaps in knowledge and shows that this […]

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March 23rd, 2015

Dangerous Interaction: New Hepatitis C Drug and Old Arrhythmia Drug

Larry Husten, PHD

Late last week Gilead Sciences issued a warning about a rare but potentially fatal interaction between its stellar new hepatitis C drug sofosbuvir and amiodarone, a potent but tricky antiarrhythmic agent. Sofosbuvir is marketed as Sovaldi and, in combination with another antiviral agent, as Harvoni. Amiodarone is a class III antiarrhythmic with a number of […]

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February 4th, 2015

To Shock or Not to Shock — That Is the Question

Joseph G Akar, MD/PhD and Jehad Al Buraiki, MD

Jehad Al Buraiki and Joseph G. Akar offer differing perspectives, from each side of the Atlantic, on cardiac resynchronization-pacemaker therapy.

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January 22nd, 2015

How Accurately Do ICD-9 Codes Identify Strokes in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation?

Jonathan L. Thigpen, PharmD

Jonathan L. Thigpen discusses his research group’s assessment of the validity of ICD-9 codes in identifying strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation.

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December 1st, 2014

Study Suggests Epinephrine for Cardiac Arrest May Be Harmful

Larry Husten, PHD

Epinephrine has been a cornerstone of therapy during cardiac resuscitation after cardiac arrest because of its well-established ability to stimulate the heart and increase the probability of a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). In recent years, however, concerns have been raised that people treated with epinephrine may have worse neurological outcomes following their resuscitation. In a […]

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November 24th, 2014

European Review Confirms Increased Risk with Ivabradine

Larry Husten, PHD

Following a review provoked by troubling findings that emerged from a large clinical trial, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is making several recommendations intended to lower the risk of heart problems linked to the heart-rate-lowering drug ivabradine. The drug is marketed by Servier in Europe under the brand names of Corlentor and Procoralan and is indicated for […]

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November 3rd, 2014

AF Patients at Increased Risk for Silent Strokes

Larry Husten, PHD

The increased risk of stroke in people with atrial fibrillation (AF) is well known, and this stroke risk is, of course, linked to an increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. Less well known is that people with AF have an increased risk for cognitive impairment independent of their stroke risk. Now a new study […]

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October 31st, 2014

FDA Advisory Panel Gives Tepid Support to New Anticoagulant

Larry Husten, PHD

On Thursday the FDA’s Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee voted 9-1 in favor of approval for Daiichi Sankyo’s edoxaban (Savaysa). The outcome will likely result in a drug that will be on the market, but that few physicians will prescribe until further studies are performed. Edoxaban will almost certainly become the fourth new oral anticoagulant (NOAC) to […]

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