June 29th, 2012
What Does the Supreme Court’s Upholding of Healthcare Reform Mean for Doctors and Patients?
CardioExchange Editors, Staff
Weigh in on what the SCOTUS/ACA decision means to you, your patients, and your family
June 29th, 2012
A Watershed Court Case? The Affordable Care Act and the Role of the U.S. Government in Healthcare
Sandeep Mangalmurti, MD, JD
Sandeep Mangalmurti, a cardiology fellow with a law degree and a strong interest in health policy, offers his analysis on some of the hidden implications of the court’s decision.
June 29th, 2012
Linagliptin and Glimepiride Compared in Type 2 Diabetes
Larry Husten, PHD
Sulfonylureas are often added to metformin to improve glycemic control, but at the known risk of increasing hypoglycemia and weight gain. In a report published in the Lancet, more than 1,500 patients with type 2 diabetes taking metformin were randomized to the addition of either linagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, or glimepiride, a sulfonylurea. After two years, the […]
June 28th, 2012
U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Most of Healthcare Law
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the majority of the Affordable Care Act in a 5-4 decision on Thursday. With Chief Justice John Roberts writing the majority opinion, the court upheld the central component of the law — the individual mandate — which requires that most Americans have health insurance or pay a penalty. The court […]
June 28th, 2012
What Reading That “Low-Carb Gives You Heart Disease” Paper Actually Told Me
Yoni Freedhoff, MD
A BMJ paper that concludes a low-carb diet can increase CV risk in women draws harsh words from Yoni Freedhoff.
June 27th, 2012
Panel: Early Surgery for Infective Endocarditis
Larry M. Baddour, MD, Sabet W Hashim, MD and John E Brush, MD
Will findings from this trial of early surgery for infective endocarditis change your practice?
June 27th, 2012
FDA Approves a New Weight Loss Drug, Breaking a 13-Year Drought
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA announced today that it has approved its first new weight loss drug in 13 years. Lorcaserin, which will be sold under the brand name of Belviq, is manufactured by Arena Pharmaceuticals and will be distributed in the U.S. by Eisai. Lorcaserin is indicated for use in obese adults (BMI 30 or above), or […]
June 26th, 2012
Unlikely PARTNERs Support TAVR
Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA
The FDA approval of TAVR and the design of postmarketing surveillance involved a remarkable degree of collaboration and cooperation among the stakeholders. What to do while we wait for data to accumulate?
June 26th, 2012
Aspirin Reduces Risk for Recurrent VTE
John Ryan, MD and ceciliabecattini690
John Ryan interviews Cecelia Beccatini about her new study that found that aspirin treatment in patients with first-time unprovoked VTE resulted in a significant reduction in VTE but did not increase the risk for bleeding.
June 25th, 2012
Are Statins Equally Effective in Women and in Men?
Larry Husten, PHD
Jose Gutierrez and colleagues performed a sex-based meta-analysis, seeking to determine if statins yield a similar protective effect on both men and women in preventing recurrent cardiovascular events. In a paper published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, they report the results of their meta-analysis of 11 secondary prevention, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trials, which included 43, […]