CardioExchange Archive

March 27th, 2015

Fighting the Contradiction: A Hospital Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Smokers

Jean-Pierre Usdin, MD

Jean-Pierre Usdin is frustrated with his “Tobacco-Free” hospital’s accommodations for smokers that encourage them to keep smoking instead of supporting them to quit.

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October 13th, 2014

Medicare Reimbursement for Lung Cancer Screening Provokes Debate

Larry Husten, PHD

Although 160,000 people in the U.S. die each year from lung cancer, accounting for more than a quarter of all cancer deaths, screening for lung cancer remains controversial. Based on results from the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) in 2011, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued a B recommendation in favor of low-dose […]

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August 25th, 2014

Rise in Popularity of E-Cigarettes Sparks Concerns and Recommendations

Larry Husten, PHD

The recent dramatic rise in popularity of e-cigarettes threatens to reverse hard-fought progress in the war against smoking, according to a new policy statement from the American Heart Association. “E-cigarettes have caused a major shift in the tobacco-control landscape,” said the lead author of the statement, Aruni Bhatnagar, chair of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Louisville. But the […]

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June 23rd, 2014

If You Snus, You Lose: Study Shows Benefits of Quitting Smokeless Tobacco

Larry Husten, PHD

The adverse effects of smoking are well known and documented. The effect of smokeless tobacco is less clear. Now a study from Sweden, published in Circulation, offers evidence that quitting smokeless tobacco after MI is about as beneficial as quitting smoking. The results do not support the common view that smokeless tobacco is a safe alternative […]

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June 16th, 2014

Case: Smoking-Related CV Risk and the Need for Statin Therapy in a Former Smoker Who Quit Long Ago

Jay D Shah, MD, Neil J Stone, MD and James Fang, MD

Jay Shah presents the case of a 66-year-old woman who quit smoking 15 years ago and is seen for a cardiovascular risk assessment.

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April 3rd, 2014

Cardiovascular Disease Declines in Rich Countries but Grows Elsewhere

Larry Husten, PHD

A new Global Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Atlas portrays a divided world where rich countries are gradually freeing themselves from the yoke of CVD but where many poor and middle-income countries are still struggling. Ischemic heart disease and stroke were the two biggest contributors to the global burden of disease in 2010, accounting for 5.2% and 4.1%, […]

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October 7th, 2013

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: October 7th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include several papers on the CV safety of diabetes drugs, a follow-up report from the WHI on hormone therapy, clopidogrel and smoking, and more.

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September 19th, 2013

Clopidogrel’s Benefits Seen Mainly in Smokers

Nicholas Downing, MD

Clopidogrel appears to offer more protection against cardiovascular events among smokers than nonsmokers, according to a systematic review in BMJ. Researchers examined data from six randomized trials comparing clopidogrel (alone or with aspirin) with control treatments (namely, aspirin alone or lower-dose clopidogrel plus aspirin). Nearly 75,000 patients with established cardiovascular disease, 30% of whom were smokers, […]

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January 29th, 2013

In REGARDS to Depression, MI, and Death in Patients with CHD

monikasafford393

Monika Safford discusses the behavioral mechanisms that most contribute to the association between depression and MI or death in those with CHD.

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December 12th, 2012

FDA: Small, Nonsignificant Risk from Chantix

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA today updated its safety review of the smoking cessation drug varenicline (Chantix, Pfizer). A large meta-analysis, which the FDA had required Pfizer to perform, found a higher rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients taking varenicline than in patients taking placebo. However, the increase in risk was very small and did not achieve statistical significance. […]

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