CardioExchange Archive

April 24th, 2013

Quinidine In Ireland: Rarely Needed, Hard To Find

Gerard J Fahy, MD, Niamh O'Hanlon, BPharm MSc Grad Dip Risk Mgmt Cert Pharm Prac and John Ryan, MD

Recently in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology Viskin et al published the results of a survey  looking at the worldwide availability of quinidine. They found that the drug — the only effective oral antiarrhythmic in Brugada syndrome and idiopathic ventricular fibrillation — is readily available in only 19 countries and is unavailable or […]

---

April 24th, 2013

BLOCK HF: CRT Superior to Conventional Pacing in Heart Failure Patients with AV Block

Larry Husten, PHD

Patients with atrioventricular (AV) block generally receive right ventricular (RV) pacing; cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been restricted to patients with a low ejection fraction and a wide QRS duration. However, RV pacing may worsen LV dysfunction in AV block patients with low ejection fractions. Previous studies have raised the possibility that these patients may […]

---

April 16th, 2013

Small Study Links Left Anterior Fascicular Block to AF and CHF

Larry Husten, PHD

In people without known cardiovascular (CV) disease the presence of left anterior fascicular block (LAFB) has not been thought to indicate increased risk. Now a research letter published in JAMA finds evidence that elderly people with LAFB are more likely to die and to develop atrial fibrillation (AF) and congestive heart failure (CHF) than people without LAFB. […]

---

April 9th, 2013

Quinidine Unavailable in Most of the World

Larry Husten, PHD

Quinidine — the only drug known to be effective in preventing lethal ventricular arrhythmias in people with several rare conditions, including Brugada syndrome, idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (VF), and early repolarization syndrome — is no longer available in much of the world. In a study published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Sami Viskin and colleagues surveyed […]

---

April 5th, 2013

Thrombi on Riata ICD Leads: Another Piece in the Puzzle of Riata Management

Sandeep K Goyal, MD

An author of a new report detailing five cases of conductor-extrusion-associated thrombi on Riata leads discusses his recommendations for screening and lead removal.

---

April 4th, 2013

Registry Study Offers Reassurance About Safety and Efficacy of Dabigatran

Larry Husten, PHD

As the first new oral anticoagulant since warfarin, dabigatran (Pradaxa, Boehringer-Ingelheim) has been subject to intense concerns over its safety and efficacy in a real-world population. Last November an FDA investigation found no indication that bleeding rates for dabigatran were any higher than bleeding rates for warfarin. A new study from Scandinavia, published in the Journal of the American […]

---

March 28th, 2013

Case Report Of Durata Lead Failure Raises Fresh Concerns

Edward J. Schloss, MD

 A case report of a failed St. Jude Medical Durata ICD lead was published yesterday, raising suspicions that this lead may share some of the same potential failure mechanisms of its troubled predecessor, the Riata lead. St. Jude’s ICD lead troubles date back to early case reports involving the Riata and Riata ST leads that ultimately led […]

---

March 27th, 2013

Left to Our Many Devices, Which One Do We Choose?

Mark Dayer, MD PhD FRCP and James Fang, MD

A 63-year-old male smoker with type 2 diabetes presents for the first time with chest pain and shortness of breath at rest. He has no recent history of viral infection and no family history of heart failure or sudden cardiac death. Initial laboratory testing documents negative troponin, normal calcium, normal serum angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) activity, and a […]

---

March 22nd, 2013

FDA Proposes Higher Regulatory Scrutiny for Automatic External Defibrillators

Larry Husten, PHD

Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) will have a more difficult time getting on the market if a new FDA proposal is finalized. The agency today proposed a new rule that will require AED manufacturers to submit pre-market approval (PMA) applications. “Automated external defibrillators save lives,” said cardiologist William Maisel, deputy director of science and chief scientist at […]

---

March 22nd, 2013

Europe and U.S. Diverge on Two New Drugs

Larry Husten, PHD

The U.S. FDA and Europe’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) have taken opposite views of two important and controversial new cardiovascular drugs. Although earlier this month the FDA rejected — for the second time — an ACS indication for the oral anticoagulant rivaroxaban (Xarelto), CHMP announced today that it had adopted a positive opinion for the […]

---