CardioExchange Archive

April 29th, 2014

Cardiac Stem Cell Therapy: A House of Cards About to Fall?

Larry Husten, PHD

For more than a decade, cardiac stem cell therapy has attracted an enormous amount of attention, promise, and research dollars. Now an original and important new study published in BMJ finds that many of the most promising results in the field are illusory and that the potential benefits of stem cells to treat heart disease are probably […]

---

April 28th, 2014

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: April 28th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include BP targets during septic shock, reducing time-to-needle times in acute ischemic stroke, and an increase in fat and calorie consumption in U.S. statin users.

---

April 24th, 2014

Study Details Cardiovascular Events in Cannabis Users

Nicholas Downing, MD

One quarter of cardiovascular events among young cannabis users might be fatal, according to a small study in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers examined 35 cardiovascular events (1.8% of roughly 2000 adverse events) in cannabis users reported to the French Addictovigilance Network from 2006 to 2010. Nearly half the patients reported using cannabis […]

---

April 24th, 2014

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: April 24th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include trials of aspirin and clonidine in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery, changes in diabetes-related complications in the U.S., and more.

---

April 23rd, 2014

The Challenges of Early Career Cardiologists in Academic Medicine

John Ryan, MD and Andrew M. Kates, MD

In a recent JACC paper co-authored by CardioExchange Editors John Ryan and Andy Kates, the challenges facing early career cardiologists in academic medicine are discussed. Ryan and Kates delve further into what these issues are and why addressing them is important. John Ryan: The physician-scientist serves an important role by bringing advances in research into the clinical arena. To […]

---

April 22nd, 2014

Large French Registry Lends Support To Pharmaco-Invasive Strategy For STEMI

Larry Husten, PHD

It is generally agreed that the best treatment for STEMI patients is immediate reperfusion with PCI. But for many patients primary PCI is not available within the time frame leading to the greatest benefit. Previous studies have found good short-term outcomes in patients who receive a pharmaco-invasive strategy, in which patients first receive fibrinolytic therapy and […]

---

April 21st, 2014

The CoreValve Trial: What Do You Say to Your Patients?

Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM

Harlan Krumholz presents a scenario based on the CoreValve trial and asks, “What do you say to your patient?”

---

April 15th, 2014

Cardiology and the Medicare Data Avalanche

Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM

Harlan Krumholz discusses the Medicare data that was recently released to the public.

---

April 14th, 2014

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: April 14th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include TOPCAT, fibrinolysis for those with intermediate-risk PE, and more.

---

April 14th, 2014

The Uncertain Future of Renal Denervation

Larry Husten, PHD

Following the spectacular crash and burn of the SYMPLICITY HTN-3 trial at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) meeting two weeks ago, the future of renal denervation (RDN) — the once highly promising catheter technology that many thought would cure resistant hypertension — appears in doubt. Although the device has not been approved in the U.S. — and will not be approved […]

---