CardioExchange Archive

April 18th, 2012

AHA: No Convincing Evidence That Periodontal Disease Causes CV Disease

Larry Husten, PHD

Demonstrating once again that association and causation should not be confused, the American Heart Association today published a scientific statement in Circulation asserting that there is no convincing evidence showing that periodontal disease causes cardiovascular (CV) disease or that treating periodontal disease will reduce CV disease risk. The statement does not rule out the possibility that periodontal […]

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April 17th, 2012

What’s in a Name? Go for the Generic

Nicholas Downing, MD

A recent report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine highlights some “low-hanging fruit” for anyone trying to deliver more cost-effective healthcare. The authors (I am the first author and Harlan Krumholz, CardioExchange editor-in-chief, is the senior author) describe how branded formulations of fenofibrate — marketed by Abbott as Tricor and Trilipix — account for the vast majority […]

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April 10th, 2012

Baseline ECG Abnormalities in Older Patients Tied to Increased CHD Risk

Larry Husten, PHD

Although routine ECG screening in asymptomatic people is not recommended by guidelines, a new study raises the possibility that ECGs in an elderly population can provide a modest improvement in risk classification. In the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study, published in JAMA, Reto Auer and colleagues followed 2192 adults 70 to 79 years of age without known […]

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April 9th, 2012

Meta-Analysis: No Secondary CV Prevention Benefits for Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplements

Larry Husten, PHD

A new meta-analysis published in the Archives of Internal Medicine finds no evidence to support claims of a beneficial effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplements on secondary CV prevention. Sang Mi Kwak and colleagues in the Korean Meta-analysis Study Group analyzed data from more than 20,000 patients with a history of CV disease who were randomized in […]

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April 4th, 2012

Medical Societies Release Lists of Overused Tests and Procedures

Larry Husten, PHD

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and other medical societies have released lists of commonly overused or misused tests and procedures. The action is part of Choosing Wisely, a broad initiative from the ABIM foundation. Here are the five tests or procedures identified by the ACC: Cardiac imaging tests (particularly, stress tests or advanced noninvasive imaging) should not be […]

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April 3rd, 2012

Why We Should Abandon LDL Cholesterol Targets

Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM

In an interview on CurrentMedicine.TV, CardioExchange editor-in-chief Harlan Krumholz discussed an editorial he co-authored with Rodney Hayward on why the NIH’s forthcoming Adult Treatment Panel IV should abandon LDL Targets.

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March 26th, 2012

Bariatric Surgery Turns Back the Clock on Diabetes

Larry Husten, PHD

Two new randomized trials offer evidence that bariatric surgery is highly effective in obese patients with diabetes. The results, according to Paul Zimmet and K. George M.M. Alberti, writing in an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine, “are likely to have a major effect on future diabetes treatment.” In the STAMPEDE trial, which was presented at […]

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March 24th, 2012

Novel Antiplatelet Agent Reduces CV Events But Increases Bleeding

Larry Husten, PHD

Vorapaxar, the novel antiplatelet agent from Merck, appears to effectively reduce cardiovascular death and ischemic events in patients with MI, ischemic stroke, or peripheral vascular disease, but its potential utility is clouded by bleeding complications, including intracranial hemorrhage. Results from the TRA 2P-TIMI 50 (Thrombin Receptor Antagonist in Secondary Prevention of Atherothrombotic Ischemic Events) trial were presented […]

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March 22nd, 2012

Promising Phase 1 Results for New Monoclonal Antibody to PCSK9

Larry Husten, PHD

Promising results from very early studies with an experimental new cholesterol-lowering drug, a monoclonal antibody to PCSK9, have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Evan Stein and colleagues report the results of two single-dose studies in which the drug, REGN727, was administered intravenously or subcutaneously to healthy subjects. In a third, randomized, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging trial, […]

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March 22nd, 2012

Uncertainty Over the Clinical Importance of the Diabetes Risk of Diuretics and Statins

Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM

With all of the hullaballoo about statins and diabetes last week I wanted to point out a paper that was published online this week in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. This study examined the long-term effects of incident diabetes on cardiovascular outcomes in patients enrolled in ALLHAT. As you may remember, this trial included more […]

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