December 27th, 2013
2013 In Review: Our Top 12 Posts
Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM and CardioExchange Editors, Staff
After an incredibly busy year we took a moment to reflect on our top stories. In no particular order, these are among the most viewed posts on CardioExchange over the past year. My personal favorite of the year was Victor Montori’s questioning of PRAMI. Take a look and let us know what was your favorite feature […]
December 24th, 2013
The SGR Fix: Cost Versus Quality
Steven Spivack, MPH
The physician community might want to pay attention to what is going on with the sustainable growth rate (SGR). Congress is finally on the verge of abolishing the SGR and, in an odd twist, it may not call for a joyous celebration. The crux of the disagreement centers on proposals in the House and Senate […]
December 23rd, 2013
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: December 23rd
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include dual-antiplatelet therapy after zotarolimus-eluting stents, low-dose dopamine or low-dose nesiritide in acute HF with renal dysfunction, and more.
December 23rd, 2013
Fellows: Want to Join the CardioExchange Case-Study Team?
Andrew M. Kates, MD
CardioExchange editor Andy Kates is looking for fellows who would like to regularly present cases for presentation on CardioExchange. Each month we will feature an interesting patient vignette, submitted by a fellow, for open discussion. Cases can represent diagnostic dilemmas, management challenges, or just good, bread-and-butter cardiology. The goal is to engender lively discussion in […]
December 23rd, 2013
Statins: Targeting Risk, but Risking Diabetes?
Emma Morton-Eggleston, MD, MPH and Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
Emma Morton-Eggleston and Richard Lehman share their correspondence with us, in which they debate whether it’s worth using statins to target CV risk if they might increase other risks, such as diabetes.
December 20th, 2013
Researching the Obvious: It Stinks to Have Cancer
Debra Lynne Sherman, BA
Editor’s note: Debra Sherman is an outstanding, exceptionally perceptive health reporter who asked me recently why it is that so many medical research findings seem so unimportant and obvious. She is facing a critical illness and needs research that is useful. Those of us who do research should be asking ourselves if there is real value in […]
December 19th, 2013
More Walking and More Fiber: Good for the Heart
Larry Husten, PHD
It probably won’t come as a surprise, but walking more and eating more fiber are probably good for your heart. That’s the conclusion of two new studies, but because the studies relied on observational data it should be emphasized that they are incapable of demonstrating cause and effect. And it’s by no means clear that most […]
December 19th, 2013
Early Doses of Warfarin Paradoxically Associated with Higher Stroke Risk
Patients with atrial fibrillation seem to be at increased risk for ischemic stroke when starting warfarin prophylaxis, according to a case-control study in the European Heart Journal. The study was undertaken after trials of both apixaban and rivaroxaban noted increased stroke risks among patients transitioning to open-label warfarin. This study was funded by the makers […]
December 18th, 2013
New Trial Confirms Role for Dabigatran in Venous Thromboembolism
Larry Husten, PHD
A new study helps support a role for the new oral anticoagulant dabigatran (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim) in patients with venous thrombosis (VTE). The RE-COVER II trial, published online in Circulation, confirms the finding of the earlier and highly similar RE-COVER trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2009, that dabigatran is as safe and effective as warfarin for […]
December 18th, 2013
Behind the Curtain: Study Reveals Big Role of Medical Communication Companies
Larry Husten, PHD
Everyone knows that medical information flows out of medical centers and schools; research institutions and the NIH; pharmaceutical companies; journals; and medical societies. But one important information source — medical communication companies (MCCs) — “are among the most significant but least analyzed health care stakeholders,” according to Sheila Rothman and colleagues. In a new report in JAMA, they set […]