January 22nd, 2014
Prevention Guidelines in Practice: Vignette 1
John Ryan, MD
A 71-year-old man asks John Ryan about reducing or stopping his hypertension medication
January 13th, 2014
Minority Report: Five Guideline Authors Reject Change in Systolic Blood Pressure Goal
Larry Husten, PHD
It didn’t seem possible, but the guideline situation just got even more confusing. Last December, after years of delay and other twists and turns, the Eighth Joint National Committee (JNC 8) hypertension guideline was published in JAMA. The previous guideline recommended that all adults have a target systolic blood pressure below 140 mm Hg. In the new guideline, […]
January 9th, 2014
Pivotal Renal Denervation Trial Fails to Show Efficacy
Larry Husten, PHD
Medtronic announced today that the SYMPLICITY HTN-3 trial of its much-anticipated renal denervation device had failed to meet its primary efficacy endpoint. Renal denervation has been widely touted as a breakthrough product that could dramatically lower blood pressure by as much as 30 mm Hg, allowing physicians to cure the most severe form of high blood pressure, resistant hypertension. “SYMPLICITY […]
November 15th, 2013
Hypertension Treatment Algorithm Fills in for Missing Guideline
Larry Husten, PHD
When the AHA and the ACC released four updated clinical guidelines earlier this week, a fifth document, the hypertension guideline, was conspicuous by its absence. According to the AHA and the ACC, the authors of the hypertension document have chosen to publish it independently. (No word has yet emerged about their reasons for doing so […]
October 10th, 2013
Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease Likely to Increase Despite Gains in Treatment
Larry Husten, PHD
It is the best of times and the worst of times in the battle against cardiovascular disease. On the one hand, mortality rates from cardiovascular disease in the U.S. have dropped by more than half in the last 30 years, likely due in large part to improvements in treatment for elevated blood pressure and cholesterol […]
September 17th, 2013
How Well Does Hypertensive Retinopathy Predict Stroke?
Mohammad Kamran Ikram, MD PhD
Mohammad Kamran Ikram discusses his research group’s investigation of the value of hypertensive retinopathy in predicting the long-term risk for stroke in patients with hypertension.
September 16th, 2013
Realistic Expectations for Renal Denervation
Larry Husten, PHD
Early trials of renal denervation have resulted in extremely impressive drops in systolic blood pressure approximating 30 mm Hg. These results have sparked a great deal of excitement in the hypertension community and stirred the interest of a multitude of medical device companies. Some experts have proclaimed renal denervation a potential “cure” for resistant hypertension, […]
September 7th, 2013
Visit-to-Visit Variability in Systolic BP Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes
John Chalmers, MD phD and John Ryan, MD
John Chalmers and his coauthors discuss their analysis of data from the ADVANCE trial.
August 29th, 2013
Managing Hypertension – Not as Easy as It Once Seemed
Paul A. Bergl, MD
A Chief Resident surveys the rapidly changing landscape of hypertension management.
August 27th, 2013
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: August 27th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include BP and mortality in U.S. veterans with CKD and improved BP control associated with a large-scale hypertension program.
NEJM Journal Watch — Recent Cardiology Articles- Does Lowering High Childhood Lipid Levels Prevent Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Adulthood?
- Self-Expanding Supraannular Valve vs. Balloon-Expandable Valve in TAVR for Small Aortic Annulus
- A New TAVR Prosthesis for Aortic Regurgitation Shows Promise
- Aprocitentan, a Newly Approved Drug for Resistant Hypertension
- Preventive PCI of Vulnerable Plaques Linked to Fewer Cardiac Events