CardioExchange Archive

October 24th, 2012

Four CV Risk Factors Predict Most of Peripheral Artery Disease Risk in Men

Nicholas Downing, MD

Four common cardiovascular risk factors — smoking, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and type 2 diabetes — appear to account for most of the risk for peripheral artery disease in middle-aged and older men.

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October 23rd, 2012

High Rate of Warfarin Discontinuation Observed in Study

Larry Husten, PHD

One of the many potential problems with warfarin-based anticoagulant therapy is the poor rate of adherence and persistence among patients who are prescribed the drug. Now an observational study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine raises the possibility that the problem may be even worse than many have suspected, as discontinuation rates in clinical trials appear […]

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October 22nd, 2012

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: October 22nd

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include favorable lipid-level trends in U.S. adults, an angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor for patients with HF and preserved systolic ejection fraction, and a long-term safety comparison of the Zotarolimus-eluting and Sirolimus-eluting coronary stents.

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October 22nd, 2012

NIH Trial of Lifestyle Intervention for Type 2 Diabetes Stopped for Futility After 11 Years

Larry Husten, PHD

The NIH today announced the early termination of a large randomized trial testing a lifestyle intervention approach to weight loss in type 2 diabetics. More than 5,000 patients with type 2 diabetes were randomized to participate in an intensive lifestyle intervention program or a traditional program of diabetes support and education in Look AHEAD (Action for […]

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October 22nd, 2012

The Highs and Lows of Fellowship Interviews

John Ryan, MD

Fellow John Ryan shares the story of an interview that goes awry; what has your experience been?

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October 19th, 2012

“Aren’t You A Doctor, Baba? Can’t You Make Him Better?”

Paul S. Chan, MD, MS

After his five-year-old son asks a difficult question, a cardiologist hikes the Grand Canyon in a day to raise money to fight hunger.

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October 16th, 2012

FDA Warns About Fungal Meningitis in Transplant Patient Who Received NECC Cardioplegia Solution

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA said on Monday that it had identified a transplant patient with Aspergillus fumigatus infection who received cardioplegia solution during surgery. The solution was manufactured by the New England Compounding Center (NECC), which has been at the center of a broad investigation after the deaths of at least 15 patients from fungal meningitis due to contaminated vials […]

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October 15th, 2012

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: October 15th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include PCI use in states with public reporting of outcomes; proneurotensin as a prognostic marker for CVD, diabetes, and mortality; vorapaxar for secondary prevention of thrombotic events in patients with previous MI; and atenolol vs. metoprolol for hypertension.

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October 10th, 2012

Chocolate and Nobel Prizes Linked

Larry Husten, PHD

You don’t have to be a genius to like chocolate, but geniuses are more likely to eat lots of chocolate, at least according to a new paper published in the august New England Journal of Medicine. Franz Messerli reports a highly significant correlation between a nation’s per capita chocolate consumption and the rate at which its […]

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October 10th, 2012

Danish Study Gives a Boost to Hormone Replacement Therapy ‘Timing Hypothesis’

Larry Husten, PHD

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) suffered a sharp blow a decade ago when the Women’s Health Initiative failed to show any cardiovascular benefit in women taking HRT. Despite the setback, many researchers theorized that HRT might still be beneficial in women who start HRT close to menopause. Now a study from Denmark published in BMJ lends strong support to […]

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