CardioExchange Archive

October 8th, 2012

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: October 8th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include beta-blockers and the lack of a cardioprotective effect for certain patients; intra-aortic balloon support for MI with cardiogenic shock; prasugrel vs. clopidogrel for acute coronary syndromes without revascularization; CRP, fibrinogen, and CVD prediction; and a comparison of thrombectomy devices for acute ischemic stroke.

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October 4th, 2012

Beta-Blockers May Not Work as Well as We Thought: So What Does “Optimal Medical Therapy” Really Mean?

Ajay J Kirtane, MD, SM

Proponents of optical medical therapy believe that the benefits of coronary revasculartion in stable ischemic disease were established in outdated studies. But if beta blockers aren’t very effective, is optimal therapy just aspirin and a statin?

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October 2nd, 2012

Long-Term Use of Beta-Blockers Questioned in Certain Patients

Sripal Bangalore, MD, MHA

Dr. Sripal Bangalore discusses his JAMA study, which found beta-blocker use was not associated with a reduced rate of cardiovascular eventsin patients who have, or are at risk for, stable coronary artery disease.

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October 2nd, 2012

Registry Study Raises Questions About Cardioprotective Effect of Beta-Blockers

Larry Husten, PHD

Although beta-blockers have been a cornerstone of therapy for patients with coronary artery disease for more than a generation, a new study in JAMA suggests that that in the modern era, beta-blockers might not improve outcomes. Sriapl Bangalore and colleagues analyzed data from 44,708 patients enrolled in the Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH registry), […]

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August 16th, 2011

Meta-analysis: Beta-Blockers May Be Less Effective in U.S. Than Elsewhere

Larry Husten, PHD

Beta-blockers may not be as effective in the U.S. as in the rest of the world, according to a meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Christopher O’Connor and colleagues analyzed data on patients enrolled in the MERIT-HF, COPERNICUS, CIBIS-II (which did not enroll U.S. patients) and BEST trials. Some 4,200 […]

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September 6th, 2010

What’s at the Heart of This Patient’s Problem?

Anju Nohria, MD and James Fang, MD

The patient is a 53-year-old lawyer with no cardiac risk factors other than a 70 pack-year history of smoking. He has a known history of diverticulitis with prior gastrointestinal bleeding and presented with lightheadedness and bright red blood per rectum. Initial evaluation revealed a drop in his hematocrit from 43% to 39%. He underwent a […]

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August 29th, 2010

Downshifting Heart Rate in HF Found Beneficial

Larry Husten, PHD

In the SHIFT trial, Karl Swedberg and colleagues tested the effects of ivabradine, a selective sinus-node inhibitor, in 6558 patients with heart failure who had a heart rate ≥70 bpm. After a median 23 months of follow-up, the rate of cardiovascular death or hospital admission for worsening heart failure was 24% in the ivabradine group […]

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