January 10th, 2013
A New Dimension in Serial LVEF Measurement
Thomas Marwick and John Ryan, MD
John Ryan asks Thomas Marwick about his new study, which found that the most reproducible technique for serial assessment of LVEF is the noncontrast 3D echocardiogram.
January 9th, 2013
Niacin Therapy in the Crossfire
William Edward Boden, MD and Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM
William E. Boden, lead investigator of the AIM-HIGH trial, and CardioExchange’s Harlan M. Krumholz debate the current state of research on niacin therapy.
January 9th, 2013
Observation Units for Heart Failure Could Reduce Unnecessary Hospitalizations
Larry Husten, PHD
Two new papers published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology propose that most heart failure (HF) patients who present to the emergency department (ED) don’t need to be hospitalized and can be safely managed in an observation unit. Currently, the vast majority of HF patients who show up in the ED are hospitalized. In the […]
January 8th, 2013
Early Results: Antiplatelet Drug Cangrelor Superior to Clopidogrel in PCI Patients at 48 Hours
Larry Husten, PHD
The experimental antiplatelet drug cangrelor was superior to traditional clopidogrel in reducing ischemic events at 48 hours in PCI patients, according to the Medicines Company, which is developing the drug. The company today announced positive results from the phase 3 CHAMPION PHOENIX trial, a randomized, double-blind study comparing intravenous cangrelor to oral clopidogrel in PCI patients. The […]
January 8th, 2013
Two Retractions for Embattled Chief Investigator of KYOTO HEART Study
Larry Husten, PHD
The editor of Circulation Journal, the official journal of the Japanese Circulation Society (and not to be confused with the American Heart Association’s [AHA’s] better known Circulation) has announced the retraction of two substudies from the KYOTO HEART Study. The papers, according to the editor, “contain a number of serious errors in data analysis.” The announcement contained no additional information about […]
January 8th, 2013
Could You Be Accused of Doing Unnecessary PCI?
Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA and L. David Hillis, MD
A recent rash of lawsuits and physician suspensions for “unnecessary PCI” have given many interventionalists pause. Rick Lange and David Hillis ponder the implications of these incidents on clinical practice.
January 7th, 2013
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: January 7th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include a study of survival among patients receiving a primary prevention ICD in clinical practice vs. clinical trials and the RELAX-AHF trial, which examined treatment of acute HF with serelaxin.
January 7th, 2013
After Hurricane Katrina, Timing of Heart Attacks Shifted in New Orleans
Larry Husten, PHD
Prior to Hurricane Katrina, myocardial infarctions (MIs) in New Orleans followed a well-known circadian and septadian (today’s word of the day, meaning day of the week) pattern, with predictable increases on Mondays and in the morning hours. Now a new study from the American Journal of Cardiology finds that the notorious 2005 hurricane dramatically altered that pattern […]
January 5th, 2013
Ohio Hospital and Cardiology Group Will Pay $4.4 Million to Settle Charges Over Unnecessary PCIs
Larry Husten, PHD
In 2006, Reed Abelson in the New York Times reported that the PCI rate in Elyria, Ohio, was four times the national average. Now, six-and-a-half years later, she reports that the local hospital, EMH Regional Medical Center, has agreed to pay $3.9 million to settle accusations that it billed Medicare for unnecessary PCIs. And the local cardiology group, North Ohio Heart Center, has agreed […]
January 4th, 2013
Why Has Niacin Therapy Failed to THRIVE?
William Edward Boden, MD and John Ryan, MD
In the wake of HPS2-THRIVE, John Ryan asks William E. Boden, lead investigator of the AIM-HIGH trial, for his perspective on niacin and other HDL-modifying therapies.