May 22nd, 2012
Studies Probe Effect of CPAP and Sleep Apnea on Hypertension
Larry Husten, PHD
Two studies published in JAMA provide additional, but not surprising, information about the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and hypertension — and the role of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). In the first study, Ferran Barbé and colleagues randomized 725 people with OSA but no daytime sleepiness to either CPAP or no active treatment. After a […]
May 22nd, 2012
iFR: A New Tool to Measure Functional Ischemia
Justin E Davies, MD, PhD, Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA and L. David Hillis, MD
The instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) is a pressure-derived index of stenosis severity that does not require adenosine administration. The index was introduced at the 2011 TCT conference and validated by the results of the ADVISE study, published in December 2011. Following a series of presentations at the recent EuroPCR congress, Dr. Justin Davies answers questions […]
May 21st, 2012
Rivaroxaban for ACS Gets Positive FDA Review, but Questions About ATLAS Trial Conduct Persist
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA will offer generally positive – but also highly mixed – advice to the FDA’s Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee when it meets on Wednesday to consider the supplemental new drug application for rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Johnson & Johnson) for use in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) already taking dual antiplatelet therapy. The FDA posted the briefing […]
May 21st, 2012
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: Week of May 21st
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include warfarin vs. aspirin for stroke prevention in HF, CVD risks and azithromycin, coffee’s benefits, the old news that statins work, the question of HDL-C, abdominal aortic aneurysm, omega-3 fatty acid supplements, and Abbott’s methods for staying ahead with fenofibrate prescriptions.
May 18th, 2012
FAME II: Another Study Abides in Infamy
Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA and L. David Hillis, MD
In FAME II, a prospective study conducted at 28 centers in Europe and the United States, >1200 patients with ischemia (as determined by fractional flow reserve [FFR]) were randomly assigned to receive (a) PCI (with a DES) and optimal medical therapy (OMT) or (b) OMT alone. The primary endpoint was a composite of death, myocardial infarction […]
May 18th, 2012
Standing Up for What You Believe: The Story Behind an Editorial
Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM
A request from “someone with influence” to cease discussion of a sensitive topic prompts an editorial encouraging younger colleagues to stand up for what they believe.
May 17th, 2012
FDA Approves Generic Clopidogrel as Plavix Loses Patent Protection
Larry Husten, PHD
For the second time in the past 6 months, a cardiology mainstay drug has lost patent protection and gone generic. Today, the FDA announced that it had approved several generic versions of clopidogrel (Plavix), the antiplatelet drug that for many years was the second best-selling drug in the world. Last November, the best-selling drug of all time, […]
May 17th, 2012
Large Meta-Analysis Finds Statins Effective in Low-Risk Patients
Larry Husten, PHD
A very large meta-analysis provides strong evidence that the relative reduction in vascular risk with statins is at least as great in low-risk patients as in high-risk patients. The finding, write the authors, provides evidence that expansion of guidelines to lower-risk populations should be considered. In their paper in the Lancet, the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists’ (CTT) […]
May 17th, 2012
Coffee — Lots of It — Associated with Reduced Mortality
Physician's First Watch, CardioExchange Staff
Coffee drinking is inversely associated with mortality in a dose-dependent manner, according to a New England Journal of Medicine study. Mortality risks were actually higher until the researchers adjusted for smoking — common among coffee drinkers. Over 400,000 people aged 50 to 71 were followed for roughly 14 years after completing an extensive questionnaire on […]
May 17th, 2012
Study Casts Doubt on Protective Effects of Raising HDL Cholesterol
Physician's First Watch, CardioExchange Staff
A genetics-based analysis finds that raising HDL will not necessarily lower risk for myocardial infarction. Reporting in the Lancet, researchers describe a two-pronged approach. First, they searched for the presence of a specific allele (LIPG Asn396Ser, associated with higher HDL levels in carriers) in a large cohort of subjects with and without MI. The allele’s […]