November 30th, 2011
Thrombolysis Instead of Primary PCI
Sanjiv Shah, MD
The latest analysis of 2009 CMS data for 13,776 STEMI patients of door-in to door-out (DIDO) time by Herrin and colleagues does not bring encouraging news. After many years of hard work to reduce DIDO time for patients who present at facilities without primary PCI capability, only a small fraction of patients (<10%) are transferred […]
November 30th, 2011
Should FedEx Be in Charge of Primary PCI?
Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA and L. David Hillis, MD
Federal Express built its business on being a leader in transportation and delivering on time. Perhaps the results of primary PCI in the U.S. would be better if FedEx ran the program. In patients with acute MI who must be transferred to another hospital for primary PCI, experts agree that the door-in to door-out (so […]
November 30th, 2011
Generic Atorvastatin Hits the Market
Larry Husten, PHD
The first generic version of Lipitor (atorvastatin) became available today as the exclusive patent held by Pfizer finally expired. Lipitor was by far the most successful prescription drug in history. Watson Pharmaceuticals announced an authorized generic version. One other company, Ranbaxy, has been authorized to market atorvastatin, but has struggled to gain FDA approval of its manufacturing plant. The company […]
November 29th, 2011
Study Finds 10% of PCI Patients Readmitted to Hospital Within 30 Days
Larry Husten, PHD
Nearly 1 in 10 PCI patients is readmitted to the hospital within 30 days, according to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The study is a good example of the increased focus on rehospitalization, which is being used more frequently as a key measure of outcome. Farhan Khawaja and colleagues analyzed data from […]
November 28th, 2011
Roundtable: Two Trials, Two Anticoagulants, Many Implications
Samuel Goldhaber, MD, Elaine Marie Hylek, MD, MPH and Christian Thomas Ruff, MD, MPH
Three experts weigh in on findings from the ATLAS ACS 2-TIMI 51 and ADOPT trials.
November 28th, 2011
Long Transfer Delays for STEMI Patients at Most Hospitals Without Primary PCI
Larry Husten, PHD
Fewer than 10% of STEMI patients eligible for PCI who arrive at a hospital without PCI capability are transferred within the recommended times, according to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Although dramatic improvements in door-to-balloon times have been achieved in recent years in PCI-capable hospitals, the new report suggests that […]
November 23rd, 2011
CardioMEMS CHAMPION Trial Undergoes Scrutiny From Wall Street Ahead of Next Month’s FDA Panel
Larry Husten, PHD
Note to readers: An earlier version of this story stated that the FDA may be concerned about the conduct of the CHAMPION trial. This statement could be construed as an implication of ethical misconduct or negligence on the part of the trial sponsors or investigators. I apologize if I conveyed this impression in the earlier story. […]
November 22nd, 2011
Study Examines Role of Surgery for Infective Endocarditis and Heart Failure
Larry Husten, PHD
Although current guidelines recommend valve surgery for patients with infective endocarditis and heart failure (HF), a large prospective registry finds that many of these patients do not undergo surgery — and have much worse outcomes. In a paper published in JAMA, Todd Kiefer and colleagues report on 4166 patients with infective endocarditis enrolled in the International Collaboration on […]
November 22nd, 2011
Long-Term Follow-up of HPS Shows Extended Benefits of Statins
Larry Husten, PHD
Long-term follow-up of patients enrolled in the Heart Protection Study (HPS) demonstrates continued benefits in the group originally randomized to receive simvastatin instead of placebo. The main results of the HPS, published in 2002, showed a significant 23% reduction at 5.3 years in major vascular events associated with simvastatin treatment among the 20,536 patients with coronary […]
November 22nd, 2011
Merck Pleads Guilty and Pays $950 Million for Illegal Promotion of Vioxx
Larry Husten, PHD
The US Department of Justice announced today that Merck, Sharp & Dohme will plead guilty to illegal promotion of Vioxx (rofecoxib) and will pay a $950 million in fines and penalties to the US government and individual states.