CardioExchange Archive

September 4th, 2012

FDA Warns Against Using Revatio in Kids with Pulmonary Hypertension

Revatio (sildenafil) should not be prescribed to children and adolescents with pulmonary arterial hypertension, according to an FDA MedWatch alert. The warning is based on the results of a trial published in Circulation that showed increased mortality at medium and high doses of Revatio, compared with low-dose treatment, among patients aged 1 to 17 years. Low-dose […]

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August 15th, 2012

Observational Study Fills Gaps in Understanding AF Patients with Kidney Disease

Larry Husten, PHD

Although people with atrial fibrillation (AF) and people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at elevated risk for stroke and other vascular events, people with both conditions have not been well studied, since those with CKD have been excluded from most clinical trials of stroke prevention for AF. The problem is further compounded because the […]

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July 23rd, 2012

Elevated Risk for Acute MI After Total-Hip or -Knee Replacement Surgery

Larry Husten, PHD

A large study reports a high increased risk for acute MI (AMI) in the first 6 weeks after total-hip replacement (THR) or total-knee replacement (TKR) surgery. Analyzing a nationwide cohort from Denmark that included 95,227 patients who underwent THR or TKR and matched controls, Arief Lalmohamed and colleagues calculated the adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for AMI. Their […]

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June 20th, 2012

C3 Global Summit, June 20, 2012

Aaron C. Earles, DO

The coronary track this morning began with discussions of the rationale for CTO interventions in “the era of appropriate use criteria” and of how to recognize unfavorable features for CTO PCI. The session concluded with two live case transmissions. The first case was of a 55-year-old man, an exsmoker with a history of diabetes mellitus and […]

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June 19th, 2012

C3 (Complex Cardiovascular Catheter Therapeutics) 2012

Aaron C. Earles, DO

Greetings from Orlando, Florida! I am in town for the C3 therapeutics global summit being held at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort. This afternoon had some very interesting topics for interventionalists and fellows-in-training. I attended a preconference symposium, Imaging: Moving Beyond Angiography. Throughout the first year of fellowship, I recall multiple cases where angiography alone failed […]

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June 12th, 2012

ACC Releases Appropriate Use Criteria for Noninvasive Peripheral Vascular Tests

Larry Husten, PHD

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has published appropriate use criteria (AUC) for peripheral vascular ultrasound and physiological testing. The criteria were developed in coordination with 10 other medical societies. “This is the first systematic and comprehensive evaluation looking at appropriate indications for vascular testing, such as ultrasound or functional testing,” said Emile Mohler III, the chair […]

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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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March 26th, 2012

Rivaroxaban Found Safe and Effective for Pulmonary Embolism

Larry Husten, PHD

In recent years rivaroxaban has been found to be effective in the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after orthopedic surgery, for the prevention of stroke in AF patients, and as additional therapy to conventional antiplatelet therapy in ACS patients. Now, a study presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting in Chicago and published simultaneously in […]

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March 1st, 2012

Is Age Just a Number?

Tariq Ahmad, MD, MPH and James Fang, MD

An 89-year-old woman with severe aortic stenosis is referred to a cardiologist at a major academic center that offers transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). A widow for 20 years, the patient lives alone and does well with the assistance of her daughter, who lives nearby. She has two more children in the same town, as well […]

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February 15th, 2012

AHA Scientific Statement Spotlights Peripheral Artery Disease in Women

Larry Husten, PHD

Although peripheral artery disease (PAD) raises the risk for heart disease and stroke, it often goes undiagnosed and untreated, especially in women, according to a scientific statement issued by the American Heart Association and published in Circulation. Here are a few highlights of the statement: Although women develop PAD later than men, the total number of women with PAD […]

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