January 24th, 2014
European Setback for Novel Heart Failure Drug
Larry Husten, PHD
European regulators have dealt a setback to a novel heart failure drug under development by Novartis. The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended against giving market approval to serelaxin (Reasanz) for the treatment of acute heart failure. The recommendation is based largely on the committee’s analysis of the RELAX-AHF trial, which […]
January 24th, 2014
Stent Remains Available Despite Trial Showing Dangers
Larry Husten, PHD
A leading critic says that the FDA has been remiss for not removing a stent from the market although strong evidence exists that its use leads to more deaths and strokes. The Wingspan intracranial stent, manufactured by Stryker Neurovascular, was approved in 2005 by the FDA through the humanitarian device exemption (HDE) for the rare […]
January 23rd, 2014
Prevention Guidelines in Practice: Vignette 2
Andrew M. Kates, MD
This vignette is the second in our series “Making Sense of the New Prevention Guidelines — The View from Clinical Practice” A 45-year-old man sees you for cardiac risk assessment. His father died at age 42 from a myocardial infarction. He exercises regularly and feels he eats well. He does not smoke. His blood pressure […]
January 23rd, 2014
Survival After MI: When and Where Make a Big Difference
Larry Husten, PHD
Two studies published this week offer fresh evidence that the time and place of a myocardial infarction (MI) make a big difference. 1. MI patients in the United Kingdom are more likely to die than MI patients in Sweden, according to a study published in the Lancet. Researchers in Sweden and the U.K. analyzed data from almost 120,000 Swedish […]
January 22nd, 2014
SERIES: Making Sense of the New Prevention Guidelines — The View from Clinical Practice
Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM
A series of clinical vignettes involving decisions affected by the recently published prevention guidelines (JNC 8, ACC/AHA, ESC)
January 22nd, 2014
Prevention Guidelines in Practice: Vignette 1
John Ryan, MD
A 71-year-old man asks John Ryan about reducing or stopping his hypertension medication
January 21st, 2014
Dangerous Rapid Calcification Observed In Pediatric Patients After Aortic Valve Replacement
Larry Husten, PHD
Pediatric cardiac surgeons at Boston Children’s Hospital are warning the medical community about a potentially fatal problem in children and young adults who received a bioprosthetic valve manufactured by Sorin. The surgeons initially became concerned when a young, asymptomatic patient died suddenly after her valve underwent rapid calcification, only 7 months after a routine follow-up echocardiogram found […]
January 21st, 2014
A Clinical Decision-Making Toolkit from Europe
Héctor Bueno, MD, PhD
Héctor Bueno introduces a new clinical decision-making toolkit, for non-experts and experts in training, developed by the Acute Cardiovascular Care Association of the European Society of Cardiology
January 20th, 2014
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: January 20th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include coronary artery calcium density and the risk for incident CV events, dietary fiber intake and the risk for CV disease, and more.
January 20th, 2014
FDA Grants Earlier Than Expected Approval for Medtronic’s CoreValve
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA today approved Medtronic’s CoreValve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) system for patients with severe aortic stenosis who are unable to undergo conventional open-heart surgery. The approval came several months ahead of expectations and without an FDA advisory panel meeting. The approval was based largely on results from the Extreme Risk Study of the […]
