December 13th, 2013
Dispatch From the Wild Frontier of the Statin Wars
Larry Husten, PHD
The long simmering controversy over the relative benefits and harms of statins has heated to a high boil with the release of the new AHA/ACC U.S. guidelines. But nowhere is the battle more intense right now than in Australia, where, according to the National Heart Foundation, a TV show may be the cause of 2,000 heart attacks […]
December 12th, 2013
FDA Panel Gives Support to Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA’s Circulatory System Devices Panel yesterday gave a vote of confidence to Boston Scientific’s Watchman left atrial appendage closure device for the prevention of stroke in atrial fibrillation patients. By a large majority, the panel agreed that the device was effective, that it was safe, and that the benefits outweighed the risks. In each case the […]
December 11th, 2013
Inside The KDIGO Guideline On Lipid Management In Patients With CKD
Marcello Tonelli, MD, SM and Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM
Recently the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) Lipid Management in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Guideline was published in Kidney International. Now a synopsis has appeared in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Harlan Krumholz spoke with the co-chairman of the guideline, Marcello Tonelli. Krumholz: Like the new US Guidelines, the KDIGO Guideline abandons targets. Were you aware of the US Guidelines or […]
December 10th, 2013
Co-Chairs of CVD Risk Guidelines Discuss a Difficult Case
Eric Lindley, MD, Donald M Lloyd-Jones, MD, ScM and David C. Goff, Jr., MD, PhD
Fellow Eric Lindley presents a challenging case to David Goff and Donald Lloyd-Jones, co-chairs of the new 2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk.
December 9th, 2013
European Air Pollution Standards May Need to be Strengthened
Larry Husten, PHD
A large new analysis published in the Lancet has found a strong association between long-term exposure to air pollution and the risk of dying. The results suggest that European standards for air quality may need to be strengthened. The European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE) analyzed data from 22 European studies, including 367,251 participants followed for […]
December 9th, 2013
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: December 9th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include targeted temperature management after cardiac arrest, the safety and efficacy of DES in women, and more.
December 5th, 2013
Hail Fellows, Well Met!
Andrew M. Kates, MD
CardioExchange Fellowship Training moderator Andy Kates wants to know how Match Day went for you.
December 5th, 2013
Large Study Finds Favorable Risk-Benefit Profile for the New Anticoagulants
Larry Husten, PHD
A very large new meta-analysis finds a favorable risk-benefit for the new oral anticoagulant drugs in the setting of atrial fibrillation. The findings, published online in the Lancet, were remarkably consistent for all four of the new agents which have been fighting to replace warfarin, which was the only oral anticoagulant available for decades until the arrival of […]
December 3rd, 2013
Stents Lose in Comparisons with Surgery and Medical Therapy
Larry Husten, PHD
Despite the enormous increase in the use of stents in recent decades, there is little or no good evidence comparing their use to the alternatives of CABG surgery or optimal medical therapy in patients also eligible for these strategies. Now two meta-analyses published in JAMA Internal Medicine provide new evidence that the alternatives to PCI […]
December 3rd, 2013
Estimating Prosthesis-Patient Mismatch for Patients Undergoing Bovine Pericardial AVR
Jyothy Puthumana, MD,MS
Jyothy Puthumana discusses his research group’s Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging study, for which they compared prosthesis-patient mismatch prevalence and its impact on survival.
