CardioExchange Archive

February 3rd, 2014

Intensive BP, Lipid Lowering Does Not Protect Against Cognitive Decline in Diabetics

Nicholas Downing, MD

Intensive treatment of blood pressure or cholesterol does not slow the rate of cognitive decline in adults with type 2 diabetes, according to a substudy of the ACCORD trial published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Some 3000 older adults with poorly controlled diabetes, high cardiovascular risk, and no evidence of cognitive impairment were assigned to one of […]

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February 3rd, 2014

The Not So Sweet Facts About Sugar

Larry Husten, PHD

A new study offers a broad overview of the use of sugar in the U.S. diet and its consequent health implications. The good news is that the growth in sugar intake appears to have stopped and may even have slightly declined. The bad news is that people still consume way too much sugar and that […]

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February 3rd, 2014

FDA Evaluating Safety Of Testosterone Products

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA has announced that it is evaluating the cardiovascular safety of testosterone products. The investigation is prompted by two recent published studies that found a significant increase in cardiovascular events in men who received testosterone therapy. The FDA said it had not concluded that testosterone is unsafe but recommended that “health care professionals should consider […]

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January 28th, 2014

Problems Persist Despite Gains in Oral Anticoagulant Use

Larry Husten, PHD

Although significant progress has been made in recent years, a new survey from the European Society of Cardiology finds that there are still too many atrial fibrillation patients who are not taking the best medications to reduce their elevated risk for stroke. Many elderly patients are not receiving oral anticoagulants — either traditional warfarin or […]

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January 27th, 2014

USPSTF Issues Draft Recommendations on Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening

Nicholas Downing, MD

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now says that the evidence is insufficient to weigh the benefits and harms of screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in women aged 65 to 75 who’ve ever smoked. In its previous 2005 guideline the USPFSTF clearly advised against screening for all women. An updated review by the Task Force […]

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January 27th, 2014

Prevention Guidelines in Practice: Vignette 3

Siqin Ye, MD

Tell us how you’d determine this 41-year-old African American woman’s 10-year CVD risk, and if you’d put her on a statin.

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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 is […]

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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)

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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

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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 […]

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