Prevention
Largest-ever meta-analysis finds CRP is unlikely to be causal for CVD
6 COMMENTS - Dec 21, 2009 18:30 EST
British researchers conclude that CRP is unlikely to be a causal factor for cardiovascular disease. Another expert says it does help identify those at higher risk who can then benefit from treatment.
Imaging
Coronary calcification progression doubted as a CV diagnostic 
17 COMMENTS - Dec 17, 2009 17:00 EST
A meta-analysis of 10 trials that followed coronary artery calcification progression for at least one year found no consistent or reproducible effect of any therapy on CAC, suggesting CAC is not a good surrogate end point for trials of cardiovascular-disease therapies.
Medscape Medical News
Thousands of new cancer diagnoses predicted, due to soaring use of CT
1 COMMENT - Dec 17, 2009 15:30 EST
Researchers predict radiation from CT scans in 2007, including cardiac CT, will cause 29 000 cancers in the future. Another study highlights the increased cancer risk in women.
Lipid/Metabolic
FDA advisory panel votes in favor of broadened rosuvastatin indication
20 COMMENTS - Dec 15, 2009 17:10 EST
UPDATED // The advisory panel voted 12 to 4 in favor of expanding the indication for rosuvastatin to include men and women >50 and >60 years old, respectively, with elevated CRP levels, normal LDL-cholesterol levels, and without any other cardiovascular-disease risk equivalents.
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Editorial series
A series of discussions among editorial leaders, developed by theheart.org

Editorial series
Cardiovascular imaging: Applying the latest trial findings to clinical practice
1 COMMENT - Dec 17, 2009 14:10 EST
Inspired from a series of case scenarios, Drs Garcia, Lima, and Bax contemplate difficult options based on the latest imaging findings and best practice.
Editorial series
Is there a future for cangrelor after CHAMPION?
Dec 10, 2009 12:00 EST
heartwire's Sue Hughes talks to Drs Bob Harrington, Gregg Stone, and Sanjay Kaul about cangrelor and why the CHAMPION trials didn't do it justice.
Editorial series
Perspectives from AHA 2009: Wrapping up the Scientific Sessions with Clyde Yancy and Nancy Brown
Dec 2, 2009 11:15 EST
AHA president Dr Clyde Yancy and CEO Nancy Brown share insights from the recent sessions and discuss ongoing initiatives with heartwire's Shelley Wood.
The Cardiology Show
The AHA 2009 Roundup: ARBITER 6-HALTS, PLATO, the two CHAMPIONs, and CASCADE
3 COMMENTS - Nov 18, 2009 16:30 EST
Join Drs Valentin Fuster, Roger Blumenthal, Bob Harrington, Judith Hochman, Sanjay Kaul, Suzanne Oparil, Gregg Stone, Lynne Warner Stevenson, and Bruce Wilkoff as they discuss important news from the Scientific Sessions and tackle the issue of too little, too soon in clinical trials today.
Discussion and opinions
Lively, interactive exchanges moderated by thought leaders, staff or contributors to theheart.org

Topolog
Twitter: A place in the medical world?
Wed Dec 16 10:30:00 EST 2009
It appears to be more than a passing fad. Can micro-messaging serve a practical purpose in our world of healthcare and research?
theheart.org Forum
Discussions among healthcare providers, clinicians, and researchers.
Visit the forum »
Lipid/Metabolic
Strongest evidence yet that Lp(a) causes heart disease
2 COMMENTS - Dec 23, 2009 17:00 EST
A novel genetic study provides the strongest evidence to date that Lp(a) is a causative factor for coronary disease; the results suggest that medications targeting Lp(a) could lower the risk of disease, say the researchers and other commentators.
MediaPulse
Myxo ring controversy makes front-page news in Wall Street Journal
Dec 23, 2009 16:00 EST
The twisted tale—first chronicled by heartwire—of the surgeon, the patient, the would-be whistleblower, and a kooky regulatory loophole that allowed a company to market a product without formal FDA permission has, nearly a year later, made front-page news.
Interventional/Surgery
Optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy after DES: 12 months, but more data coming
Dec 23, 2009 14:00 EST
A new review tackles the issue of the optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy following drug-eluting stent implantation, and while the authors are reluctant to prescribe a one-size-fits-all approach, the currently recommended 12 months of therapy is the right option, they say.
Lipid/Metabolic
Pfizer licenses apoA-I Milano to the Medicines Company
Dec 23, 2009 13:15 EST
The Medicines Company has acquired from Pfizer exclusive worldwide licensing of apoA-I Milano, the naturally occurring variant of a protein found in high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol.
Lipid/Metabolic
FDA says cancer risk with ezetimibe is unlikely
Dec 22, 2009 16:30 EST
Based on current information, the agency said an association between ezetimibe and cancer risk or cancer-related mortality is not likely, although this association can't be definitively ruled out yet.
Lipid/Metabolic
Quality of HDL differs in diabetics but improves with niacin therapy
7 COMMENTS - Dec 22, 2009 13:30 EST
HDL cholesterol from individuals with diabetes has impaired endothelial protective functions compared with the HDL from healthy subjects, research shows. Treatment with extended-release niacin can improve these endothelial protective effects, however.
Acute Coronary Syndromes
Benefits of dispatcher-assisted CPR outweigh the risks
Dec 21, 2009 16:00 EST
A substudy of the Dispatcher Assisted Resuscitation Trial shows that cardiopulmonary resuscitation by bystanders rarely causes injuries, and therefore the benefits of CPR to patients in arrest outweigh the risks of administering CPR to someone not in arrest.
Heart failure
Perseverance pays for older patients who start cardiac rehab
Dec 21, 2009 16:00 EST
In a sample of Medicare patients who showed up for at least one post-CABG or post-MI cardiac-rehabilitation session, mortality and MI risk were inversely related to the number of sessions attended. But surprisingly few took full advantage of their Medicare benefits by attending all 36 covered sessions.
Heart failure
Obesity survival effect may elude highest-BMI patients in preserved-EF heart failure
Dec 18, 2009 15:30 EST
In a twist to the obesity paradox in heart failure, at least in HF with preserved ejection fraction, declining mortality with rising BMI may take a U-turn in the heaviest patients, an observational study finds.
News
AHA: Focus on cardiovascular health, not disease
Dec 18, 2009 13:15 EST
The AHA is, this year, trying to focus minds on cardiovascular health, rather than cardiovascular disease, as it unveils its latest statistics. Understanding the numbers that underlie cardiovascular disease in the US will provide the direction needed to focus efforts on prevention, it says.
Educational partnerships


  • Thrombosis: Describing the Clinical Link Between the Coagulation Cascade and Platelet Function

    Duke University School of Medicine
    Join Drs. Alexander, Becker, and Weitz for a discussion on the coagulation cascade, its link to platelet function, and the risk/benefit and clinical utility of agents that target the coagulation cascade and platelet receptors.


  • What Happened at AHA 2009?

    The Cleveland Clinic Perspective
    Drs. Nissen, Young, and Becker discuss the latest on the new antiplatelet agents, ticagrelor and cangrelor, the ARBITER 6-HALTS and HeartMate II study, and destination therapy for patients that are not eligible for heart transplantation.


  • What Happened at CCC 2009?

    A University of Alberta Perspective
    Drs. Armstrong, Ezekowitz, and Welsh as they discuss the latest data to come out of the 2009 sessions of the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, from Edmonton, Alberta.


  • What Happened at ESC 2009?

    DUKE Heart Center and DUKE Clinical Research Institute
    Drs. Rao, Alexander, Newby, and O'Connor discuss RE-LY, PLATO, and MADIT-CRT.


  • What Happened at ESC 2009?

    Mayo Clinic
    Drs. Gibbons and Jaffe discuss Antiplatelet therapy in ACS, Atrial Fibrillation, Higher dose clopidogrel and aspirin and CRT therapy in patients with Class I or II heart failure.


  • What Happened at HFSA 2009?

    Cleveland Clinic
    Drs. Young, Starling, and Mountis discuss the latest on cardiac resynchronization, ICDs, exercise and heart failure, women in clinical trials, and guidelines.

Most popular
  1. Coronary calcification progression doubted as a CV diagnostic 
  2. Largest-ever meta-analysis finds CRP is unlikely to be causal for CVD
  3. FDA advisory panel votes in favor of broadened rosuvastatin indication
  4. Thousands of new cancer diagnoses predicted, due to soaring use of CT
  5. ERASE-MI: Initial results with elinogrel—a new IV/oral P2Y12 antiplatelet
  6. AHA: Focus on cardiovascular health, not disease
  7. Use of AF ablation continues to grow and includes tougher cases
  8. Quality of HDL differs in diabetics but improves with niacin therapy
  9. Low-carb diets hit the headlines again
  10. One more thing to worry about: MRI may interfere with pacemaker pulses
View all news »
  1. Coronary calcification doubted as a good CV risk indicator
  2. FDA advisory panel votes in favor of broadened rosuvastatin indication
  3. Celecoxib could impede effects of low-dose aspirin
  4. Quality of HDL differs in diabetics but improves with niacin therapy
  5. Largest-ever meta-analysis finds CRP is unlikely to be causal for CVD
  6. Smoking promotes heart allograft rejection in rat study
  7. Intensive medical therapy in asymptomatic carotid stenosis helps reduce microemboli and CV risk
  8. UK scientists unearth potential new biomarker for MI
  9. hospital employment...
  10. Strongest evidence yet that Lp(a) causes heart disease
View all discussions »
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The Heart of a Woman
Drs. Hayes and Foody and a committee of experts address the gaps and correct the misconception that CVD is more common in men than women.
View all programs »
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Info from Industry
Also on theheart.org
Features
Mounting debate over aspirin use in primary prevention should prompt new talks with patients
10 COMMENTS - Dec 9, 2009 08:30 EST
The year kicked off with some rosy recommendations from the USPSTF, but a steady accumulation of studies suggest that aspirin's risks may eclipse its benefits in preventing initial cardiac and cerebrovascular events—most strikingly, a report from the same group that bolstered the primary-prevention case for aspirin in the first place. Everyone agrees: it's time to talk to your patients about aspirin.
Acute Coronary Syndromes
Improving Outcomes in STEMI: Management of Adjunctive Antithrombotic Therapy in ACS
Nov 26, 2009 11:27 EST
Our international panel of experts, Drs. Hamm, Verheugt, Dauerman, and Rao, give their insights into which antiplatelet and antithrombotic agents they prefer to use and when.
The Cardiology Show
The AHA 2009 Roundup: ARBITER 6-HALTS, PLATO, the two CHAMPIONs, and CASCADE
3 COMMENTS - Nov 18, 2009 16:30 EST
Join Drs Valentin Fuster, Roger Blumenthal, Bob Harrington, Judith Hochman, Sanjay Kaul, Suzanne Oparil, Gregg Stone, Lynne Warner Stevenson, and Bruce Wilkoff as they discuss important news from the Scientific Sessions and tackle the issue of too little, too soon in clinical trials today.