CardioExchange Archive

January 21st, 2014

Dangerous Rapid Calcification Observed In Pediatric Patients After Aortic Valve Replacement

Larry Husten, PHD

Pediatric cardiac surgeons at Boston Children’s Hospital are warning the medical community about a potentially fatal problem in children and young adults who received a bioprosthetic valve manufactured by Sorin. The surgeons initially became concerned when a young, asymptomatic patient died suddenly after her valve underwent rapid calcification, only 7 months after a routine follow-up echocardiogram found […]

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August 16th, 2012

Children Should Have Their Cholesterol Checked

Samuel S. Gidding, MD

Dr. Samuel Gidding responds to a recent post by Dr. James Stein about the value of universal lipid screening for children age 9 to 11 years.

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August 13th, 2012

Universal Screening for Dyslipidemia in Children: A Debate with Equipoise, but Tarnished by Industry Influence

William O Roberts, MD, MS

James H. Stein, MD sounds a clarion about the influence of the medical industry on the debate over whether children should be universally screened for dyslipidemia, as recommended by recent guidelines.

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August 8th, 2012

Risks and Benefits of Pediatric VAD Explored

Larry Husten, PHD

Few options besides extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) have been available for children with systolic heart failure awaiting transplantation. Now, a report by Charles Fraser, Jr., and colleagues published in the New England Journal of Medicine provides important new information about a ventricular assist device (VAD) designed for children. Trial investigators implanted 48 patients with the Excor Pediatric VAD […]

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August 7th, 2012

Survey Finds Significant Drop in Cholesterol Levels in Youths

Larry Husten, PHD

New data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), published in JAMA, show significant and perhaps surprising  improvements over the last 20 years in the lipid profile of youths aged 6-19 years. Among the key lipid parameters measured by the survey from 1988-1994 to 2007-2010: Total cholesterol decreased from 165 mg/dL to 160 mg/dL (p<0.001) Prevalence of […]

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December 19th, 2011

Should All Children Age 9 to 11 Undergo Cholesterol Screening?

Bruce M Psaty, MD, PhD, Justin P Zachariah, MD MPH and Sarah D. De Ferranti, MD, MPH

The NHLBI (with the endorsement of the American Academy of Pediatrics) has issued new guidelines for cholesterol testing in children. It recommends that all children age 9 to 11 should undergo cholesterol screening and that screening should be repeated at ages 17 and 21. We asked a small panel of experts to review the new guidelines and […]

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