September 22nd, 2011
Diet Drugs Get a New Slim Chance at Approval
Larry Husten, PHD
Contrave, the investigational diet pill combination of naltrexone and bupropion, has been granted a possible new lease on life by the FDA. In January of this year, the FDA issued a complete response letter to Orexigen, the drug’s sponsor. Now Orexigen says that it has received guidance from the FDA that could lead to approval of the […]
September 22nd, 2011
Follow the Fellows: The Fellows Get Their Sealegs
Aaron C. Earles, DO, William Kent Cornwell, MD, Erica Sarah Spatz, MD, MHS and Kathryn Jesseca Lindley, MD
For our new series at CardioExchange, “Follow the Fellows,” we have invited physicians from various cardiology fellowship programs to document their course through their training. In their second post, the fellows continue to discuss their initial concerns and experiences soon after entering fellowship. You can read their first post here. Bill Cornwell — Being […]
September 21st, 2011
More Data but No Answers About Platelet Function Testing
Larry Husten, PHD
The RECLOSE 2–ACS (Responsiveness to Clopidogrel and Stent Thrombosis 2–ACS) trial from Italy provides new information about platelet reactivity but doesn’t answer any of the key questions about the possible role of platelet function testing in clinical practice. In a paper published in JAMA, Guido Parodi and colleagues report on 1,789 ACS patients who underwent PCI and […]
September 20th, 2011
Significant Declines Observed in Cardiovascular Procedures Performed in Hospitals
Larry Husten, PHD
More evidence is starting to emerge that the overall volume of cardiovascular procedures in U.S. hospitals is in decline. The trend should come as no surprise to those who have been following news about cardiovascular medicine in recent years, as the field has been repeatedly struck by debate, scandal, and controversy related to the potential […]
September 20th, 2011
Slow Spots in Transfer of Primary PCI Patients
Larry Husten, PHD
A new study in Circulation helps identify the precise causes for delays that occur when STEMI patients are transferred for primary PCI.
September 19th, 2011
Decision-Making Shortcuts: The Good and the Bad
John E Brush, MD
How awareness of heuristics can affect your practice
September 19th, 2011
“Doc, I Got My Whole Genome Scanned – Now What?”
David Martin, M.D.
What do you do if your patient shows you a commercially produced report of a personal whole genome scan?
September 15th, 2011
Xanthelasmata Identified as Independent CV Risk Factor
Larry Husten, PHD
In a large new study from Denmark, xanthelasmata (raised yellow patches around the eyelids) but not arcus cornae (white or grey rings around the cornea) was found to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In an article in BMJ, Mette Christoffersen and colleagues report on 12,745 adults in Copenhagen without cardiovascular disease at baseline who […]
September 14th, 2011
Meta-Analysis Finds Reduction in Stent Thrombosis with Everolimus-Eluting Stents
Larry Husten, PHD
Stent thrombosis and other complications are less likely to occur when an everolimus-eluting stent is used, according to a large new meta-analysis.
September 14th, 2011
Study Sheds Light on Consequences of Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Larry Husten, PHD
Although bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most frequently occurring congenital heart defect, little is known about the long-term prognosis of people with BAV. Now a study published in JAMA shows that although affected people have a low overall rate of aortic complications, their risk is nevertheless about 8 times greater than the risk of those without BAV. […]