CardioExchange Archive

July 16th, 2014

HPS2-THRIVE: The Final Chapter in the Niacin Story?

Nicholas Downing, MD and Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM

Findings from HPS2-THRIVE raise uncomfortable questions for physicians.

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July 8th, 2014

USPSTF Finalizes Recommendations on Carotid Artery Stenosis Screening

Nicholas Downing, MD

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended against screening for asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis in the general adult population (grade D recommendation). Published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the statement reiterates the group’s 2007 guidance. The harms of screening outweigh the benefits, the task force says. The groups notes that all screening strategies (e.g., […]

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July 7th, 2014

Statins Are a Mess: We Need Better Data, and Shared Decision Making

Ben Goldacre, MB, BS, BA, MA, MBBS, MSc

The following open letter was originally published on The British Medical Journal‘s editorial page regarding the adverse effects of statins for patients with low risk of cardiovascular disease. It was written in response to an analysis by Abramson et al, and more information on the subject can be found here. I have two observations to […]

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July 3rd, 2014

Sitagliptin Associated with Increase in Heart Failure Hospitalizations

Larry Husten, PHD

The cardiovascular effects of drugs used for glucose control in patients with diabetes have been a subject of controversy for many years now. More recently, attention has started to focus specifically on the risk for heart failure (HF). Now, an observational study will likely raise new questions about the dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitor sitagliptin (Januvia, Merck). In […]

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June 24th, 2014

FDA Recalls Another Batch of Generic Metoprolol

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA has recalled more than 13,000 bottles of metoprolol succinate extended-release tablets manufactured by Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories. In addition, the agency recently recalled another lot of generic metoprolol from a different company, Wockhardt. Both recalls were for medicines manufactured at facilities in India. There have been multiple reports in recent years of problems with generic […]

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June 23rd, 2014

Mobile Cardiovascular Screening Programs Come Under Fire

Larry Husten, PHD

The consumer group Public Citizen has urged 20 hospitals to sever their involvement in a mobile cardiovascular screening program. The HealthFair Cardiovascular Screening Packages are unethical, mislead consumers, and do more harm than good, according to Public Citizen. In a statement, the president of the American College of Cardiology, Patrick O’Gara, said that “the questions raised […]

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June 23rd, 2014

If You Snus, You Lose: Study Shows Benefits of Quitting Smokeless Tobacco

Larry Husten, PHD

The adverse effects of smoking are well known and documented. The effect of smokeless tobacco is less clear. Now a study from Sweden, published in Circulation, offers evidence that quitting smokeless tobacco after MI is about as beneficial as quitting smoking. The results do not support the common view that smokeless tobacco is a safe alternative […]

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June 19th, 2014

Genetic Studies May Help Unravel the Triglyceride Problem

Larry Husten, PHD

The precise role of triglycerides in heart disease has been very difficult to determine. To help untangle the knotty problem two research groups studied large populations and identified rare variations in a gene (APOC3) that encodes for apolipoprotein C3, which is known to increase triglyceride levels. In the first paper, published in the New England Journal […]

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June 16th, 2014

Case: Smoking-Related CV Risk and the Need for Statin Therapy in a Former Smoker Who Quit Long Ago

Jay D Shah, MD, Neil J Stone, MD and James Fang, MD

Jay Shah presents the case of a 66-year-old woman who quit smoking 15 years ago and is seen for a cardiovascular risk assessment.

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June 16th, 2014

European Regulators Investigate Cardiovascular Safety of Ibuprofen

Larry Husten, PHD

The European Medicines Agency announced on Friday that it had initiated a review of the cardiovascular safety of ibuprofen when taken in high doses over an extended period of time. The review will be performed by the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC). The EMA said that people taking ibuprofen should continue to take it as long as they follow the […]

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