January 29th, 2015
FDA Approves Right Percutaneous Single Access Heart Pump
Larry Husten, PHD
Abiomed has announced that it received FDA approval for its Impella RP System, the first percutaneous single access heart pump that provides support to the right side of the heart. The approval, under a Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE), is based on results of the single-arm Recover Right study, in which 30 patients were enrolled. The […]
January 28th, 2015
Tight Control of Hypertension During Pregnancy Tested
Larry Husten, PHD
High blood pressure during pregnancy is increasingly common, largely due to older age and obesity. Although there is widespread agreement that hypertension in these women should be treated when it is high enough to raise the risk of stroke, there is little agreement about whether or how to treat mild hypertension. In a study reported […]
January 28th, 2015
Icatibant Is Effective in Patients with ACE Inhibitor–Induced Angioedema
CardioExchange Editors, Staff
Icatibant, a selective bradykinin B2-receptor antagonist approved for hereditary angioedema, is associated with 70% faster resolution of ACE inhibitor–induced angioedema than usual care, a phase II trial in the New England Journal of Medicine finds. Nearly 30 adults presenting within 10 hours of onset of ACE inhibitor–induced angioedema of the upper aerodigestive tract were randomized […]
January 27th, 2015
Can Precision Medicine Do Better Than Precision Weather?
Larry Husten, PHD
Larry Husten asks the question, “Is the human body simpler than the weather?”
January 26th, 2015
Isolated Systolic Hypertension in Younger Adults Linked to Increased CV Mortality
Nicholas Downing, MD
Young and middle-aged adults with isolated systolic hypertension face increased long-term risks for coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Researchers studied some 27,000 adults in the Chicago area who were under age 50 and had their blood pressure measured […]
January 26th, 2015
Califf to Leave Duke to Become FDA Deputy Commissioner
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA announced today that Duke University cardiologist Robert Califf will be the next FDA Deputy Commissioner for Medical Products and Tobacco. The agency said that Califf will be responsible for the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, the Center for Devices and Radiological Health and the Center for Tobacco […]
January 26th, 2015
Measuring FFR During Cardiac Cath: Time to Go with the Flow?
John Ryan, MD
Is fractional flow reserve being overused, underused, or neither?
January 26th, 2015
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: January 26th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include dietary sodium content, mortality, and CVD risk in older adults, the ROX CONTROL HTN study, and more.
January 22nd, 2015
New Device to Lower Resistant Hypertension Shows Early Promise
Larry Husten, PHD
A novel implantable device appears to show early promise in the treatment of resistant hypertension. The “Coupler” device from ROX Medical is about the size of a paper clip and is delivered via a catheter to the upper thigh, where it creates an anastomosis between the distal external iliac vein and artery, thereby mechanically lowering […]
January 22nd, 2015
How Accurately Do ICD-9 Codes Identify Strokes in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation?
Jonathan L. Thigpen, PharmD
Jonathan L. Thigpen discusses his research group’s assessment of the validity of ICD-9 codes in identifying strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation.