CardioExchange Archive

May 11th, 2015

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: May 11th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include a comparison of catheter ablation for persistent AF, left atrial appendage exclusion with the Lariat device, the obesity paradox in type 2 diabetes, and more.

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April 13th, 2015

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: April 13th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include the TOTAL trial and surgical ablation of AF during mitral-valve surgery.

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April 9th, 2015

Digoxin Use in Afib: Revisiting Data from ROCKET AF

Manesh R. Patel, MD

Manesh R. Patel discusses his research group’s retrospective analysis of data on digoxin use among patients with atrial fibrillation in the ROCKET AF trial.

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March 14th, 2015

FDA Approves Watchman Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device for AF

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA has approved Boston Scientific’s long-delayed Watchman Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device. According to the company, the Watchman is indicated as an alternative to long-term warfarin therapy for the reduction of thromboembolism from the left atrial appendage in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation at increased risk for stroke and systemic embolism. Although an alternative to warfarin, […]

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January 22nd, 2015

How Accurately Do ICD-9 Codes Identify Strokes in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation?

Jonathan L. Thigpen, PharmD

Jonathan L. Thigpen discusses his research group’s assessment of the validity of ICD-9 codes in identifying strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation.

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January 9th, 2015

FDA Approves New Oral Anticoagulant from Daiichi Sankyo

Larry Husten, PHD

And then there were four. Late Thursday the FDA announced that it had approved edoxaban, the new oral anticoagulant manufactured by Daiichi Sankyo. The drug will be marketed under the brand name of Savaysa and joins three other new drugs in the large and important new oral anticoagulant marketplace: dabigatran (Pradaxa), rivaroxaban (Xarelto), and apixaban (Eliquis). All four drugs were […]

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November 24th, 2014

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: November 24th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include the PROTECT-AF trial, the association of inpatient vs. outpatient onset of STEMI with treatment and clinical outcomes, and more.

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November 3rd, 2014

AF Patients at Increased Risk for Silent Strokes

Larry Husten, PHD

The increased risk of stroke in people with atrial fibrillation (AF) is well known, and this stroke risk is, of course, linked to an increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. Less well known is that people with AF have an increased risk for cognitive impairment independent of their stroke risk. Now a new study […]

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October 31st, 2014

FDA Advisory Panel Gives Tepid Support to New Anticoagulant

Larry Husten, PHD

On Thursday the FDA’s Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee voted 9-1 in favor of approval for Daiichi Sankyo’s edoxaban (Savaysa). The outcome will likely result in a drug that will be on the market, but that few physicians will prescribe until further studies are performed. Edoxaban will almost certainly become the fourth new oral anticoagulant (NOAC) to […]

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October 9th, 2014

FDA Panel Gives Cautious Endorsement to Novel Boston Scientific Device

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA’s Circulatory System Devices advisory panel gave an extremely cautious endorsement on Wednesday to Boston Scientific’s Watchman device, a novel catheter-delivered left atrial appendage closure device for people with atrial fibrillation. They signaled that although they thought the device should be made available they also thought that there should be significant restrictions on its use. The panel wrestled throughout […]

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