CardioExchange Archive

May 13th, 2013

Things I found at HRS 2013: Education, Science, Friends, and Mentors

Sandeep K Goyal, MD

Looking back at the knowledge gained and friendships kindled at HRS 2013, this Fellow looks forward to HRS 2014.

---

May 13th, 2013

Blogging at HRS 2013: From The FIT Lounge, Insights From Douglas Zipes About Publishing

Sandeep K Goyal, MD

I finally managed to walk to the Fellows in Training lounge, hoping to connect with some co-fellows. I did find lot of fellows, but to my surprise Dr. Zipes was there and ready to answer burning questions about getting published.

---

May 12th, 2013

How Should Recent Trials Affect CRT Practice?

Sana M Al-Khatib, MD, MHS and John Ryan, MD

In recent weeks the cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) field has been absorbing the publication of the BLOCK HF trial in the New England Journal of Medicine and the publication of the NARROW-CRT trial in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology. These trials raised the possibility that CRT may improve clinical status in some patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy […]

---

May 10th, 2013

Blogging at HRS 2013: Great Takeaways on Day 2

Luis Garcia, MD

HRS yields useful insights, both personal and professional.

---

May 10th, 2013

Encouraging 4-Year Results for Boston Scientific’s Watchman Device in AF Patients

Larry Husten, PHD

Encouraging long-term results from the PROTECT AF trial comparing the Watchman left atrial appendage closure device to warfarin in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients were presented yesterday at the Heart Rhythm Society meeting in Denver. Previously the main results of the trial, published in the Lancet, demonstrated that the Watchman was noninferior to warfarin, but the total number of events […]

---

May 10th, 2013

Blogging from HRS 2013: Excitement at the Convention Center and Outside

Sandeep K Goyal, MD

An emotion-raising debate, a late-breaker session, and technological innovations focus this fellow, despite Denver’s many attractions.

---

May 9th, 2013

Bruise Control: Continued Warfarin Beats Heparin Bridging During Device Implantation

Larry Husten, PHD

Many patients receiving an ICD or a pacemaker are already receiving oral anticoagulants. Current guidelines recommend replacement of the oral anticoagulant with the temporary use of heparin as a bridging strategy. Now a new study, BRUISE CONTROL (Bridge or Continue Coumadin for Device Surgery Randomized Controlled Trial), offers convincing evidence that this strategy is not […]

---

May 9th, 2013

Blogging from HRS 2013: VT/VF Summit, and Bill Clinton Too!

Luis Garcia, MD

A fellow experiences one exceptional presentation after another at the first day of HRS 2013.

---

May 7th, 2013

Longer Detection Time Helps Prevent Unnecessary ICD Shocks

Larry Husten, PHD

Increasing the detection intervals in ICD programming can reduce the number of unnecessary or inappropriate shocks, according to results of the ADVANCE III study published in JAMA. A group of Italian investigators randomized 1,902 patients receiving an ICD to programming with either long- or standard-detection intervals. After 12 months of followup, patients in the long-detection group […]

---

April 26th, 2013

Conflicting Results from Two Trials of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy

Larry Husten, PHD

Two new trials have ended up reporting conflicting results regarding the expansion of the indication for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) for patients without a wide QRS interval.  The positive results of the smaller trial seem likely to be undermined by the early stopping of the much larger trial. The first trial, NARROW-CRT, published in Circulation: Arrhythmia […]

---