October 9th, 2013
New Drug for Pulmonary Hypertension Approved by FDA
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA approved on Tuesday a new drug for pulmonary hypertension. Bayer HealthCare’s riociguat (brand name Adempas) was approved for two indications: the treatment of adults with persistent/recurrent chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) after surgical treatment or inoperable CTEPH to improve exercise capacity and WHO functional class the treatment of adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to […]
October 9th, 2013
People Who Live Near Airports at Increased Risk for Cardiovascular Disease
Larry Husten, PHD
Most previous research on the health effects of noise has focused on road noise. Now two new observational studies published in BMJ extend the research to noise from airports and provide fresh evidence that people who live near airports are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. In the first paper, Anna Hansell and colleagues in the U.K. analyzed data from […]
October 9th, 2013
Defining the “Appropriate Use” of Transthoracic Echo
Susan A Matulevicius, MD, MSCS
Susan Matulevicius discusses her study group’s analysis of the use of transthoracic echocardiography at a tertiary-care academic medical center.
October 8th, 2013
Screen Kids for High Blood Pressure? USPSTF Says There’s Still Not Enough Evidence
Nicholas Downing, MD
In a reaffirmation of its 2003 guidance, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force maintains that the evidence is insufficient to “assess the balance of benefits and harms” of screening for hypertension in asymptomatic children and adolescents to help lower their future risk for cardiovascular disease. The group’s statement is published in the Annals of Internal […]
October 7th, 2013
Study Supports Loosening Guidelines for Surgery After Stent Implantation
Larry Husten, PHD
According to current guidelines, noncardiac surgery should be delayed for six weeks after bare-metal stent (BMS) implantation and for one year after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation, though there is little good evidence to support these recommendations. Stent thrombosis caused by discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy in order to lower the risk of bleeding during surgery is the […]
October 7th, 2013
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: October 7th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include several papers on the CV safety of diabetes drugs, a follow-up report from the WHI on hormone therapy, clopidogrel and smoking, and more.
October 7th, 2013
A Novel Risk Score for Predicting MACE in Patients with Vasospastic Angina
Hiroaki Shimokawa, MD, PhD
Hiroaki Shimokawa discusses his research group’s JACC study, in which they developed a comprehensive clinical risk score for VSA patients.
October 4th, 2013
A New Use for an Old Beta-Blocker?
Borja Ibanez, MD PhD
Borja Ibañez, lead investigator of the METOCARD-CNIC trial, discusses the effect of intravenous beta-blocker use before reperfusion in patients undergoing primary PCI.
October 3rd, 2013
Fellows: Want to Blog for CardioExchange at AHA.13?
Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM and John Ryan, MD
CardioExchange editors Harlan Krumholz and John Ryan are looking for fellows to blog for CardioExchange at the American Heart Association Annual Scientific Sessions from November 16th through the 20th in Dallas. If you are interested in blogging, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you!
October 3rd, 2013
ABI-Based Screening for PAD: Which Guidelines Are Right?
Rita F Redberg, MD, MSc and Mark A. Creager, MD
Rita Redberg and Mark Creager discuss the differences between the USPSTF and the ACCF/AHA guideline recommendations on whether to use the ankle-brachial index to screen patients for peripheral artery disease.