CardioExchange Archive

May 1st, 2013

FDA Warns That Tolvaptan Can Lead to Serious Liver Injury

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA has issued a drug safety communication concerning tolvaptan (Samsca, Otsuka), a selective vasopression V2-receptor antagonist used in heart failure patients to treat clinically significant hypervolemic and euvolemic hyponatremia. The FDA said tolvaptan “should not be used for longer than 30 days and should not be used in patients with underlying liver disease because […]

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April 11th, 2013

Treatment of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: Why Have All the Clinical Trials Failed, and What Can We Do About It?

Sanjiv Shah, MD and John Ryan, MD

Laying out a road map for better trials and ultimately better outcomes for this confounding condition

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March 12th, 2013

Sildenafil Does Not Improve Exercise Capacity in HF with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Nicholas Downing, MD

Sildenafil does not improve exercise capacity or clinical status in patients with symptomatic heart failure (HF) and preserved ejection fraction, according to a JAMA study. This finding contrasts with previous research suggesting a potential benefit in such patients. Some 220 HF patients with ejection fractions of 50% or greater were randomized to receive oral sildenafil or […]

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March 12th, 2013

More Negative Heart Failure Trials: Blogging from ACC.13

Tariq Ahmad, MD, MPH

Might more accurate definitions of heart failure result in more positive trial results?

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March 10th, 2013

Another Negative Trial of Darbepoetin Alfa

Larry Husten, PHD

For more of our ACC.13 coverage of late-breaking clinical trials, interviews with the authors of the most important research, and blogs from our fellows on the most interesting presentations at the meeting, check out our Coverage Headquarters. Once again a trial testing the erythropoiesis-stimulating agent darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp, Amgen) has produced a negative result. Results of […]

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March 10th, 2013

Eplerenone May Help Prevent Heart Failure in Acute STEMI Patients

Larry Husten, PHD

For more of our ACC.13 coverage of late-breaking clinical trials, interviews with the authors of the most important research, and blogs from our fellows on the most interesting presentations at the meeting, check out our Coverage Headquarters. A new trial presented at the ACC in San Francisco suggests that the mineralocorticoid-receptor antagonist eplerenone (Pfizer, Inspra) may […]

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March 4th, 2013

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: March 4th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topic is the ALDO-DHF trial, which studied the effect of spironolactone on diastolic function and exercise capacity in patients with HF with preserved EF.

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February 18th, 2013

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: February 18th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include the relationship between hospital readmission and mortality rates for those hospitalized with acute MI, HF, or pneumonia, the effects of body size and hypertension treatments on CV event rates, and more.

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February 4th, 2013

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: February 4th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include blood transfusion and increased mortality in MI, proteotoxicity and cardiac dysfunction in the elderly, combined fitness and statin treatment on mortality in veterans with dyslipidemia, and more.

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December 17th, 2012

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: December 17th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include a study on ICD programming to reduce inappropriate therapy and mortality, a clinical review of diagnosing and managing supraventricular tachycardia, the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010, and more.

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