Three papers in Archives of Internal Medicine scrutinize the role of cardiovascular screening tests not only in medicine but in legislation. In the first article, Nicholas Wald and Joan Morris introduce a new interactive tool that determines the detection and false-positive rates of screening tests. The authors illustrate the value of the tool with the examples of [...]
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For more than a year now, as most CardioBrief readers undoubtedly know, a scandal in Maryland has raised troubling questions about hundreds of stent patients treated by Mark Midei– previously considered one of the top interventional cardiologists in the state. In the wake of the scandal, some have questioned whether other interventional cardiologists, in Maryland [...]
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The FDA has approved azilsartan medoxomil (Edarbi, Takeda) for the treatment of high blood pressure. The new angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) will be available in 80 milligram and 40 mg doses. The recommended dose is 80 mg once daily. The 40 mg dose is used in combination with a diuretic. The FDA said that in clinical [...]
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The association between BMI and the risk of death in Asia is mostly similar to that seen in people of European origin, but there may be some important differences between populations, suggesting that underweight may be a more potent risk factor than overweight in Asia. In a large pooled analysis including more than 1.1 million [...]
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Air pollution is a weak cause of MI, increasing risk by only 5%, but because so many people are exposed to polluted air the population effect is quite large. By contrast, cocaine increases MI risk by 23 times, but does not have nearly as large an effect on the population. These are two of the [...]
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One-third of patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation with the CoreValve device required a permanent pacemaker within 30 days, according to a report published online in Circulation. Researchers in the UK examined data from 243 patients who received the CoreValve device. The incidence of LBBB was 13% prior to the procedure and 61% afterward.
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A new study raises hope that nitroglycerin may help stem the rising tide of fractures in the elderly. Earlier research with nitrates had suggested the possibility of benefit in this area. Now, in a paper published in JAMA, Sophie Jamal and colleagues report the result of a single-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 243 postmenopausal women randomized to [...]
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Circadian patterns have long been known to influence the cardiovascular system, resulting in early morning peaks in blood pressure, heart rate, and much else, as well as an increased risk for MI and sudden cardiac death. Now, in a study published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, Karim Mahmoud and colleagues have found that coronary stent thrombosis [...]
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One-quarter of US adults over 45 years of age are taking statins, and one-half of men 65-74 years of age are taking the drugsm according to the CDC’s annual report on trends in health statistics. In 1988-1994 only 2% of adults 45 and older were taking statins. High cholesterol levels have been declining, according to the CDC, but [...]
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Trouble continues to mount for the noninvasive CAD test from Spirocor. Last week, in a guest post on CardioBrief, Ivan Oransky and Adam Marcus reported the retraction of a paper with authors from Israel (where Spirocor is located) in the the American Journal of the Medical Sciences. Oransky and Marcus also noted that prominent US cardiologist Ron [...]
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Although many studies in recent years have explored the issue of racial disparities in health care, a new study scrutinizes the effect of race on hospital readmissions, an area that has not been previously examined. In a report appearing in JAMA, Karen Joynt and colleagues examined Medicare data to study readmissions after hospitalizations for acute MI, congestive [...]
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Newly published online in Circulation, updated guidelines for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in women emphasize practical medical advice. “These recommendations underscore the fact that benefits of preventive measures seen day-to-day in doctors’ offices often fall short of those reported for patients in research settings,” said Lori Mosca, chair of the guidelines writing committee, in an [...]
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Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) appears to be beneficial in patients with less severe heart failure (NYHA class I and II), according to a new systematic review published online in Annals of Internal Medicine. In a previous analysis, Nawaf Al-Majed and colleagues had found that CRT was highly beneficial in HF patients with NYHA class III and IV symptoms. [...]
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Less than two months after the publication of the 2010 updated atrial fibrillation (AF) guidelines, the AHA, the ACC, and the HRS have released a new focused update incorporating recommendations and a discussion concerning the direct thrombin inhibitor dabigatran, which gains a Class I recommendation: Class I: Dabigatran is useful as an alternative to warfarin [...]
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Editor’s note: One month ago I wrote a brief post about a US Army cardiologist who pleaded guilty after accepting illegal payments from Guidant. Earlier today a reader, InUniformMC, posted the following comment:
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Lowering blood pressure with an angiotensin-receptor blocker in patients with acute stroke and hypertension produces no benefits, according to a new study presented at the International Stroke Conference and published simultaneously online in the Lancet. In the Scandinavian Candesartan Acute Stroke Trial (SCAST), investigators randomized 2029 acute stroke patients in 9 north European countries who had a [...]
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A new trial presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrates that the novel factor Xa inhibitor apixaban is better than aspirin for the prevention of stroke in AF patients who don’t take warfarin. Stuart Connolly and investigators in the AVERROES (Apixaban Versus Acetylsalicylic Acid [...]
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Results of a new trial suggest that an implanted device that provides continuous wireless sensing of pulmonary artery pressures can reduce hospitalizations in patients with heart failure (HF). In a report published online in the Lancet, William Abraham and members of the CHAMPION (CardioMEMS Heart Sensor Allows Monitoring of Pressure to Improve Outcomes in NYHA Class III Patients) Trial Study Group randomized 550 patients with [...]
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Editor’s Note: CardioBrief is pleased to publish this guest post by Adam Marcus and Ivan Oransky. A different version of this story appeared on their blog, Retraction Watch, which has been called “required reading for anyone interested in scientific journalism or the issue of accuracy” by the Columbia Journalism Review. Spirocor is an Israeli company that [...]
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The ACC has posted the list of Late-Breaking Clinical Trials to be presented in New Orleans in April at the ACC.11 and i2 Summit. Here is the list, or you can click here to download a PDF of the schedule.
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Creatine kinase (CK-MB) and troponin levels obtained in the first day after CABG are a strong predictor of long-term mortality, according to a new report appearing in JAMA. Michael Domanski and colleagues analyzed data from 7 studies that included 18,908 patients who underwent CABG and for whom data on biomarkers and mortality were available. Mortality was [...]
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The FDA has approved Medtronic’s Revo MRI SureScan Pacing System, the first pacemaker designed for safe use during MRI exams. Here is Medtronic’s description of how the pacemaker differs from traditional pacemakers: The pacemaker system includes hardware modifications to the device and leads that are designed to reduce or eliminate several hazards produced by the [...]
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There’s been a lot of discussion in the blogosphere and twittersphere about Virginia Heffernan’s column in the New York Times magazine on Sunday comparing WebMD very unfavorably to MayoClinic.Com. Heffernan makes a fairly simple point: because of WebMD’s “(admitted) connections to pharmaceutical and other companies,” the site is “permeated with pseudomedicine and subtle misinformation.” Because [...]
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AstraZeneca said today that the FDA had accepted its resubmission of the ticagrelor (Brilinta) NDA and had set a deadline of July 20, 2011 to reach a decision. As previously reported, on December 16 the FDA issued a Complete Response Letter to the initial ticagrelor NDA. Although ticagrelor received a favorable response from the FDA [...]
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Here are some things that don’t go better with Coke: science, medicine, and education. A few weeks ago I received the following email from an administrator at my son’s New York City public middle school:
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