CardioExchange Archive

March 3rd, 2010

Wednesday, March 3: Drugs for Shock Compared

Larry Husten, PHD

Norepinephrine and dopamine are both recommended as first line drugs for the treatment of shock. In a report by De Backer et al in the New England Journal of Medicine, 1,679 shock patients were enrolled in the SOAP II trial and randomized to initial vasopressor therapy with one of the drugs. At 28 days there […]

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March 3rd, 2010

Rosiglitazone: When Evidence Is Inconclusive Even After FDA Approval

Sanjay Kaul, MD

We welcome Sanjay Kaul, MD, lead author of a recent American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology science advisory about the cardiovascular risks of thiazolidinedione drugs, to answer our questions about rosiglitazone. We encourage you to ask yours. You and your coauthors call the evidence on the cardiovascular risks of rosiglitazone “inconclusive.” When you prescribe a […]

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March 2nd, 2010

Tuesday, March 2 News Roundup: Aspirin for Primary Prevention; ICDs and Cognitive Problems; Secondary Smoke and 13-Year-Olds

Larry Husten, PHD

Aspirin for Primary Prevention: Aspirin did not reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease in asymptomatic people with a low ankle brachial index (ABI) in the Aspirin for Asymptomatic Atherosclerosis trial. According to the report in JAMA, investigators screened nearly 30,000 men and women from Scotland and randomized 3,350 who had a low ABI to either […]

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March 1st, 2010

What Should the Relationship Be Between Pharmaceutical Companies and Fellows?

Andrew M. Kates, MD

Recent publications, including a scientific advisory in Circulation on rosiglitazone, the industry response to a Senate Finance Committee’s report on the drug, as well as a commentary in Forbes by Harlan Krumholz, have made me consider further the role that pharmaceutical companies play in the context of fellowship training programs. The relationships between training programs and […]

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March 1st, 2010

Monday, March 1 News Roundup: ECGs and Young Athletes; Diet and Atherosclerosis; Reducing Sodium; Vitamin D Supplements

Larry Husten, PHD

ECGs and Young Athletes: In recent years, opinion has divided over the role of ECG screening in young athletes. Two studies and an editorial in Annals of Internal Medicine shed new light on the topic. Baggish et al. found that ECGs increased the sensitivity of preparticipation cardiovascular screening, but at the cost of a higher rate of […]

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March 1st, 2010

If It’s Your Carotid, Endarterectomy or Stenting?

Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA

The results from 2 carotid endarterectomy vs stenting trials are in….and they are disparate.  ICSS showed worse outcome with carotid stenting (higher rates of the composite of stroke, death, and procedural MI) versus carotid endarterectomy, whereas CREST showed similar efficacy and safety for both. Interestingly, in both studies the rate of nondisabling stroke was significantly […]

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February 26th, 2010

Friday February 26: Carotid Stenting Gets a Boost from CREST

Larry Husten, PHD

Results of the Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy Versus Stenting Trial (CREST) were presented in San Antonio at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2010. The trial compared carotid endarterectomy to carotid stenting in 2,502 patients at centers in the US and Canada. The primary outcome—the 30 day rate of stroke, death, and MI combined with the rate […]

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February 25th, 2010

Thursday, February 25 News Roundup: Carotid Stenting vs. Endarterectomy; Ischemic Preconditioning; Krumholz on Avandia

Larry Husten, PHD

Carotid Stenting vs. Endarterectomy: The International Carotid Stenting Study (ICSS) is an ongoing randomized trial comparing carotid stenting to carotid endarterectomy in 1,713 patients. The primary endpoint is the 3-year rate of fatal or disabling stroke. The ICSS investigators report in the Lancet the results of an interim safety analysis. The rate of stroke, death, […]

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February 25th, 2010

Proposed Performance Measures for Hypertension and Stable Coronary Artery Disease Now Available for Public Comment!

Frederick Masoudi, MD, MSPH

The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, collaborating with the American Medical Association’s Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement (PCPI), have drafted an updated set of clinical performance measures for assessing and improving the quality of ambulatory care of patients with hypertension and stable coronary artery disease. These measures, which assess processes of care (e.g., medication prescription) […]

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February 24th, 2010

Wednesday February 24 Avandia Roundup: AHA & ACC Publish Science Advisory on TZDs; GlaxoSmithKline White Paper

Larry Husten, PHD

AHA/ACC Publish Science Advisory on Thiazolidinedione Drugs: Apparently in response to the renewed controversy over rosiglitazone (Avandia), the AHA and the ACC published a science advisory on thiazolidinedione drugs and cardiovascular risks. The advisory contains a highly detailed and balanced analysis of the issue. The authors, led by Sanjay Kaul, conclude that “an association between […]

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