October 10th, 2011
The Vagaries of Atrial Fibrillation
Shengshou Hu, M.D.
Dr. Wes explores the features of a “full-disclosure” patch heart monitor that doesn’t seem to miss asymptomatic arrhythmias.
August 30th, 2011
Is Warfarin Still the First Choice in Atrial Fibrillation?
Stephen Fleet, MD
There’s an old maxim in medicine that one shouldn’t be the first to prescribe a new drug, nor the last. A fascinating debate between Michael Ezekowitz from the U.S. and Felicita Andreotti from Italy highlighted the differences between warfarin and the newer oral anticoagulants (NOACs) apixaban, rivaroxaban, and dabigatran. Even Dr. Ezekowitz, the warfarin protagonist for purposes […]
August 29th, 2011
ESC: A Closure Device and a Warfarin Substitute for High-Risk AFib Patients
Stephen Fleet, MD
How can we manage a patient with atrial fibrillation and contraindications to warfarin therapy such as recurrent severe bleeding — a common scenario in clinical practice? Data from the manufacturer-sponsored ASAP study (ASA Plavix Feasibility Study with WATCHMAN Left Atrial Appendage Closure Technology) provides some hope, beyond what we had learned from the Protect AF […]
August 28th, 2011
A “Straight A” Trial: Answers About Apixaban from ARISTOTLE
Samuel Goldhaber, MD
Several important questions about the relative safety and efficacy of apixaban versus warfarin in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation have been answered.
August 24th, 2011
ARISTOTLE at ESC: What to Look for When the Data Are Unveiled
Samuel Goldhaber, MD
At 11:54 a.m. on August 28 in Paris (5:54 a.m. U.S. east coast time), I can almost imagine a huge drop in cell phone call volume as the ARISTOTLE presentation begins at ESC. The ESC exposition site is right next to Charles de Gaulle airport. Will a temporary “no fly zone” be declared? We know […]
August 17th, 2011
E-doctoring?
Heather M Johnson, MD, MS
The possibilities — and the limits — of giving medical advice online
July 9th, 2011
Will You Still Use Multaq (Dronedarone)? A CardioExchange Panel
CardioExchange Editors, Staff
Our panel responds to the what the cessation of the PALLAS trial means for dronedarone. Will you still use this drug?
July 1st, 2011
AF Update: Flecainide Misinformation
John Mandrola, MD, FACC
John Mandrola is a cardiac electrophysiologist and blogger on matters medical and general. Here is a recent post from his blog, Dr John M. I have said that the best tool for treating atrial fibrillation (AF) is education. I still strongly believe that, perhaps more than ever. AF presents itself to people in so many different ways – from […]
May 24th, 2011
New-Onset AF Linked to Increase in Death and CV Events in Women
Larry Husten, PHD
In the Women’s Health Study, which followed nearly 35,000 women for more than 15 years, mortality was significantly higher in the 1011 women who developed AF than in the women who did not, according to a report by David Conen and colleagues published in JAMA. Here are the incidence rates (per 1000 person-years of follow-up) for […]
May 23rd, 2011
Eplerenone Found to Also Reduce AF in Heart Failure Patients
Larry Husten, PHD
Results from EMPHASIS-HF (Eplerenone and Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Systolic Heart Failure and Mild Symptoms) previously showed that adding the aldosterone antagonist eplerenone to standard therapy in patients with NYHA class II heart failure resulted in the reduction of the composite endpoint of death from cardiovascular causes or hospitalization for heart failure. Now, a […]
NEJM Journal Watch — Recent Cardiology Articles- To Lower Stroke Risk in Patients Undergoing Atrial Fibrillation Ablation, Is a Device or a Medication Better?
- Intensive vs. Standard Blood Pressure Lowering in Patients with Diabetes
- Anticoagulation in Patients with Cancer-Associated Pulmonary Embolism: How Long is Long Enough?
- Spironolactone Use After Percutaneous Intervention for Acute Myocardial Infarction
- CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing for Transthyretin Cardiomyopathy