CardioExchange Archive

February 25th, 2013

Large Trial Shows Cardiovascular Benefits of Mediterranean Diet

Larry Husten, PHD

A large new trial offers powerful evidence that a Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease. Results of the PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) study were published online in the New England Journal of Medicine. Investigators in Spain randomized 7447 people at high risk for cardiovascular disease to one of three diets: a Mediterranean diet supplemented […]

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February 21st, 2013

Study Casts Doubt on Value of Genetic Testing for Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Larry Husten, PHD

The recent introduction of two drugs specifically targeted to treat people with the rare but dangerous condition of homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) has caused increased interest in figuring out the best strategy to identify people with the disorder. Now a new study published online in the Lancet suggests that one of the main screening plans that relies on genetic […]

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February 20th, 2013

New Studies Examine Prolonged Anticoagulation for VTE Recurrence

Larry Husten, PHD

Three studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine provide important new information about the risks and benefits of extended prophylaxis using two of the new oral anticoagulants in patients who have had venous thromboembolism (VTE). In the RE-MEDY and the RE-SONATE trials, the role of dabigatran was examined in patients who had completed at least 3 months […]

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February 18th, 2013

St. Jude Raises the Stakes in Renal Denervation with an Outcomes Study

Larry Husten, PHD

The already hot field of renal denervation for resistant hypertension just got a little hotter. With the announcement of a clinical trial powered to detect improvements in cardiovascular outcomes, St. Jude Medical has raised the stakes in the field and demonstrated a new level of commitment to the innovative new technology. For the past few years […]

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February 15th, 2013

Amid Rising Tide of Diabetes More Patients Reach Treatment Goals

Larry Husten, PHD

There’s a glimmer of good news amidst all the recent bad news about diabetes. Although the prevalence of diabetes has doubled over the last generation, more people today are reaching their treatment goals than in the past. New data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), published online today in Diabetes Care, show that efforts to control hemoglobin […]

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February 13th, 2013

High Calcium Intake Linked to Increased CV and Mortality Risks in Women

Christine Sadlowski, MS

Calcium intake above 1400 mg a day was associated with increased risks for cardiovascular disease and mortality among women in a prospective Swedish study in BMJ. More than 60,000 women aged 39 to 73 at baseline completed a diet questionnaire starting in 1987. Over a median follow-up of 19 years, women who consumed 1400 mg or more […]

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February 9th, 2013

A Cardiologist Tests an Activity Tracker

Shengshou Hu, M.D.

Looking to lose a few pounds, Wes Fisher tries out a new physical activity tracking device and shares his experience.

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February 8th, 2013

Xarelto Effective in Medically Ill Patients, But at High Bleeding Cost

Larry Husten, PHD

The recent arrival of novel oral anticoagulants has provided important new options for treating and preventing venous thromboembolism (VTE). New indications for these drugs have been granted for patients with atrial fibrillation and for patients who have undergone orthopedic surgery. But an additional indication, for acutely ill medical patients at risk for VTE, does not […]

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February 5th, 2013

Back To The Future: Resurrected Data From 1960s Trial Might Impact Contemporary Dietary Fat Debate

Larry Husten, PHD

In an exceedingly strange turn of events, data from a clinical trial dating from the 1960s, long thought to be lost, has now been resurrected and may contribute important new information to the very contemporary controversy over recommendations about dietary fat composition. The American Heart Association has long urged people to increase their consumption of polyunsaturated […]

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February 5th, 2013

ACE Inhibitor Improves Walking in People with Peripheral Artery Disease

Larry Husten, PHD

Giving an ACE inhibitor to people with peripheral artery disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication reduces pain and increases walking time, according to a new study published in JAMA. Currently the pharmacologic options for this patient population are few and have limited efficacy. Researchers at three Australian hospitals randomized 212 patients with PAD to receive the ACE inhibitor ramipril or placebo for 24 […]

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