January 6th, 2014
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: January 6th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include the NAVIGATOR study, trials of stents, mitral valve repair vs. replacement, and more.
NEJM — Recent Cardiology Articles- Managing Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis January 15, 2026The management of carotid-artery stenosis that has not caused recent symptoms — asymptomatic carotid stenosis — has been controversial. Clinical trials that began more than 30 years ago showed a small benefit of carotid endarterectomy as compared with medical treatment, but improvements in medical prevention of stroke call into question...
- Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Athletes January 15, 2026Sudden cardiac arrest in athletes may be attributable to cardiac and noncardiac causes. With diagnosis and treatment, a return to play may be reasonable. Prevention, emergency planning, and shared decision making are key.
- Medical Management and Revascularization for Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis January 15, 2026In high-grade asymptomatic carotid stenosis, addition of stenting to medical therapy led to a lower risk of stroke over a 4-year period. Endarterectomy did not lead to a significant benefit.
- Fish Oil for Patients Receiving Hemodialysis — Red Herring or Great Catch? January 8, 2026More than 470,000 patients with kidney failure receive hemodialysis in the United States alone, with worldwide estimates approaching 3 million patients. Mortality from kidney failure remains unacceptably high, with recent U.S. estimates of approximately 18% per year — higher than the mortality observed among patients with heart failure, diabetes, or...
- VESALIUS and the Anatomy of High-Risk Prevention January 8, 2026In the 16th century, the Flemish physician and anatomist Andreas Vesalius fundamentally advanced our understanding of the structure and function of the human body, providing particular insight on the inner workings of the circulatory system.1 The results of the VESALIUS-CV (Effect of Evolocumab in Patients at High Cardiovascular...
- Managing Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis January 15, 2026