CardioExchange Archive

November 30th, 2010

ASCENDing Into the Depths of the Nesiritide Controversy: Questions for Eugene Braunwald

CardioExchange Editors, Staff

Results of ASCEND-HF (Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure Trial), presented as a late-breaking clinical trial at the AHA meeting, showed that there were no significant differences in the pre-specified endpoint of dyspnea among some 7,000 patients with acute, decompensated HF randomized to receive standard therapy and either continuous intravenous nesiritide or placebo. This trial was started in […]

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November 14th, 2010

ASCEND-HF: Nesiritide Is Safe But Not Effective

Larry Husten, PHD

ASCEND-HF (Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure Trial) was started in response to the enormous controversy over the safety and efficacy of nesiritide, which was being used in growing numbers of heart failure patients.  The trial randomized 7141 patients with acute, decompensated HF to receive standard therapy and either continuous intravenous nesiritide or placebo. Results of ASCEND-HF, presented as a […]

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November 14th, 2010

Emphatic Support for Eplerenone in NYHA Class II Heart Failure

Larry Husten, PHD

Aldosterone antagonists have proven beneficial in heart failure patients with moderate-to-severe symptoms and in MI patients with LV dysfunction and heart failure. Now EMPHASIS-HF (Eplerenone in Mild Patients Hospitalization and Survival Study in Heart Failure) has extended these benefits to patients with systolic HF and mild symptoms. EMPHASIS HF randomized 2737 patients with NYHA class II […]

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November 14th, 2010

ICD-CRT Found Beneficial in RAFT

Larry Husten, PHD

RAFT (Resynchronization-Defibrillation for Ambulatory Heart Failure Trial) randomized 1798 patients with NYHA class II or III heart failure, LVEF < 30%, and a wide QRS complex to either an ICD alone or an ICD-CRT. After a mean followup of 40 months, the rate of death or heart failure hospitalization was 40.3% in the ICD group […]

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August 16th, 2010

A Treat for Chocolate Lovers from Sweden

Larry Husten, PHD

In a report that will surely provide comfort to millions, a study of 31,823 Swedish women found that over 9 years of follow-up, women who regularly consumed moderate amounts of chocolate had a lower risk for developing heart failure than those who ate no chocolate at all. However, no protective effect was observed in women […]

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