July 14th, 2011
Rivaroxaban: The Next Non-Warfarin Oral Blood Thinner
John Mandrola, MD, FACC
An electrophysiologist and blogger places the recent approval of rivaroxaban in the context of the seismic changes that have taken place and that are still expected in the anticoagulant marketplace.
July 9th, 2011
Will You Still Use Multaq (Dronedarone)? A CardioExchange Panel
CardioExchange Editors, Staff
Our panel responds to the what the cessation of the PALLAS trial means for dronedarone. Will you still use this drug?
July 7th, 2011
Multaq’s Off Again, On Again, Then Off Again Ride
Westby G Fisher, MD
CardioExchange welcomes this guest post, reprinted with permission, from Dr. Westby Fisher, an electrophysiologist practicing at NorthShore University HealthSystem in Evanston, Illinois, and a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine. This piece originally appeared on his blog, Dr. Wes. Today was another tough day for Sanofi’s dronedarone antiarrhythmic medication (marketed as Multaq®) after […]
July 7th, 2011
Dronedarone (Multaq) Study for Permanent AF Stopped Early
Larry Husten, PHD
The PALLAS trial of dronedarone (Multaq) for permanent AF has been stopped early, according to a press release issued by Sanofi. PALLAS (Permanent Atrial fibriLLAtion outcome Study using Dronedarone on top of standard therapy) was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase IIIb trial of dronedarone in patients with permanent AF. The company said the discontinuation of the trial […]
July 6th, 2011
Lower Sudden Cardiac Death Rates Observed in Women with Healthy Lifestyles
Larry Husten, PHD
It probably won’t come as a big surprise, but a new study finds that women who live a healthy lifestyle have a lower risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD). In a paper published in JAMA, Stephanie Chiuve and colleagues analyzed data from 81,722 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study. They used 4 factors to […]
July 1st, 2011
AF Update: Flecainide Misinformation
John Mandrola, MD, FACC
John Mandrola is a cardiac electrophysiologist and blogger on matters medical and general. Here is a recent post from his blog, Dr John M. I have said that the best tool for treating atrial fibrillation (AF) is education. I still strongly believe that, perhaps more than ever. AF presents itself to people in so many different ways – from […]
June 22nd, 2011
Apixaban (Eliquis) Meets Primary Endpoint in ARISTOTLE
Larry Husten, PHD
Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb said that their new oral direct Factor Xa drug apixaban, which will be marketed under the brand name of Eliquis, had met the primary endpoint of the ARISTOTLE study. The Apixaban for the Prevention of Stroke in Subjects With Atrial Fibrillation (ARISTOTLE) study was designed to compare the factor Xa inhibitor apixaban with […]
June 20th, 2011
When the Stuff Hits the Fan
Westby G Fisher, MD
CardioExchange welcomes this guest post, reprinted with permission, from Dr. Westby Fisher, an electrophysiologist practicing at NorthShore University HealthSystem in Evanston, Illinois, and a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine. This piece originally appeared on his blog, Dr. Wes. Easy case. Seen it a hundred times. Old guy (or gal). Comes into ER. Found “down.” “Hey doc, looks […]
June 14th, 2011
CRT for HF Patients with Moderately Prolonged QRS Interval: Unethical?
Larry Husten, PHD
Approximately 40% of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices are implanted in patients with QRS intervals below 150 msecs, but a meta-analysis published in Archives in Internal Medicine finds that these patients may not benefit from the device. Ilke Sipahi and colleagues performed a meta-analysis that included five CRT clinical trials (COMPANION, CARE-HF, REVERSE, MADIT-CRT, RAFT) with […]
June 1st, 2011
More Questions Raised About Biotronik’s Relationships with Cardiologists
Larry Husten, PHD
A story by Barry Meier in the New York Times provides new details about a widening investigation into the suspiciously close relationship of referring cardiologists and implanting electrophysiologists with the upstart heart device manufacturer Biotronik. The story cites examples of exchanges between Biotronik employees and their dealings with the physicians. According to Meier, the company […]
NEJM Journal Watch — Recent Cardiology Articles- To Lower Stroke Risk in Patients Undergoing Atrial Fibrillation Ablation, Is a Device or a Medication Better?
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