September 11th, 2013
A New Standard For Pulmonary Hypertension Trials
John Ryan, MD
Recently the New England Journal of Medicine published the SERAPHIN trial studying the effects of macitentan, a new endothelin receptor antagonist, in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This was a well-conducted study in 742 patients with PAH randomized to placebo, a low dose of macitentan (3mg once a day) and a high dose of macitentan (10mg once […]
September 10th, 2013
Have We Solved The Problem of Ghostwriting?
Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM
Several years ago, in the midst of the Vioxx litigation, I became aware of the practice of ghostwriting throughout academic medicine. In general, marketing arms of pharmaceutical companies wanted to seed the peer-reviewed journals with articles published by academics. They would identify an academic and provide him or her drafts of the article. Sometimes they […]
September 9th, 2013
Clear! CPR in the Hospital Is Not Always Good for the Patient
Larry Husten, PHD
On TV it always seems clear and simple. A patient in the hospital goes into cardiac arrest and the medical team springs into action. After a few tense moments of furious activity, and only after all seems lost, the patient is successfully revived. A few scenes later the smiling and now fully healthy patient thanks […]
September 9th, 2013
Nontechnical Skills Matter in the Cardiac Operating Room
Joyce Ann Wahr, M.D. and Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM
Joyce A. Wahr discusses the importance of teamwork and communication in performing cardiac surgery, as described in a new AHA scientific statement.
September 7th, 2013
Visit-to-Visit Variability in Systolic BP Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes
John Chalmers, MD phD and John Ryan, MD
John Chalmers and his coauthors discuss their analysis of data from the ADVANCE trial.
September 6th, 2013
Early Surgery vs. Watchful Waiting for Flail-Leaflet Mitral Regurgitation
Rakesh Mark Suri, MD, D.Phil., Maurice Enriquez-Sarano, MD and John Ryan, MD
Rakesh M. Suri and Maurice Enriquez-Sarano discuss their research group’s comparison of early mitral valve surgery with initial medical management among patients in the Mitral Regurgitation International Database.
September 5th, 2013
Lancet Formally Retracts Jikei Heart Study of Valsartan
Larry Husten, PHD
The Lancet has formally retracted the Jikei Heart Study paper, originally published in 2007. The retraction had been widely anticipated for more than a month, after a series of news reports in Japan made it clear that the long-simmering controversy over scientific misconduct involving the Novartis blood pressure lowering drug valsartan (Diovan) had come to a full boil. […]
September 5th, 2013
Should We Be Looking Beyond Door-to-Balloon Time?
Daniel Menees, MD, Hitinder Gurm, MBBS and Brahmajee Kartik Nallamothu, MD, MPH
Daniel Menees and Hitinder Gurm answer questions about their recent New England Journal of Medicine study that calls into question the emphasis on door-to-balloon time for acute MI patients undergoing PCI.
September 5th, 2013
Rosiglitazone Revisited
Richard G. Bach, MD and John Ryan, MD
Richard G. Bach discusses his study group’s observational analysis of data from the BARI 2D trial regarding outcomes associated with rosiglitazone.
September 4th, 2013
Too Much Emphasis on Door-to-Balloon Time?
Larry Husten, PHD
One of the great medical advances in recent years has been the improved treatment of acute myocardial infarction. As the enormous benefits of earlier reperfusion became evident, medical systems in many parts of the world aimed to treat increasing numbers of patients in a shorter time frame. The door-to-balloon (D2B) time as a performance measure […]