February 8th, 2012
Two Different Perspectives on the CABG Versus PCI Message in ASCERT
Fred H Edwards, MD, MS, Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA and L. David Hillis, MD
At the recent meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), Fred Edwards presented the high-risk subset of ASCERT (ACCF-STS Database Collaboration on the Comparative Effectiveness of Revascularization Strategies). CardioExchange Interventional Cardiology moderators Rick Lange and David Hillis posed the following questions to Edwards and Christopher White, the president of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI). Rick Lange and […]
February 7th, 2012
Bleeding Problems Continue to Bedevil Merck’s Novel Antiplatelet Agent Vorapaxar
Larry Husten, PHD
In the large TRA-2P study of more than 26,000 patients with MI, ischemic stroke, or documented peripheral vascular disease, the novel antiplatelet agent vorapaxar significantly reduced the primary endpoint of CV death, MI, stroke, or urgent coronary revascularization. But treatment resulted in a significant increase in bleeding, including intracranial hemorrhage. The fate of vorapaxar now appears to […]
February 6th, 2012
Women and ICDs: More Complications, Fewer Benefits
Larry Husten, PHD
After consulting an electrophysiologist, women are just as likely as men to receive an ICD but they suffer more complications and are less likely to benefit from the device, according to a new study from Canada published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Derek MacFadden and colleagues analyzed data from 6021 patients treated at 18 […]
February 6th, 2012
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Weekly Review: Week of February 6th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include the U.S. obesity plateau, the pros and cons of state-of-the-art CMR, and the MI mortality decline in European countries.
February 3rd, 2012
CMS Releases Details of Proposed National Coverage for TAVR
Larry Husten, PHD
On Thursday the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a memo containing details of its proposed Medicare coverage for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The memo is a response to a formal request for national coverage determination (NCD) from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC). The memo will be open […]
February 2nd, 2012
Study Explores Role of Periprocedural Dabigatran in AF Ablation
Larry Husten, PHD
As dabigatran becomes more widely used in AF patients, electrophysiologists are trying to figure out how to handle anticoagulation in patients taking the drug and for whom AF ablation is planned. In a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy and colleagues report on a multicenter, observational study of 290 patients […]
February 2nd, 2012
The Biggest Opportunities for Cost Savings in Cardiology: Take II
Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM
Let’s build on the suggestions that the community has made. How do we actually deliver on some on reducing these tests and procedures? What are we still missing?
February 1st, 2012
Meta-Analysis Confirms Benefits of Statins in Women
Larry Husten, PHD
Although clinical trials have consistently found a beneficial effects for statins, some critics have questioned the strength of the evidence in women, who are often under-represented in clinical trials. A large new meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology provides the best evidence yet that the relative reductions in events observed in men […]