CardioExchange Archive

September 8th, 2010

“Cath Lab, We Have A Problem”?

Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA

According to a recently published study, a huge disconnect apparently exists between patients’ and cardiologists’ beliefs about the benefits of PCI. The patients had been referred for coronary angiography and possible PCI, had discussed PCI with a physician, and had provided informed consent. Most patients (~88%) believed that PCI would reduce their risks of MI, whereas most […]

---

September 7th, 2010

Patients Still Overestimate Benefits of Elective PCI

Larry Husten, PHD

Patients who undergo elective PCI continue to overestimate the procedure’s benefits, according to a small study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Michael Rothberg and colleagues surveyed 153 patients and 27 cardiologists at a single academic center and found that 88% of the patients thought PCI would reduce their risk for MI and 82% […]

---

September 1st, 2010

Clopidogrel and Aspirin Dosages Scrutinized in CURRENT-OASIS 7 Papers and Editorials

Larry Husten, PHD

In the CURRENT-OASIS 7 trial, more than 25,000 patients with ACS for whom an interventional strategy was planned were randomized to either double-dose clopdiogrel (a 600-mg loading dose on the first day followed by 150 mg daily for 6 days and 75 mg daily thereafter) or standard-dose clopidogrel (a 300-mg loading dose, followed by 75 mg […]

---

August 24th, 2010

Questions About IABP During High-Risk PCI

Larry Husten, PHD

CardioExchange welcomes Simon Redwood and Divaka Perera to discuss their randomized trial of routine intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) insertion during high-risk PCI for the reduction of major adverse cardiac and cardiovascular events (MACCE) in patients with severe LV dysfunction and extensive coronary disease. Their study, which appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association, […]

---

August 17th, 2010

Going Beyond Door-to-Balloon by Starting Earlier

Larry Husten, PHD

Efforts to speed delivery of PCI to STEMI patients have focused on shortening the door-to-balloon time. Now a group of Danish researchers propose that efforts to improve care must include assessment of treatment from the time of the patient’s first contact with the emergency medical system. Analyzing historical data from 6209 MI patients who received […]

---