Archive for November, 2010

November 16th, 2010

GRAVITAS: No Benefit for Clopidogrel Dosing Based on Platelet Function Test

The GRAVITAS (Gauging Responsiveness With A VerifyNow Assay ─ Impact on Thrombosis and Safety) trial enrolled 2214 patients with high residual platelet reactivity, as assessed by the VerifyNow P2Y12 Test measured 12 to 24 hours after the procedure. (The manufacturer of the test, Accumetrics, sponsored the trial.) Patients in the trial were randomized to either high-dose clopidogrel […]


November 16th, 2010

First-Time Presenter

Several Cardiology Fellows who are attending this week’s AHA meeting are blogging together on CardioExchange. The Fellows include Susan Cheng, Madhavi Reddy, John Ryan, and Amit Shah. Check back often to learn about the biggest buzz in Chicago this week — whether it’s a poster, a presentation, or the word in the hallways. You can read […]


November 15th, 2010

AHA Science and Technology Hall

Several Cardiology Fellows who are attending this week’s AHA meeting are blogging together on CardioExchange. The Fellows include Susan Cheng, Madhavi Reddy, John Ryan, and Amit Shah. Check back often to learn about the biggest buzz in Chicago this week — whether it’s a poster, a presentation, or the word in the hallways. You can read […]


November 15th, 2010

Let’s Bring CLOSURE to This Debate About PFO Treatment

In this blog, Rick Lange tells us how he would answer FAQs about PFO closure to prevent stroke. The controversy: Based on retrospective and nonrandomized studies, many physicians are convinced that percutaneous patent foramen ovale closure can reduce rates of cryptogenic stroke and transient ischemic attack. Although PFO closure devices are approved for stroke prevention […]


November 15th, 2010

An Exceptional Late-Breaking Session

Several Cardiology Fellows who are attending this week’s AHA meeting are blogging together on CardioExchange. The Fellows include Susan Cheng, Madhavi Reddy, John Ryan, and Amit Shah. Check back often to learn about the biggest buzz in Chicago this week — whether it’s a poster, a presentation, or the word in the hallways. You can read […]


November 15th, 2010

Omega-3s Fail to Show Benefits in Atrial Fibrillation

In sharp contrast to earlier studies suggesting a positive effect, a large study of high-dose prescription omega-3 fatty acids found no evidence of benefit in treating atrial fibrillation. The trial, called the Efficacy and Safety of Prescription Omega-3 Acid Ethyl Esters (P-OM3) for the Prevention of Recurrent Symptomatic Atrial Fibrillation, included 663 patients with AF (542 […]


November 15th, 2010

ROCKET AF Hits Chicago

ROCKET AF hit the AHA on Monday morning. Results of ROCKET AF (Stroke Prevention Using the Oral Direct Factor Xa Inhibitor Rivaroxaban Compared With Warfarin in Patients with Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation) had been the topic of intense speculation and interest. The trial showed that the experimental factor Xa inhibitor rivaroxaban was as effective as warfarin […]


November 15th, 2010

Networking at AHA

Several Cardiology Fellows who are attending this week’s AHA meeting are blogging together on CardioExchange. The Fellows include Susan Cheng, Madhavi Reddy, John Ryan, and Amit Shah. Check back often to learn about the biggest buzz in Chicago this week — whether it’s a poster, a presentation, or the word in the hallways. You can read […]


November 14th, 2010

Blast off to AHA: A Call for Solutions to the Obesity Epidemic in America

Several Cardiology Fellows who are attending this week’s AHA meeting are blogging together on CardioExchange. The Fellows include Susan Cheng, Madhavi Reddy, John Ryan, and Amit Shah. Check back often to learn about the biggest buzz in Chicago this week — whether it’s a poster, a presentation, or the word in the hallways. You can read […]


November 14th, 2010

New LVAD Shows Promise as Bridge-to-Transplant

ADVANCE (Evaluation of the HeartWare HVAD Left Ventricular Assist Device System for the Treatment of Advanced Heart Failure) evaluated the clinical efficacy of a novel small centrifugal flow pump as a bridge-to-transplant. In the trial, 140 patients who received the device were compared to a contemporaneous control group of 499 similar patients who had received a commercially […]