CardioExchange Archive

November 26th, 2012

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: November 26th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include fish oil and postoperative AF, low-dose aspirin for preventing recurrent VTE, a long-term comparison of endovascular and open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm, and more.

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November 19th, 2012

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: November 19th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include multivitamins and cancer prevention in men, a comparison of atorvastatin with or without a PCSK9 Antibody in primary hypercholesterolemia, type-2 diabetes screening and population mortality over 10 years, and more.

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October 30th, 2012

Ablation for Treatment-Naive A-Fib Patients?

CardioExchange Editors, Staff

Younger, healthier treatment-naive patients with a-fib can be offered initial ablation therapy, although drug therapy remains the default, according to the authors of this recent study in the NEJM.

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October 24th, 2012

Atrial Fibrillation: Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation and Antiarrhythmic Drug Therapy Compared

Larry Husten, PHD

A trial comparing radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFA) to antiarrhythmic drug therapy (AAD) as initial therapy for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) found no difference in the overall burden of AF between the groups. But the trial also turned up evidence supporting the use of RFA as an initial treatment strategy in some patients. In a paper published in […]

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October 23rd, 2012

High Rate of Warfarin Discontinuation Observed in Study

Larry Husten, PHD

One of the many potential problems with warfarin-based anticoagulant therapy is the poor rate of adherence and persistence among patients who are prescribed the drug. Now an observational study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine raises the possibility that the problem may be even worse than many have suspected, as discontinuation rates in clinical trials appear […]

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October 8th, 2012

Triple Antithrombotic Therapy: What — and When — Is the Bleeding Risk?

Morten Lamberts, MD and John Ryan, MD

Morten Lamberts, MD, lead investigator of a recent registry study of various combinations of antithrombotic agents in patients with AF and CAD, answers John Ryan’s questions about the study and its implications.

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September 26th, 2012

Merck Returns to Cardiome All Rights to Atrial Fibrillation Drug Vernakalant

Larry Husten, PHD

Merck and Cardiome announced today that Merck is returning to Cardiome all marketing and development rights for the atrial fibrillation (AF) drug vernakalant. An intravenous formulation of vernakalant is marketed in Europe as Brinavess. It has not been approved in the United States, though it received a positive recommendation from the FDA’s Cardiovascular and Renal […]

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September 21st, 2012

Apixaban (Eliquis) For Atrial Fibrillation Gets Positive European Recommendation

Larry Husten, PHD

The European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended approval for apixaban (Eliquis, Pfizer and BristolMyers Squibb) for atrial fibrillation. The drug is already approved in Europe for the prevention of venous thromboembolic events following hip or knee replacement surgery. The drug has not yet been approved in the United States. Here is the CHMP-proposed indication for the […]

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August 20th, 2012

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: August 20th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include studies on the benefits of drug-eluting vs. bare-metal stents, using walking speed and blood pressure measurements to predict mortality in the elderly, stroke and bleeding in AF with chronic kidney disease, and the diagnosis and management of peripheral artery disease.

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August 3rd, 2012

To Repeat — or Not to Repeat — the TEE

Eric Joseph Oligino, M.D. and James Fang, MD

Is cardioversion without a repeat transesophageal echocardiogram appropriate when an initial TEE revealed a small thrombus and the patient has already undergone 3 weeks of anticoagulation?

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