September 17th, 2010
Study Identifies MicroRNA Pattern Linked to Diabetes
Larry Husten, PHD
Researchers in Britain and Europe have identified a microRNA pattern that may help identify people at risk for developing type 2 diabetes and who may go on to have cardiovascular events. “It’s very important for the clinician to define those diabetic patients who are at the highest risk of developing cardiovascular complications,” said the senior […]
September 17th, 2010
FDA Grants Expanded Indication to CRT-D Devices
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA has expanded the indication for CRT-D devices made by Boston Scientific. Previously, the devices had been approved only in NYHA Class III and IV patients. The expanded indication now includes Class I and II patients who have left bundle branch block. The expanded indication is based on data from the MADIT-CRT trial. “This […]
September 16th, 2010
FDA: Dabigatran Gains, Lorcaserin Loses
Larry Husten, PHD
An alternative to warfarin is one step closer to reality. On Thursday, The FDA released briefing documents for next Monday’s meeting of the Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee to discuss the new drug application for dabigatran (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim) for the prevention of stroke in patients with AF. The FDA reviewers agreed that dabigatran was at […]
September 15th, 2010
FDA: Ticagrelor Deadline Extended; No Clear Signal on Sibutramine
Larry Husten, PHD
FDA watchers require patience. AstraZeneca announced that the FDA had extended its review of ticagrelor (Brilinta) until December 16. The previous deadline had been September 16. In July, the FDA Cardiovascular and Renal Advisory Committee voted 7-1 in favor of approving ticagrelor for the indication of STEMI and NSTEMI patients, but the committee and the […]
September 15th, 2010
TREAT Analysis: Target Dosing Is Tricky
Larry Husten, PHD
A new analysis of TREAT (Trial to Reduce Cardiovascular Events with Aranesp Therapy) is raising questions about the use of target-based strategies for the treatment of anemia in people with chronic kidney disease. (Last year, the main TREAT results showed that treatment with darbepoetin alfa was not beneficial – and was associated with an increase in the […]
September 15th, 2010
A Fistful of Stents
PZ Myers, Ph.D.
CardioExchange welcomes this guest post from Pharyngula, a blog by PZ Myers, an associate professor of biology at the University of Minnesota, Morris. Dr. Myers recounts his PCI experience from the patient’s point of view. Here’s my status right now, for those who have been wondering. First of all, I’m not dead yet. Let’s get […]
September 14th, 2010
AHA Rejects Smokeless Tobacco Products
Larry Husten, PHD
Smokeless tobacco products aren’t safe and won’t help people quit smoking, according to a policy statement from the American Heart Association published in Circulation. Although the statement acknowledges that the cardiovascular risks of smokeless tobacco products appear to be reduced compared with cigarette smoking, evidence cited in the statement links smokeless tobacco products to an increased […]
September 13th, 2010
Three-year SYNTAX Results: Sensible, Not Sensational
Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA
In SYNTAX, 1800 patients with multivessel and/or left main disease were randomized to CABG or PCI with DES after a surgeon and an interventional cardiologist reviewed the coronary angiogram and agreed that either procedure was appropriate. (See the CardioExchange News blog for more study information.) The SYNTAX 3-year results show that patients with a low […]
September 13th, 2010
SYNTAX at 3 years: CABG Still Winning, but PCI Acceptable in Low-Risk Patients
Larry Husten, PHD
Three-year outcomes from the SYNTAX trial continue to show the overall superiority of CABG over PCI in patients with complex disease, but they leave room for the use of PCI in patients with low-risk disease. The results of the trial were presented by A. Pieter Kappetein at the European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery annual meeting in Geneva, […]
September 13th, 2010
Fellowship Training Around the World
James De Lemos, MD
In the last of a series of posts from the ESC meetings, Susan Cheng offered some interesting insights into differences between the ESC and the large U.S. meetings such as AHA and ACC, including major differences in how research is funded and performed in countries outside the U.S. Comoderator Andy Kates and I started thinking […]