March 17th, 2014
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
CardioExchange Editors, Staff
To commemorate the day, the editors and staff at CardioExchange bring you their gallery of adorable Irish children (yes, we are Boston-based). If you are Irish — or feel Irish today! — submit your own photos; we’ll happily add them! Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh!
March 17th, 2014
Studies Provide Little Support for Guidelines on Dietary Fats and Supplements
Larry Husten, PHD
The precise cardiovascular effect of dietary fats and supplements has been the subject of heated controversy. Although there is no strong supporting evidence from clinical trials, current guidelines tend to discourage or minimize the role of saturated fats and trans fats and to encourage the intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Two new studies published today help clarify […]
March 17th, 2014
Phase 4 Actelion Study Misses Primary Endpoint
Larry Husten, PHD
Actelion announced today that a phase 4 study with its blockbuster drug bosentan (Tracleer) had failed to meet its primary endpoint. The COMPASS-2 trial was a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluating the effect of bosentan on the time to first confirmed event in patients with symptomatic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) already receiving treatment with sildenafil. According to the company, a […]
March 17th, 2014
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: March 17th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include a comparison of the safety and efficacy of the new oral anticoagulants with warfarin in patients with AF, a study on mortality from ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms, and more.
March 17th, 2014
Meta-Analysis Finds Few Side Effects Caused by Statins
Larry Husten, PHD
Although clinical trials have consistently demonstrated the benefits of statins, especially in secondary prevention, the perception that the drugs can cause serious side effects has prompted some patients to discontinue or not take the drugs. Now, in a paper published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a new meta-analysis of existing trials offers some […]
March 14th, 2014
Apixaban Gains Indication for DVT Prophylaxis After Knee and Hip Replacement Surgery
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA has approved a new indication for apixaban (Eliquis), the anticoagulant drug manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer. The new indication is for the prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism in patients who have undergone hip or knee replacement surgery. The DVT prophylaxis indication joins the previously approved indication of stroke prevention in patients who have […]
March 13th, 2014
rAAA Patients More Likely to Get Surgery and Survive in the U.S. Than in England
Larry Husten, PHD
Patients with a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) have better outcomes in the United States than in England according to a new study published in the Lancet. Researchers at the University of London compared hospital data from 11,799 rAAA patients in England with 23,838 rAAA patients in the U.S. They found that U.S. patients were more likely […]
March 13th, 2014
Achieving Consensus for the 2014 ACC/AHA Valvular Heart Disease Guideline
Catherine M. Otto, MD and Rick Akira Nishimura, MD
The writing committee co-chairs of the 2014 ACC/AHA Valvular Heart Disease Guideline discuss how the committee achieved consensus on the future treatment of valvular disease.
March 12th, 2014
Clinical Trials For Diabetes Drugs Need To Consider Heart Failure
Larry Husten, PHD
Is heart failure the missing 800 pound gorilla in diabetes trials? That’s the argument proposed by a group of prominent cardiovascular and diabetes researchers. It was long believed that by virtue of their glucose-lowering properties diabetes drugs would confer substantial cardiovascular benefits. That belief is no longer widely held, however, and the FDA now requires […]
March 11th, 2014
French Surgeons Perform First Totally Endoscopic Aortic Valve Replacement
Larry Husten, PHD
Surgeons in France report that they have performed the first totally endoscopic aortic valve replacement (TEAVR) in two human patients. Their paper has been published in the the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. The new procedure may enable surgeons to replace the aortic valve without opening the chest, though it will still require cardiopulmonary bypass and […]