March 17th, 2015
Vitamin D Supplements Do Not Appear to Lower Blood Pressure
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Vitamin D supplements do not effectively lower blood pressure, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis in JAMA Internal Medicine. Low serum vitamin D levels have previously been associated with elevated blood pressure and cardiovascular events.
March 17th, 2015
ACP Recommends Against Screening Asymptomatic Adults for Cardiac Disease
The American College of Physicians has recommended that clinicians should not screen low-risk, asymptomatic adults for heart disease.
March 16th, 2015
Folic Acid Supplementation Helps Reduce Stroke Risk in Certain Populations
Nicholas Downing, MD
Supplementation with folic acid might help prevent stroke in adults with hypertension — particularly in those with low serum folate levels — according to a study presented on Sunday at the American College of Cardiology conference in San Diego and published in JAMA. Over 20,000 Chinese adults with hypertension and without histories of MI or […]
March 16th, 2015
Learning Opportunities for Fellows-in-Training at ACC 2015
Saurav Chatterjee, MD
Saurav Chatterjee reports on exciting opportunities for fellows in training available at the 2015 ACC conference.
March 16th, 2015
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: March 16th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include endovascular therapy for ischemic stroke with perfusion-imaging selection, innovation and implementation in CV medicine, statin intolerance, and more.
March 16th, 2015
Better Than BEST? An Observational Comparison of PCI and CABG for Multivessel Coronary Disease
Sripal Bangalore, MD, MHA
Sripal Bangalore discusses his observational study comparing CABG with everolimus-eluting stent PCI in patients with multivessel coronary disease, alongside findings from the BEST randomized trial.
March 16th, 2015
A Requiem for Routine Thrombectomy?
Larry Husten, PHD
Primary PCI is the treatment of choice in the early period of an acute MI. One limitation is the risk of dislodging part of the clot, leading to new downstream blockages of the microvasculature. One strategy that has been under development for a long time is thrombectomy, in which a device extracts the clot prior […]
March 15th, 2015
Encouraging 5-Year Results for TAVR
Larry Husten, PHD
The publication five years ago of the two-part PARTNER trial brought a major change to the treatment of aortic valve replacement. The trial demonstrated that transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) was a reasonable treatment option, first for patients who were not surgical candidates and then for patients who were at high risk for surgery. One […]
March 15th, 2015
More Information Emerges About the PCSK9 Inhibitors
Larry Husten, PHD
New information emerged today about two new cholesterol-lowering drugs that have been attracting a lot of attention. Data about the PCSK9 inhibitors — evolocumab, under development by Amgen, and alirocumab, under development by Sanofi and Regeneron — were presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting in San Diego and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of […]
March 14th, 2015
Has CT Angiography Lived Up to Its Early Promise?
Larry Husten, PHD
Computed tomographic angiography (CTA) enjoyed an explosion of growth over the past decade or more, fueled by enthusiasm for its ability to deliver speedy, high-resolution images of the coronary arteries. Many anticipated that CTA would prove its worth and justify its expense and radiation dose. As explained by one cardiologist, Duke University’s Dan Mark, with […]