August 26th, 2013
Practice Variations and Quality: Ask the “Uber” Expert
Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA and Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM
In light of reported variation in practice and outcomes of elective PCI, Rick Lange asks Harlan Krumholz to elaborate on what constitutes high-quality decision making.
August 26th, 2013
New Subcutaneous ICD Said to Pose ‘Existential Crisis’ for Older ICDs
Larry Husten, PHD
Last year the FDA approved Boston Scientific’s subcutaneous ICD (S-ICD), the first ICD that doesn’t use transvenous leads. Those leads are the source of many sophisticated pacing features in today’s ICDs, but they are also the main source of ICD-related complications. FDA approval of the S-ICD was based on a pivotal trial designed to assess […]
August 26th, 2013
Missing Data And The ATLAS ACS 2-TIMI 51 Trial
Sanjay Kaul, MD and Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM
What is the impact of the larger than usual amount of missing data in the ATLAS ACS 2-TIMI 51? A member of the FDA’s Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory panel answers questions about this issue.
August 22nd, 2013
Expert Perspective: Remote Ischemic Preconditioning for CABG
Zhe Zheng, M.D., Ph.D. and Shengshou Hu, M.D.
Dr. Zhe Zheng and Dr. Shengshou Hu, of Fu Wai Hospital in Beijing, discuss the findings from the recent randomized trial conducted in Germany.
August 21st, 2013
Kaiser Program Yields Big Improvements in Hypertension Control
Larry Husten, PHD
A large percentage of the 65 million people with high blood pressure in the United States do not know they have hypertension or have not succeeded in controlling their hypertension. Although many programs have been proposed, there is little evidence that any method can produce long-term improvement in hypertension control. Now, in a paper published in JAMA, […]
August 20th, 2013
A Pathway to Preventing Research Fraud
Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM
Is the road to fraud-free research paved with publicly accessible raw data?
August 19th, 2013
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: August 19th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include treating to risk, not to target; perceived job insecurity as a risk factor for incident CHD; ischemic preconditioning in patients undergoing CABG, and more.
August 19th, 2013
Look Before Leaping to Conclusions About Bush’s Stent
Ajay J Kirtane, MD, SM
Ajay Kirtane shares his thoughts on the publicity surrounding Bush’s stent and what it means for the public perception of PCI.
August 18th, 2013
What Patterns of Change in the Use of Nesiritide Reveal About Hospitals as Learning Organizations
Chohreh Partovian, MD, PhD
Chohreh Partovian discusses her research group’s study of how hospitals varied in their responses to safety concerns about nesiritide from 2005 to 2010.
August 15th, 2013
Remote Ischemic Preconditioning Beneficial Before CABG
Larry Husten, PHD
For several decades cardiologists have been intrigued by the concept of ischemic preconditioning. A small body of research has consistently found that brief episodes of ischemia appeared to somehow prepare the body to better handle a major episode of ischemia. Now a new study from Germany holds out the promise that deliberate ischemic preconditioning prior […]