January 26th, 2011
Study Finds Declining Stroke Rate After CABG
Larry Husten, PHD
Despite the increasing complexity of cases, the risk of stroke after CABG may be declining, according to a new study published in JAMA. Khaldoun Tarakji and colleagues prospectively studied more than 45,000 patients who underwent CABG at the Cleveland Clinic from 1982 through 2009. The overall stroke rate was 1.6%. The stroke rate was highest […]
January 25th, 2011
AHA Scientific Sessions 2011
CardioExchange Editors, Staff
American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2011 Orlando, FL
January 25th, 2011
TCT 2011
CardioExchange Editors, Staff
Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics 2011 San Francisco, CA
January 25th, 2011
ESC Congress 2011
CardioExchange Editors, Staff
European Society of Cardiology Congress 2011 Paris, France
January 25th, 2011
ACC.11
CardioExchange Editors, Staff
ACC.11 New Orleans, LA 60th Annual Scientific Session and Expo
January 25th, 2011
Inappropriate ICD Shocks Linked to Increased Mortality
Larry Husten, PHD
A large, single-center observational study has found a link between inappropriate ICD shocks and mortality. In a report published in JACC, Johannes van Rees and colleagues from the Netherlands followed 1,544 patients who received an ICD from 1996 to 2006. Thirteen percent of patients had at least one inappropriate shock over 41 months of followup. Age below […]
January 25th, 2011
New Study Finds Hydrochlorothiazide Inferior To All Other BP Drugs
Larry Husten, PHD
At the dosages most often used, hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), the most widely used antihypertensive agent in the world, is “consistently inferior” to all other drugs, according to a new meta-analysis published in JACC. Franz Messerli and colleagues performed a systematic review of studies that compared HCTZ to other drugs using 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and found […]
January 24th, 2011
Poor Justification for Compulsory Angiography Before Vascular Surgery
Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM
I recently heard a physician quote a paper from JACC to justify pursuing revascularization in an asymptomatic patient who was scheduled for major vascular surgery. This article is worth a close look in your journal club, even though it was published in 2009. In their discussion, the authors summarize their findings as follows: “For patients […]
January 24th, 2011
AHA Estimates Cost of Heart Disease Will Triple by 2030
Larry Husten, PHD
The American Heart Association (AHA) is projecting that the cost to treat heart disease in the U.S. will triple by 2030, from $273 billion today to $818 billion. The AHA policy statement is published in Circulation. The AHA estimates that the incidence of stroke and heart failure will each grow by about 25% by 2030. “These estimates […]
January 21st, 2011
Heart Rhythm Society Advising DOJ in Investigation of ICD Implants
Larry Husten, PHD
The Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) has informed its members that it is “aware of an ongoing U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) civil investigation of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) implants” and that it has “agreed to assist in an advisory role to lend expertise concerning proper guidelines for clinical decision making.” HRS explained that its role […]