May 12th, 2012
HRS 2012: More Clarity on DOJ ICD Investigation, ‘Incidental PCIs’ Still Excluded
Edward J. Schloss, MD
Thursday morning at Heart Rhythm Scientific Sessions 2012, Suneet Mittal MD of Columbia University gave a detailed account of his group’s experience with a Department of Justice investigation of ICD implantation outside of NCD guidelines. The talk served to amplify and clarify points made in his perspective in JACC written with Jonathan Steinberg MD, in March 2012. Not long […]
May 10th, 2012
Shedding Light on Riata at the Heart Rhythm Society Meeting
Edward J. Schloss, MD
The Heart Rhythm Society meeting kicked off in Boston this morning. Edward Schloss recounts the important opening session in which FDA-recalled St. Jude ICD leads Riata, Riata ST, and Durata were discussed.
May 8th, 2012
In AF, Women Have a Higher Stroke Risk Than Men
Larry Husten, PHD
In an elderly population, when compared to men with atrial fibrillation, women with AF have a significantly elevated risk for stroke. This increased risk occurs regardless of warfarin use.
May 3rd, 2012
The Dark Side of EKG Screening in Athletes
Shengshou Hu, M.D.
The New York Times’ “abysmal” report on screening young athletes for heart risk prompts Wes Fisher to envision how such a misguided recommendation could affect athletes and their families.
May 2nd, 2012
Half the News That’s Fit To Print: NY Times on ECG Screening for Student Athletes
Larry Husten, PHD
A “dizzy” New York Times article exploring whether to screen young athletes for heart risk leaves out relevant research and exaggerates some pretty important numbers.
April 30th, 2012
HeartRhythm Editor Douglas Zipes Defends Peer Review
Larry Husten, PHD
Rejecting an extraordinary request from industry to retract a controversial paper, Douglas Zipes, the editor-in-chief of HeartRhythm, has written a rare, highly pointed editorial defending the publication process. “If one disagrees with facts/statements in a publication,” writes Zipes, “there is a well-defined approach that can begin with a letter to the editor or submission of one’s own data for peer […]
April 27th, 2012
Cameron Health’s Subcutaneous ICD Sails Through FDA Advisory Panel
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA’s Circulatory System Devices panel voted 7-1 on Thursday that the benefits of the Cameron Health subcutaneous ICD system (S-ICD) outweigh the risks in appropriately selected patients. Unlike all previous ICDs, the S-ICD is much easier to implant because it is does not require threading a lead to connect the device to the heart. Panel member Rick Lange […]
April 25th, 2012
When You’re Hot, You’re Hot: Salim Yusuf Second Most Influential Scientist in 2011
Larry Husten, PHD
McMaster University’s Salim Yusuf has tied for second place in the annual ranking of the “hottest” scientific researchers, according to Thomson Reuter’s Science Watch. Yusuf was a co-author of 13 of the most cited papers in 2011. Only one other researcher, genomic pioneer Eric Lander of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, had more highly-cited papers than Yusuf. Two of […]
April 25th, 2012
Study Sheds Light on Cardiac Device Infective Endocarditis
Larry Husten, PHD
A new study sheds light on a rare but highly dangerous complication associated with device implants: cardiac device infective endocarditis (CDIE). Approximately 10% to 23% of device infections result in CDIE, leading, in one estimate, to an overall rate of 1.14 cases per 1000 device-years. In a paper published in JAMA, Eugene Athan and colleagues analyzed data from […]
April 23rd, 2012
FDA Posts Results of Cameron Subcutaneous ICD Pivotal Trial
Larry Husten, PHD
In preparation for Thursday’s meeting of the FDA’s Circulatory System Devices advisory panel, the FDA has released the results of the pivotal trial for the Cameron Health subcutaneous ICD system (S-ICD). The results have not been previously available. Unlike previous ICDs, which require threading a transvenous lead to the heart, the S-ICD system contains no leads to connect the device to […]
NEJM Journal Watch — Recent Cardiology Articles- To Lower Stroke Risk in Patients Undergoing Atrial Fibrillation Ablation, Is a Device or a Medication Better?
- Intensive vs. Standard Blood Pressure Lowering in Patients with Diabetes
- Anticoagulation in Patients with Cancer-Associated Pulmonary Embolism: How Long is Long Enough?
- Spironolactone Use After Percutaneous Intervention for Acute Myocardial Infarction
- CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing for Transthyretin Cardiomyopathy