July 31st, 2010
Calcium Supplements Linked to Increase in CV Events
Larry Husten, PHD
People who take calcium supplements may be at increased risk for cardiovascular events, according to a meta-analysis published in the British Medical Journal. Mark Bolland and colleagues analyzed data from 15 randomized, placebo-controlled trials and found a significant increase in the risk of MI in subjects who received calcium supplements. The authors concluded that “although […]
July 29th, 2010
CPR Studies: More Emphasis on Chest Compressions
Larry Husten, PHD
Two new studies of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) published in the New England Journal of Medicine provide strong support for recent initiatives that emphasize continuous chest compressions over the current standard of chest compression interrupted by rescue breathing. Rea and colleagues studied 1941 patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest who were randomized to receive one of the two […]
July 28th, 2010
FDA Cardiorenal Advisory Panel Recommends Ticagrelor Approval
Larry Husten, PHD
The Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee recommended today that ticagrelor (Brilinta, AstraZeneca) be approved for the treatment of STEMI and NSTEMI patients intended to be managed both invasively and medically. The committee spent most of the day trying to sort through the confusing finding in the pivotal PLATO trial that U.S. patients, unlike patients […]
July 28th, 2010
The Joys of Teaching
Andrew M. Kates, MD
I enjoy my job as a fellowship director for many reasons. One of the best is the excitement I get to share each year on the new fellows’ first day: The enthusiasm that a fresh group of trainees brings into a program is magical. The regular infusion of new blood into training programs distinguishes academic […]
July 27th, 2010
CABG in the Real World
Larry Husten, PHD
Two studies in Archives of Internal Medicine look at different aspects of CABG in the real world. Auerbach and colleagues analyzed data from more than 80,000 CABG patients and found that quality can be improved and costs reduced by directing patients away from low-volume surgeons and hospitals in favor of higher-volume surgeons and hospitals. However, […]
July 26th, 2010
Questions for Sanjay Kaul about TIDE and Avandia
Sanjay Kaul, MD and Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM
CardioExchange’s editor-in-chief Harlan Krumholz discussed the TIDE trial on email with Sanjay Kaul, who was a member of the FDA’s advisory panel last week on Avandia. Here is a lightly edited version of their exchange. Krumholz: What is your response to the FDA announcement that it has placed TIDE on a “partial clinical hold”? Do […]
July 23rd, 2010
FDA Approves Generic Enoxaparin
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA announced on Friday that it had approved the first generic enoxaparin sodium injection for multiple indications including prevention of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The action represents the FDA’s first generic approval of a low molecular weight heparin. The original version of enoxaparin, Lovenox, was first approved in 1993. To gain approval as a generic, […]
July 23rd, 2010
Radiation Exposure in Cardiac Imaging
Jersey Chen, MD MPH
CardioExchange welcomes Jersey Chen to discuss his recent study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology , which describes radiation exposure from cardiac imaging procedures in the general population. Chen and his colleagues concluded that “cardiac imaging procedures lead to substantial radiation exposure and effective doses for many patients in the U.S.” Your […]
July 22nd, 2010
HDL and Residual Risk: A Surprising Finding in JUPITER
Larry Husten, PHD
CardioExchange welcomes Dr. Paul Ridker to answer questions about his recent paper in the Lancet, which analyzed data from JUPITER and found that HDL may not predict residual risk in patients on high-dose statins who reach very low LDL levels such as those achieved in the treatment group in JUPITER. The findings may surprise some readers, though […]
July 22nd, 2010
Lessons Learned from 2 Avandia Panels
Larry Husten, PHD
In a perspective published online in the New England Journal of Medicine, Clifford Rosen, who was the chair of the 2007 FDA Advisory Panel that allowed rosiglitazone (Avandia) to remain on the market and also a member of the panel that met last week, writes about “lessons learned” from the extraordinary series of events involving […]