CardioExchange Archive

February 3rd, 2010

Wednesday, February 3 News Roundup: Endovascular Aortic Repair, Nebivolol Transcript

Larry Husten, PHD

Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair: The use of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) over open surgery to treat descending thoracic aortic disease has grown in recent years, despite a complete absence of randomized comparisons. In an expedited publication in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Cheng and colleagues report on a large systematic review and […]

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February 2nd, 2010

Tuesday February 2 News Roundup: Salt Defended, Laser Lead Extractions, AF Ablation Live on TV

Larry Husten, PHD

A Different View on Salt: In the face of popular proposals to cut dietary salt, Michael Alderman, in a JAMA Commentary, points to the paucity of randomized trials proving the benefits of sodium reductions. “Rarely, smoking excepted, do observational studies by repeated, robust, and consistently positive findings justify a public health recommendation.” Alderman proposes “a […]

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February 1st, 2010

Monday February 1 News Update: Stent Comparison, Herbal Products, Prostate Cancer Therapy

Larry Husten, PHD

ENDEAVOR IV: One-year results of the ENDEAVOR IV trial comparing zotarolimus-eluting stents (ZES) and paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) have been published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Martin Leon et al conclude that ZES “has improved periprocedural safety, similar 12-month clinical safety and efficacy outcomes, and despite more frequent angiographic restenosis, similar clinical […]

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January 29th, 2010

Friday January 29 News Roundup: AHA and ACC Take Part in the Healthcare Debate, Long-Term Study of ICDs

Larry Husten, PHD

Healthcare Reform: American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown issued a statement on Obama’s State of the Union Address. Brown emphasized the AHA’s “strong commitment to comprehensive reform,” noting that “nearly seven million heart disease and stroke patients do not have health insurance coverage and in many cases forgo necessary medical care to pay bills and support […]

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January 28th, 2010

Vitamin D in Heart Failure

Larry Husten, PHD

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, vitamin D supplements did not improve functional capacity or quality of life in older heart failure patients with vitamin D insufficiency. The Dundee, UK study appears in Circulation: Heart Failure.

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January 27th, 2010

Wednesday January 27 News Roundup: Simple Test for LQTS, More on MIST Controversy 

Larry Husten, PHD

New Test for LQTS: A new test to diagnose Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is surprisingly simple, fast, and cheap. In an expedited study appearing in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Sami Viskin and an international team of colleagues looked at the ECG of LQTS patients and normal subjects after they were asked […]

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January 26th, 2010

Tuesday, January 26 News Roundup: Liraglutide Approved; RF Ablation for AF; 3-D Images in the Cath Lab

Larry Husten, PHD

Liraglutide Approved: Late Monday, the FDA announced that it had approved liraglutide (Victoza, Novo Nordisk) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, but not for initial therapy. The label contains a black-box warning about thyroid cancers. Catheter Ablation of AF: Results of the industry-funded ThermoCool AF Trial were published in JAMA. Trial investigators randomized 167 patients with paroxysmal […]

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January 25th, 2010

Monday January 25 News Roundup:  Percutaneous Valve Approved; Obesity & Exercise; Smoking & Infants

Larry Husten, PHD

FDA Approves Percutaneous Valve: The FDA has approved its first percutaneous heart valve. The Medtronic Melody Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve and Ensemble Delivery System was approved under the Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) program. “The FDA’s approval of Melody allows patients to undergo a much less invasive procedure to treat their heart condition,” said Jeffrey Shuren, director of the […]

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January 24th, 2010

Is the FDA too Lax?

Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA

A recent review reports that cardiovascular devices are not subjected to nearly the same level of scrutiny as drugs, raising concern about the true safety and efficacy of approved new technologies. Do you think this has placed patients at risk, or is it a welcome difference from the lengthy and onerous approval process that delays the implementation of potentially […]

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January 22nd, 2010

Friday January 22 News Roundup: Abbott Stops Sibutramine in Europe; Generic News

Larry Husten, PHD

Abbott Suspends Sibutramine Marketing in European Union: Following yesterday’s recommendation by the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) that sibutramine be withdrawn from European markets, Abbott Laboratories announced that it was suspending its marketing of the drug in the European Union. Generic News: A Wall Street analyst at Sanford Bernstein reports that clopidogrel besilate, which […]

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