May 19th, 2014
Hospitalizations for AF Are on the Increase
Larry Husten, PHD
In recent years there has been an explosion of interest in atrial fibrillation (AF). Now a new study published in Circulation finds that hospitalizations for AF are on the increase, and this may have important implications for the delivery and economics of health care in the coming years. Researchers analyzed data from nearly 4,000,000 hospitalizations in which […]
May 19th, 2014
Lytics in STEMI: A New Analysis of Data from FAST-MI
Nicolas Danchin, MD, PhD and John Ryan, MD
French researchers analyze data from FAST-MI and conclude that a fibrinolysis-based strategy may be valid for some patients with STEMI.
May 19th, 2014
Case: A Young Pregnant Woman with Prior Valvular Disease and Increasing Dyspnea on Exertion
Reva Balakrishnan, MD, MPH and James Fang, MD
Reva Balakrishnan presents the case of a 22-year-old pregnant woman with a history of valvular disease who is experiencing an increase in dyspnea on exertion.
May 18th, 2014
Statins Disappoint In COPD And ARDS
Larry Husten, PHD
Two NHLBI studies have failed to find any benefit for statin therapy in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Previous observational studies had raised the possibility that statins, perhaps due to their anti-inflammatory effects, might improve outcomes in people with these serious diseases. But both trials were stopped early by […]
May 16th, 2014
FDA Turns Back Novel Drug for Acute Heart Failure
Larry Husten, PHD
Novartis said today that the FDA had issued a complete response letter for the biologics license application for RLX030. The drug, also known as serelaxin, is a recombinant form of the naturally occurring human hormone relaxin-2, which has been found to help women adjust to the cardiovascular changes that occur during pregnancy. The FDA decision was not unexpected since earlier […]
May 15th, 2014
Exercise: Can There Be Too Much of a Good Thing?
Larry Husten, PHD
In recent years researchers have developed a more complicated view of the relationship of health and exercise. Although observational studies have consistently shown that some physical activity is better than none, studies that have drilled deeper into the data suggest that these health benefits may be curtailed in people who exercise very frequently or very […]
May 14th, 2014
BMJ Articles Critical of Statins Provoke Kerfuffle
Larry Husten, PHD
The authors of two BMJ articles have withdrawn statements about the adverse effects of statins. The papers inaccurately cite an earlier publication and therefore may overstate the incidence of adverse effects. As a result, the two papers have drawn much criticism and set off a kerfuffle involving the editor of BMJ and a highly prominent British trialist who is demanding a […]
May 14th, 2014
Informed Interpretation of the 20-Year Results of the DIGAMI Trial
Valentin Fuster, MD
Darren McGuire gives us his perspective on the DIGAMI trial results.
May 14th, 2014
A Checklist for Leaving an EP Fellowship and Seeking a Job
Melissa R Robinson, M.D. and Michael Katz, M.D.
At the 2014 Heart Rhythm Society meeting, Michael Katz tweeted a compelling couple of slides presented by Melissa Robinson at a session titled “Emerging EP: Transition to Practice.” Review the slides here, and share what you think. Click on “Robinson Leaving EP Checklist” to see the slides. Robinson Leaving EP Checklist
May 13th, 2014
A Second Darapladib Phase 3 Trial Misses Its Endpoint
Larry Husten, PHD
GSK said today that a large phase 3 trial of a once highly promising drug had failed to meet its primary endpoint. Last year the company announced that another phase 3 trial with the same drug had failed. GSK said it would “further analyse the data and better understand the findings” but that, for now at least, […]