September 10th, 2010
Meta-Analysis Finds High Risk for Carotid Stenting in Older Patients
Larry Husten, PHD
Carotid stenting should not be performed in patients age 70 years or older, according to the results of a new meta-analysis appearing in the Lancet. Researchers in the Carotid Stenting Trialists’ Collaboration combined data from 3433 patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis who were randomized to either endarterectomy or stenting in the EVA-3S, SPACE, and ICSS trials. At […]
September 9th, 2010
Getting to the Heart of the Problem
CardioExchange Editors, Staff
You told us how you’d handle our latest case: A 53-year-old smoker with a history of diverticulitis and prior gastrointestinal bleeding presents with lightheadedness and bright red blood per rectum. Ultimately, a partial colectomy is recommended. Now, heart-failure specialist Jim Fang weighs in with his recommendations. Do you agree? Tell us why or why not.
September 9th, 2010
Protective Effect of Education Only Occurs in High-Income Countries
Larry Husten, PHD
The well-known cardiovascular protective effect of education only occurs in high-income countries (HICs), according to a new report from the REACH registry appearing in Circulation. A striking finding was that highly educated women were more likely than their less educated counterparts to smoke in both affluent countries and less affluent countries. The authors point out that […]
September 8th, 2010
U.S. CABG Centers Rated
Physician's First Watch, CardioExchange Staff
Consumer Reports published ratings for 221 CABG centers in the U.S. on Tuesday. The ratings, based on data collected by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, take into account 11 performance measures — for example, postoperative renal failure, operative mortality, and surgical re-exploration. All centers included in the report volunteered to have their data made public. […]
September 8th, 2010
New Therapy for a Rare Syndrome
Larry Husten, PHD
A team of French and Belgian investigators have found a promising new treatment for a rare inherited disorder that often leads to vascular dissection or rupture. In a report published online in the Lancet, Kim-Thanh Ong and colleagues compared the effect of celiprolol, a beta-blocker with beta-2 agonist properties, with placebo in 53 patients with […]
September 8th, 2010
I’m an Awesome Doc!
drgrumpy and Larry Husten, PHD
CardioExchange welcomes this guest post, reprinted with permission, from practicing neurologist “Dr. Grumpy.” The article originally appeared in his blog, Doctor Grumpy in the House. You’ve seen it, somewhere. Every city in America, and likely the world, has a local magazine. And once a year, that magazine publishes a “Best Docs” issue, usually listing 10 […]
September 8th, 2010
“Cath Lab, We Have A Problem”?
Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA
According to a recently published study, a huge disconnect apparently exists between patients’ and cardiologists’ beliefs about the benefits of PCI. The patients had been referred for coronary angiography and possible PCI, had discussed PCI with a physician, and had provided informed consent. Most patients (~88%) believed that PCI would reduce their risks of MI, whereas most […]
September 7th, 2010
Patients Still Overestimate Benefits of Elective PCI
Larry Husten, PHD
Patients who undergo elective PCI continue to overestimate the procedure’s benefits, according to a small study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Michael Rothberg and colleagues surveyed 153 patients and 27 cardiologists at a single academic center and found that 88% of the patients thought PCI would reduce their risk for MI and 82% […]
September 7th, 2010
BMJ Papers Increase Pressure on Avandia
Larry Husten, PHD
A trio of papers in BMJ are turning up the heat on rosiglitazone (Avandia), prompting the editor-in-chief of the journal, Fiona Godlee, to say that she believes rosiglitazone “should not have been licensed and should now be withdrawn.” The detailed investigative report by BMJ features editor Deborah Cohen reviews the long and troubled history of rosiglitazone, […]
September 6th, 2010
What’s at the Heart of This Patient’s Problem?
Anju Nohria, MD and James Fang, MD
The patient is a 53-year-old lawyer with no cardiac risk factors other than a 70 pack-year history of smoking. He has a known history of diverticulitis with prior gastrointestinal bleeding and presented with lightheadedness and bright red blood per rectum. Initial evaluation revealed a drop in his hematocrit from 43% to 39%. He underwent a […]