CardioExchange Archive

January 4th, 2013

Missouri Board Issues Emergency Suspension of Cardiologist Accused of Implanting Unnecessary Stents

Larry Husten, PHD

A Missouri cardiologist who has been accused of unnecessarily implanting stents in six patients has been temporarily barred from seeing patients. The Missouri State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts, which licenses physicians and investigates and disciplines physicians in cases of accused misconduct, issued an emergency suspension of the cardiologist’s license to practice, according to a […]

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January 2nd, 2013

CABG Highly Cost-Effective in Diabetics with Multivessel Disease

Larry Husten, PHD

In November the main results of the FREEDOM trial showed that diabetics with multivessel disease do better with CABG than PCI. Now the findings of the trial’s cost-effectiveness study, published online in Circulation, demonstrate that CABG is also highly cost-effective when compared with PCI. Elizabeth Magnuson and colleagues  found that although CABG initially cost nearly $9000 more than PCI ($34,467 […]

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December 13th, 2012

Diabetics with Multivessel Disease: FREEDOM with CABG?

Valentin Fuster, MD

Dr. Valentin Fuster answers questions about the FREEDOM trial, which shows that diabetics with multivessel disease had lower rates of death and MI with CABG than with PCI.

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October 15th, 2012

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: October 15th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include PCI use in states with public reporting of outcomes; proneurotensin as a prognostic marker for CVD, diabetes, and mortality; vorapaxar for secondary prevention of thrombotic events in patients with previous MI; and atenolol vs. metoprolol for hypertension.

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October 9th, 2012

PCI Utilization Lower in States with Public Reporting of Outcomes

Larry Husten, PHD

In patients with acute MI, utilization of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is lower in states that publicly report outcomes data, according to a new study published in JAMA. Despite the difference in utilization, however, there was no difference in mortality between reporting and nonreporting states. Karen Joynt and colleagues used Medicare data to analyze PCI utilization and […]

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October 8th, 2012

Triple Antithrombotic Therapy: What — and When — Is the Bleeding Risk?

Morten Lamberts, MD and John Ryan, MD

Morten Lamberts, MD, lead investigator of a recent registry study of various combinations of antithrombotic agents in patients with AF and CAD, answers John Ryan’s questions about the study and its implications.

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September 17th, 2012

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: September 17th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include surgical vs. lifestyle treatment for type-2 diabetes, omega-3 fatty-acid supplementation and the risk for major CVD events, FAME 2, using high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T for one-hour rule-out or rule-in of acute MI, and the timing of acute MI in patients having total hip or knee replacement.

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August 28th, 2012

‘Rather Than … FAME, Give Me Truth’

Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA and L. David Hillis, MD

The FAME 2 trial adds fuel to the debate regarding what measurements should guide decisions about revascularization.

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August 28th, 2012

FAME 2: Can FFR Save PCI from Medical Therapy?

Larry Husten, PHD

Two sharply divergent views have developed about the value of fractional flow reserve (FFR) in PCI. FFR advocates think the new technology can help identify ischemic lesions that will benefit from PCI, thereby helping to salvage or enhance the reputation of PCI. FFR skeptics think that optimal medical therapy is still the preferred option for most […]

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August 7th, 2012

NY Times: HCA Concealed Significant Problems at Lucrative Cardiac Centers

Larry Husten, PHD

Despite numerous internal reviews that turned up a widespread pattern of unnecessary cardiology procedures being performed at many of its hospitals, the giant HCA corporation did little to rein in the problem or to inform regulators, payers, or patients about it, according to an investigative report in the New York Times by Reed Abelson and Julie Creswell. […]

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