February 13th, 2014
Roman DeSanctis, One of the Greats, Retires
Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM and Roman DeSanctis, MD
Harlan Krumholz interviews Roman DeSanctis, one of the most influential physicians of his career, upon his retirement.
February 13th, 2014
Perioperative Beta-Blockade: Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Prashant Vaishnava, MD, Vineet Chopra, MD, MSc and Kim Allen Eagle, MD
In light of the continuing controversy over the Don Poldermans research misconduct case, Prashant Vaishnava, Vineet Chopra, and Kim Eagle discuss the use of perioperative beta-blockade.
February 13th, 2014
FDA Advisory Panel Recommends Against Approval of Cangrelor
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA’s Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee today recommended against the approval of cangrelor, the investigational new antiplatelet drug from the Medicines Company. In a 7-2 vote, the panel first rejected an indication for the reduction of thrombotic cardiovascular events including stent thrombosis in patients undergoing PCI. The panel also voted unanimously to reject a second indication, for […]
February 12th, 2014
Case: Cardiorespiratory Arrest Requiring Intubation in a Patient with Diastolic Heart Failure
Saurav Chatterjee, MD and James Fang, MD
A 65-year-old African American woman with a history of hypertension, diabetes, and seizure disorder is brought to the ED via emergency medical services for respiratory distress requiring intubation. Two weeks earlier she was hospitalized for an exacerbation of acute diastolic heart failure; a transthoracic echocardiogram at that time documented an LV ejection fraction of 60% […]
February 11th, 2014
FDA Advisers: Meta-Analysis Does Not Prove That Naproxen Carries Lower CV Risk
Nicholas Downing, MD
Data from a meta-analysis suggesting that naproxen carries lower cardiovascular risk than other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug are not reliable, FDA advisers concluded on Tuesday. Consequently, they voted that naproxen should not get a new label based on those data, Reuters reports. The meta-analysis, published in the Lancet in 2013, found that coxibs or diclofenac conferred […]
February 11th, 2014
FDA Investigating Heart Failure Risk Linked to Saxagliptin
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA said today that it is conducting an investigation of a possible increased risk for heart failure associated with the diabetes drug saxagliptin. Saxagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor, is marketed by AstraZeneca as Onglyza and Kombiglyze XR. (AstraZeneca recently completed the purchase of all rights to the drug from its manufacturer, Bristol Myers-Squibb.) The investigation […]
February 10th, 2014
Is Fraudulent Science Criminal?
John Henry Noble Jr, BA, MA, MSW, PhD
John Henry Noble, Jr., offers his perspective on the issues raised by Richard Smith’s blog post “Should Scientific Fraud Be a Criminal Offence?”, which appeared in the BMJ in December 2013.
February 10th, 2014
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: February 10th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include two reports of cobalt-induced heart failure, a comparison of CABG and PCI, and more.
February 10th, 2014
FDA Reviewers Deliver Split Opinion on Cangrelor
Larry Husten, PHD
FDA reviewers presented two dramatically different views of The Medicines Company’s investigational new drug cangrelor. One reviewer says the drug should not be approved without a new trial and even states that the CHAMPION trials “were conducted unethically” and provide sufficient reason to “refuse approval…on that fact alone.” But two other reviewers recommend approval. On Wednesday the FDA’s Cardiovascular […]
February 6th, 2014
First-Ever Guidelines Issued on Stroke Prevention in Women
Nicholas Downing, MD
The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association have issued the first stroke-prevention guidelines that focus on women’s unique risks. Among the recommendations: Pregnant women with chronic hypertension or a history of pregnancy-related hypertension should take low-dose aspirin, beginning at 12 weeks’ gestation, to reduce pre-eclampsia risk. Preeclampsia is a risk factor for stroke later […]