March 28th, 2014
How Sure Can We Be About Optisure?
Edward J. Schloss, MD
Edward J. Schloss reflects on the release of the new Optisure family of ICD leads by St. Jude Medical, as well as the history of leads made by this company.
March 27th, 2014
FDA Advisory Panel Recommends Against Approval of Novartis Heart Failure Drug
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA’s Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee voted unanimously (11-0) against approval of the biologics license application (BLA) for serelaxin (proposed trade name, Reasanz). The novel drug from Novartis was intended to be used in patients with acute heart failure (HF). The once highly promising drug, which received a ”breakthrough therapy” designation from the FDA last year, was also turned down for approval […]
March 27th, 2014
What’s Behind the Decline in Nuclear MPI Use?
Kim Williams, MD and John Ryan, MD
John Ryan asks Kim Williams for his perspective on what’s behind a sharp decline in the use of nuclear MPI since 2006.
March 25th, 2014
Glucose Measurements Don’t Improve Cardiovascular Risk Assessment
Larry Husten, PHD
Although blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) play a central role in diabetes, the value of these measurements to assess cardiovascular risk has been unclear. Now, in a paper published in JAMA, members of the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration analyze data from nearly 300,000 people without known diabetes or cardiovascular disease who were enrolled in 73 prospective […]
March 25th, 2014
FDA Reviewers Recommend Against Approval for Novartis Heart Failure Drug
Larry Husten, PHD
Ahead of an important advisory panel FDA reviewers have recommended against approval of a novel drug for acute heart failure from Novartis. The once highly promising drug, which received a “breakthrough therapy” designation from the FDA last year, was turned down for approval in Europe earlier this year. On Thursday, the FDA’s Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee will discuss the biologics license application […]
March 25th, 2014
The Next Big Patient-Centered Initiative: Spiritual Care
Nicholas Bergfeld, BS, BA
Medical student Nick Bergfeld shares his thoughts about a need that many patients have but that medical practice largely neglects.
March 24th, 2014
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: March 24th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include non-leg venous thrombosis in critically ill adults, a comparison of factor Xa inhibitors and warfarin for preventing stroke and thromboembolism in atrial fibrillation, and more.
March 24th, 2014
ACC.14 Preview: Renal Denervation, TAVR Comparisons, and More
Larry Husten, PHD
The ACC begins this Saturday in Washington, DC. Here’s a preview of some of the most highly anticipated late-breaking clinical trials: On Saturday morning at the opening session the world will finally learn more about the failure of Symplicity HTN-3, the Medtronic trial of renal denervation. Until recently, renal denervation was thought to be an […]
March 20th, 2014
Pulmonary Embolism in a Patient with Acute Decompensated Systolic Heart Failure
Ian Neeland, MD and James Fang, MD
Ian Neeland presents our latest case: A 42-year-old man with heart failure is found to have a large pulmonary embolus. Tell us how you’d manage his treatment.
March 19th, 2014
New Statin Guidelines Recommend Therapy for 12.8 Million More Adults Than The Prior Guideline
Larry Husten, PHD
Millions more people are now eligible for statin therapy under the new cholesterol guideline published last year, according to a new estimate published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Under the earlier guideline statins were indicated for primary and secondary prevention based largely on LDL cholesterol levels. The new guideline, announced last year, places much […]