March 12th, 2012
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Weekly Review: Week of March 12th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include stem cells for the heart, BP in both arms and vascular disease, and how patients and caregivers interpret prognostic information.
March 8th, 2012
Michael Ezekowitz Joining Cardiovascular Research Foundation to Establish AFib Research Center
Larry Husten, PHD
Michael Ezekowitz is joining the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) in New York City to start a new center for atrial fibrillation research. Ezekowitz, a cardiologist at the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research in Philadelphia, had been a professor and vice president for clinical research at Lankenau. Recently, Ezekowitz was a co-principal investigator of the RE-LY […]
March 8th, 2012
The Psychological Impact of DVT and PE
Beth Waldron, MA
The evaluation of the care and outcome of patients with venous thromboembolism is often focused on the visible short-term effects of a clot, such as: Has the acute clotting episode resolved? Are chronic pain, swelling, or other post-thrombotic issues well managed? Has there been any bleeding associated with anticoagulation? Has there been a VTE recurrence? […]
March 7th, 2012
Software Tool Could Provide Early Warning of ICD Lead Failure
Larry Husten, PHD
In recent years, defects in ICD leads have caused recalls and provoked broad concerns among healthcare professionals and patients alike about the safety and reliability of ICDs and other implanted cardiac devices. Now a key player in these events proposes that a computer software program can better monitor ICD leads and provide earlier warnings of […]
March 6th, 2012
Shared Decision Making in Advanced Heart Failure
Larry Allen, MD, MHS
Larry Allen is the lead author and co-chair of the AHA Scientific Statement on Decision Making in Advanced Heart Failure. Patient-centered care ensures that clinical decisions are guided by an individual patient’s values, needs, and preferences; shared decision making is the act of putting this type of care into clinical practice by asking health care […]
March 6th, 2012
Another Round in the Debate on Diabetes and Statins
Yoni Freedhoff, MD
Let me start by saying that I am proud to have Eric Topol as a friend and a trusted advisor over the past 20 years. His work has been an inspiration to cardiovascular health professionals for several decades. His new book, The Creative Destruction of Medicine: How the Digital Revolution Will Create Better Health Care, […]
March 5th, 2012
Statins and Diabetes: Real Concern or Much Ado About Nothing?
Larry Husten, PHD
In a New York Times Op-Ed piece on Monday, Eric Topol comments on last week’s announcement by the FDA that it was changing the label for statins. Topol focuses on the new warning that statins raise the risk of diabetes. He opens with a provocative statement: We’re overdosing on cholesterol-lowering statins, and the consequence could be a sharp […]
March 5th, 2012
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Weekly Review: Week of March 5th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include goal-oriented patient care, stenting vs. medical therapy, and patient satisfaction and mortality.
March 5th, 2012
New Insight Into Obesity and Physical Activity in Children
Karen Dorsey, MD, PhD
As obesity has increased among children, a clear link has been established between obesity and cardiovascular risk factors including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. However, less is known about whether being more physically active might protect children from developing these risk factors. Among adults, physical activity has been shown to reduce cardiovascular risk […]
March 2nd, 2012
Four Cardiovascular Societies Release Criteria for TAVR Programs and Operators
Larry Husten, PHD
A newly released statement contains detailed recommendations about the requirements necessary for hospitals and physicians to participate in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) programs. The expert consensus document was released jointly by the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF), the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) and the Society for Thoracic […]