June 16th, 2014
European Medicines Agency Initiates Review of Ivabradine
Larry Husten, PHD
There may be trouble on the horizon for ivabradine, a heart drug marketed by Servier under the brand names of Corlentor and Procoralan. The drug is widely available in Europe and elsewhere, though it is not available in the U.S., where it is under development by Amgen. Although it hasn’t been widely reported, the European […]
June 13th, 2014
FDA Advisory Panel Supports Novel Drug-Coated Balloon
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA’s Circulatory System Devices advisory panel voted unanimously on Thursday to support approval of CR Bard’s Lutonix Drug-Coated Balloon (DCB). It would be used to enlarge arteries in a subset of patients who have peripheral arterial disease — including obstructive de novo or nonstented restenotic lesions (≤ 15 cm in length) in native femoropopliteal arteries […]
June 13th, 2014
CoreValve Gains New Indication for High-Risk Patients
Larry Husten, PHD
Medtronic’s CoreValve system today gained a second indication from the FDA for use in patients with severe aortic stenosis who are at high risk for surgery. The transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) system was initially approved earlier this year for use in patients who were too ill or frail for traditional open heart surgery. The new approval is based on results […]
June 10th, 2014
Major Medical Organizations Establish Ambitious Diabetes Registry
Larry Husten, PHD
Our knowledge of diabetes today is a bit like the way blind men understand an elephant. With a myriad of isolated perspectives it’s nearly impossible to gain a broad overview. Now, a new initiative from a group of major medical organization will seek to provide the tools to better see a full picture of the elephantine […]
June 9th, 2014
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: June 9th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include the CORONARY trial, the association of azithromycin with mortality and CV events among older patients hospitalized with pneumonia, and more.
June 9th, 2014
Wide Range of Radiation Dose in Children Undergoing Cardiac Procedures
Larry Husten, PHD
Children with heart disease are at increased risk for developing cancer later in life due to their exposure to radiation during imaging procedures. Since an ever-growing number of children with heart disease now reach adulthood, this may become an increasingly important public health issue. A new study published in Circulation offers some reassurance in finding […]
June 5th, 2014
An Adverse Event on Lisinopril: What Do You Say to Your Patient?
John Ryan, MD
In this scenario of an adverse event after taking a guideline-recommended dosage of lisinopril to lower BP, John Ryan asks, “What do you say to your patient?”
June 4th, 2014
My Fellow Doctors, Are You Miserable?
Enrique Guadiana, MD
CardioExchange member Enrique Guadiana asks other physicians whether they’re still happy practicing medicine.
June 4th, 2014
Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease in the U.K.: It’s Complicated
Larry Husten, PHD
Epidemiology studies have provided powerful evidence linking air pollution to cardiovascular disease, especially MI and stroke. By some estimates, air pollution may be responsible for 3.2 million deaths each year, most from cardiovascular causes. At first glance, a new study published in Heart appears to cast doubt on this association. Analyzing U.K. data from more than 400,000 […]
June 4th, 2014
Transcatheter Mitral Valve Programs: No Volume Data
Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA and L. David Hillis, MD
The Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), the American College of Cardiology (ACC), and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) recently joined together to provide recommendations for institutions that are considering starting and/or maintaining a transcatheter mitral valve (MV) program. Unlike PCI, for which abundant data show […]