CardioExchange Archive

May 29th, 2012

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: Week of May 28th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include treating obstructive sleep apnea, using aspirin for VTE, and prothrombotics.

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May 29th, 2012

Two-Hour ADP Can Safely and Rapidly Discharge Low-Risk Patients

Martin Than, MBBS, John Ryan, MD and James De Lemos, MD

John Ryan, Martin Than, and James de Lemos discuss Martin’s new study, which examines the use of an accelerated 2-hour diagnostic protocol to determine which patients with chest pain in the ED are low-risk and can be discharged early.

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May 29th, 2012

More Evidence Against Tight Glycemic Control

Steven Coca, DO, MS

Along with tight blood pressure control and RAAS blockade, most nephrologists recommend tight glycemic control (i.e., HbA1C < 7) for patients with type 2 diabetes, with the goals of reducing incident CKD or CKD progression. Data from observational studies has shown that tight glycemic control is associated with less albuminuria. Thus, conventional wisdom has been […]

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May 24th, 2012

The Next Phase in Outcomes Research: PCORI-Funded Projects

Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute is distributing $120 million in research grants for comparative effectiveness studies. Learn about PCORI’s mission and the funding opportunities.

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May 22nd, 2012

Studies Probe Effect of CPAP and Sleep Apnea on Hypertension

Larry Husten, PHD

Two studies published in JAMA provide additional, but not surprising, information about the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and hypertension — and the role of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). In the first study, Ferran Barbé and colleagues randomized 725 people with OSA but no daytime sleepiness to either CPAP or no active treatment. After a […]

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May 21st, 2012

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: Week of May 21st

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include warfarin vs. aspirin for stroke prevention in HF, CVD risks and azithromycin, coffee’s benefits, the old news that statins work, the question of HDL-C, abdominal aortic aneurysm, omega-3 fatty acid supplements, and Abbott’s methods for staying ahead with fenofibrate prescriptions.

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May 18th, 2012

Standing Up for What You Believe: The Story Behind an Editorial

Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM

A request from “someone with influence” to cease discussion of a sensitive topic prompts an editorial encouraging younger colleagues to stand up for what they believe.

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May 17th, 2012

FDA Approves Generic Clopidogrel as Plavix Loses Patent Protection

Larry Husten, PHD

For the second time in the past 6 months, a cardiology mainstay drug has lost patent protection and gone generic. Today, the FDA announced that it had approved several generic versions of clopidogrel (Plavix), the antiplatelet drug that for many years was the second best-selling drug in the world. Last November, the best-selling drug of all time, […]

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May 17th, 2012

Coffee — Lots of It — Associated with Reduced Mortality

Physician's First Watch, CardioExchange Staff

Coffee drinking is inversely associated with mortality in a dose-dependent manner, according to a New England Journal of Medicine study. Mortality risks were actually higher until the researchers adjusted for smoking — common among coffee drinkers. Over 400,000 people aged 50 to 71 were followed for roughly 14 years after completing an extensive questionnaire on […]

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May 17th, 2012

Study Casts Doubt on Protective Effects of Raising HDL Cholesterol

Physician's First Watch, CardioExchange Staff

A genetics-based analysis finds that raising HDL will not necessarily lower risk for myocardial infarction. Reporting in the Lancet, researchers describe a two-pronged approach. First, they searched for the presence of a specific allele (LIPG Asn396Ser, associated with higher HDL levels in carriers) in a large cohort of subjects with and without MI. The allele’s […]

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