CardioExchange Archive

November 18th, 2013

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

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include the VA-NEPHRON-D and IABP-SHOCK II trials, a study of the sex differences in ACS symptoms among young patients, and more.

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November 18th, 2013

Controversy Erupts Over Accuracy of Cardiovascular Risk Calculator for Guidelines

Larry Husten, PHD

In the face of a highly critical story in the New York Times by Gina Kolata about the new cardiovascular guidelines, authors of the guidelines and leaders of the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) defended the value and integrity of the guidelines. The Times story claims that the cardiovascular risk calculator used to assess individual risk in the new guidelines is deeply […]

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November 12th, 2013

After Long Wait, Updated U.S. Cardiovascular Guidelines Now Emphasize Risk Instead of Targets

Larry Husten, PHD

Updated cardiovascular health guidelines were released today by  the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC). The guidelines are designed to provide primary care physicians with evidence-based expert guidance on cholesterol, obesity, risk assessment, and healthy lifestyle. The new guidelines reinforce many of the same messages from previous guidelines, but also represent […]

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October 1st, 2013

Long-Term Study Results Offer Broad Perspective on Hormone Therapy for Menopausal Women

Larry Husten, PHD

More than a decade ago, the NHLBI’s Women’s Health Initiative trials overturned the conventional wisdom that hormone therapy (HT) for menopausal women helped protect women from a broad spectrum of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease. The findings caused dramatic reductions in the use of HT but important questions remained, many involving the age or time since menopause […]

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August 9th, 2013

The Guidelines are Dead. Long Live the Guidelines.

Larry Husten, PHD

Following the recent surprising announcement that the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute would no longer issue guidelines, leaders of the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) have now announced that are “officially assuming the joint governance, management and public distribution” of the enormously influential cardiovascular prevention guidelines, including the much-delayed and much-anticipated hypertension […]

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July 23rd, 2013

Funding for Landmark Framingham Heart Study Slashed by $4 Million

Larry Husten, PHD

One of the most important studies in the history of medicine will be sharply curtailed as a result of the federal budget cuts. The landmark Framingham Heart Study (FHS) has been told by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) that it will lose  $4 million of its funding. The cut represents 40% of its NHLBI […]

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June 20th, 2013

Hypertension and Cholesterol Guidelines Delayed Again as NHLBI Gets Out of the Guidelines Business

Larry Husten, PHD

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) will no longer issue guidelines, including the much-delayed and much-anticipated hypertension (JNC 8) and cholesterol (ATP 4) guidelines. Instead, the NHLBI will perform systematic evidence reviews that other organizations, including the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, will use as a resource for their own guidelines. The […]

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August 22nd, 2012

NHLBI Announces 7000-Patient Trial to Test Inflammation Hypothesis

Larry Husten, PHD

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has announced the launch of a large clinical trial testing the inflammation hypothesis. Paul Ridker is the principal investigator of the trial, which will be known as  the Cardiovascular Inflammation Reduction Trial (CIRT). CIRT will enroll 7,000 patients who are stable following a heart attack but are at high risk for a […]

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July 24th, 2012

The Academic Squeeze Play

Shengshou Hu, M.D.

With fewer grant-funding opportunities for academic cardiologists, Wes Fisher takes an educated guess about where they may go.

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April 5th, 2012

NIH Appoints Gary Gibbons As Next Director of the NHLBI

Larry Husten, PHD

Gary Gibbons will be the next Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The selection of Gibbons was announced today by the National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins. Gibbons is the founder and current director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute, chairperson of the Department of Physiology, and professor of physiology and medicine at the […]

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