June 18th, 2013
FDA Raises Concerns About the Cybersecurity of Medical Devices
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA has raised concerns about the vulnerability of medical devices to cyberattack. In one dramatic instance, reported by the Wall Street Journal, a VA catheterization laboratory in New Jersey was temporarily closed after malware infected the lab’s computer devices. The FDA last week recommended that device companies and medical facilities “take steps to assure that appropriate safeguards […]
June 18th, 2013
Statin Toxicity Associated with CYP3A4-Inhibiting Antibiotics
Higher rates of hospitalization for rhabdomyolysis occur among patients on statins who also start taking clarithromycin or erythromycin, which inhibit statin metabolism, according to an Annals of Internal Medicine study. Using provincial databases, researchers examined 30-day outcomes among some 140,000 Ontario residents who were taking a statin metabolized by the cytochrome P450 isoenzyme 3A4 (CYP3A4). […]
June 17th, 2013
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: June 17th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include a stroke care improvement program in England and waste and harm in the treatment of mild hypertension.
June 17th, 2013
Douglas Zipes: Portrait of the Electrophysiologist as a Novelist
Douglas P Zipes, MD, John Ryan, MD and Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM
Renowned electrophysiologist Douglas Zipes discusses his second career as a writer of thrillers.
June 14th, 2013
New European Hypertension Guidelines Released with Simplified Blood Pressure Target
Larry Husten, PHD
New hypertension guidelines from the European Society of Hypertension and the European Society of Cardiology were released in Milan today at the European Meeting on Hypertension & Cardiovascular Protection. The authors of the guidelines write that “despite overwhelming evidence that hypertension is a major cardiovascular risk, studies show that many are still unaware of the condition, […]
June 13th, 2013
Too Much, Too Fast? Cross-Country Skiing and Heart Arrhythmias
Larry Husten, PHD
When it comes to exercise, it may be true that you can do too much or go too fast. It might seem counterintuitive, but a new study finds that among cross-country skiers, the risk for having a cardiac arrhythmia is highest in those who race the fastest or most often. Although lack of exercise is […]
June 13th, 2013
A Wiki World for Physicians
C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. and John Ryan, MD
CardioExchange’s John Ryan interviews Harvard Medical School professor C. Michael Gibson, founder and editor-in-chief of WikiDoc.org, a “living textbook of medicine” online. Ryan: Why did you create WikiDoc? Gibson: Innovation increases as free and open access to information grows. Our mission statement is that “Healthcare is enriched when medical information flows freely.” Traditional textbooks, typically in paper […]
June 11th, 2013
People with Sleep Apnea at Increased Risk for Sudden Cardiac Death
Larry Husten, PHD
Although people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have an increased risk for death and cardiovascular disease, the relationship between OSA and sudden cardiac death (SCD) has not been clear. Now a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology provides evidence that OSA is in fact associated with an increase in the risk […]
June 10th, 2013
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: June 10th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include controlling diabetes through surgery or medical management, the risk for diabetes among those taking statins, and aspirin vs. low-molecular-weight heparin for extended VTE prophlyaxis after total hip replacement.
June 10th, 2013
Dramatic Increase in Use of Radial Artery Access for PCI in the U.S.
Larry Husten, PHD
In the last six years interventional cardiologists have dramatically increased their use of radial access for PCI, according to a retrospective study published in Circulation. Using data from the CathPCI registry on more than 2.8 million procedures between January 2007 and September 2012, Dmitriy Feldman and colleagues found that radial access PCI increased 13-fold, from a negligible 1.2% at the beginning of the study […]