CardioExchange Archive

January 5th, 2015

FDA Approves New Drug-Coated Balloon to Open Blocked Leg Arteries

Larry Husten, PHD

Medtronic said today that it had received approval from the FDA to market its IN.PACT Admiral drug-coated balloon (DCB) to treat peripheral artery disease (PAD) in the superficial femoral and popliteal arteries. The device is the second DCB to gain FDA approval. Last October the FDA approved CR Bard’s Lutonix DCB for a similar indication. The new DCB uses the anti-proliferative drug paclitaxel, […]

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October 13th, 2014

First Drug-Coated Balloon Approved by FDA for Leg Blockages

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA today announced that it had approved for use in the U.S. the first drug-coated angioplasty balloon catheter to re-open blocked arteries in the superficial femoral and popliteal arteries. The Lutonix 035 Drug Coated Balloon Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty Catheter (Lutonix DCB) is manufactured by CR Bard and has been available in Europe since 2012. “Peripheral artery disease can be quite serious. Preventing […]

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October 3rd, 2013

ABI-Based Screening for PAD: Which Guidelines Are Right?

Rita F Redberg, MD, MSc and Mark A. Creager, MD

Rita Redberg and Mark Creager discuss the differences between the USPSTF and the ACCF/AHA guideline recommendations on whether to use the ankle-brachial index to screen patients for peripheral artery disease.

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October 9th, 2012

Observational Study Links Common Household Chemical to Cardiovascular Disease

Larry Husten, PHD

High levels of a man-made chemical widely used in common household products and detectable in more than 98% of people may increase the risk for cardiovascular (CV) disease and peripheral arterial disease (PAD), according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. (The study was published online in September and will appear in this week’s […]

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February 15th, 2012

AHA Scientific Statement Spotlights Peripheral Artery Disease in Women

Larry Husten, PHD

Although peripheral artery disease (PAD) raises the risk for heart disease and stroke, it often goes undiagnosed and untreated, especially in women, according to a scientific statement issued by the American Heart Association and published in Circulation. Here are a few highlights of the statement: Although women develop PAD later than men, the total number of women with PAD […]

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June 6th, 2011

Smoking Found to Be ‘Potent’ Risk Factor for Symptomatic PAD in Women

Larry Husten, PHD

The latest report on the 40,000 women enrolled in the Women’s Health Study provides further demonstration that smoking is a “potent” risk factor for symptomatic peripheral artery disease. The paper, by David Conen and colleagues, appears in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Here are the age-adjusted incidence rates per 1000 person-years of follow-up: never smoked: 0.12 former […]

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November 30th, 2010

New Performance Measures for Peripheral Artery Disease Issued

Larry Husten, PHD

Performance measures to improve the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in adults have been published for the first time. The document was produced by the ACC, the AHA, and several other medical organizations. Here are a few key details of the performance measures: Measuring the ankle brachial index (ABI) is an easy and […]

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