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Acute coronary syndromes | Interventional cardiology
Generic clopidogrel imminent, this time in Europe
May 9, 2008 14:15 EDT / A generic version of clopidogrel is expected to be available soon in Germany and then other European countries, according to an announcement from Swiss pharmaceutical company Schweizerhall.

Acute coronary syndromes | Interventional cardiology
ACUITY: Bivalirudin beneficial in patients switched from heparin/enoxaparin
May 9, 2008 11:45 EDT / But no overall net clinical benefit was seen in patients naive to antithrombin therapy at randomization. (White HD et al. J Am Coll Cardiol 2008; 51:1734-1741.)

Prevention | Cardiometabolic risk
Detection of carotid bruit can help identify patients at risk for cardiovascular disease
May 8, 2008 18:30 EDT / Carotid bruits detected by auscultation might serve as markers for heart disease, rather than detect carotid lesions and the subsequent risk of stroke, and could help select patients who would benefit from an aggressive treatment strategy for cardiovascular risk, according to the results of new study. (Pickett CA et al. Lancet 2008; 371:1587-1594.)

Acute coronary syndromes | Interventional cardiology
Discrepancies in US/European guidelines on antithrombotics for ACS
May 8, 2008 18:30 EDT / Discrepancies in the European and US guidelines on recommendations for the use of enoxaparin and fondaparinux in the treatment of ACS is causing confusion, some clinicians have suggested. (Eikelboom J et al. Lancet 2008; 371:1559-1561.)

FDA expands "extracellular-matrix" biomaterial indications to include intracardiac repair
May 8, 2008 18:15 EDT /

Murmurs
Dr Andre Natale heads up new cardiac arrhythmia institute in Austin
May 8, 2008 15:15 EDT / UPDATED WITH INTERVIEW // The renowned electrophysiologist and AF-ablation pioneer will be the executive medical director of the new institute at St David's Medical Center, being built to the tune of $36 million.

Prevention | Electrophysiology
ICDs in children: Better patient selection needed
May 8, 2008 13:30 EDT / The largest study to date to examine the use of ICDs in children and those with congenital heart disease has found that the devices do shock appropriately and likely save lives, but they also seem to deliver more inappropriate shocks in children than they do in adults. (Berul CI et al. J Am Coll Cardiol 2008; 51:1685-1691.)

Medscape Medical News
Hormone therapy linked to stroke risk regardless of timing of initiation
May 7, 2008 18:30 EDT / A new analysis of data from the Nurses' Health Study shows an increased stroke risk associated with both estrogen alone and estrogen plus progestin ranging from 30% to 40%, regardless of the timing of initiation. (Grodstein F et al. Arch Intern Med 2008; 168:861-866.)

Electrophysiology
Denervation successfully treats catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia
May 7, 2008 17:00 EDT / Left cardiac sympathetic denervation appears to be an effective alternative treatment for patients with this genetic disorder, a new report suggests. (Wilde AAM et al. N Engl J Med 2008; 358:2024-2029.)

Electrophysiology
Early repolarization linked to idiopathic ventricular fibrillation and sudden cardiac arrest
May 7, 2008 17:00 EDT / New data published this week suggest that an early repolarization pattern is not as benign as previously thought, with investigators showing a "higher-than-expected" prevalence of early repolarization in patients with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation that caused syncope and sudden cardiac arrest. (Haïssaguerre M et al. Nam GB et al. N Engl J Med 2008; 358: 2016-2023, 2078-2079.)

Acute coronary syndromes | Clinical cardiology | Interventional cardiology
Managed-care data suggest high frequency of GI events from clopidogrel
May 7, 2008 16:30 EDT / Investigators report that 6.2% of patients prescribed clopidogrel filed at least one insurance claim for ulcer or gastrointestinal bleeding. One expert, however, says the finding is simply hypothesis generating at this point. (International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research 2008 International Meeting.)

Prevention | Clinical cardiology
WAFACS published: No CVD benefit in longest-duration folic-acid/B-vitamin supplementation study
May 7, 2008 12:30 EDT / Experts say there is no role for routine screening of homocysteine and no role for folic acid and B vitamins in reducing homocysteine levels to prevent CV events. (Alpert C et al. JAMA 2008; 299:2027-2036.)

Prevention
Inflammatory markers predict congestive heart failure
May 7, 2008 09:45 EDT / The findings suggest a mechanistic link between obesity and heart failure, researchers say. (Bahrami H et al. J Am Coll Cardiol 2008; 51:1775-1783.)

Interventional cardiology
Both researchers and journals are to blame for inconsistent disclosure of conflicts of interest
May 6, 2008 20:00 EDT / Researchers who combed through one year's worth of stent research say conflict-of-interest disclosures are the exception, not the rule—in some cases, authors disclosed conflicts in one paper, but not others. Inconsistent journal policies and confusion about what constitutes a "relevant" conflict may explain some—but not all—of the gaps. (Weinfurt KP et al. PLoS ONE; published online May 6, 2008.)

Prevention
Vascular benefits of stopping smoking are rapid
May 6, 2008 16:00 EDT / People who quit smoking will see a rapid decline in the risk of death from coronary heart disease and other vascular disorders, a new analysis of the Nurses' Health Study shows. The results show it is never too late to stop smoking, say the researchers. (Kenfield S et al. JAMA 2008; 299:2037-204.)

Cardiometabolic risk | Hypertension
Best bet for reducing new-onset diabetes in hypertensives disputed
May 2, 2008 17:45 EDT / Authors of a new ASCOT-BPLA analysis say the strongest protective factor in preventing new-onset diabetes was taking a calcium-channel blocker and ACE inhibitor. Others say this is stretching the evidence too far. (Gupta AK et al. Diabetes Care 2008; 31:982-988.)

Cardiometabolic risk
IDEAL: Lowering triglycerides in stable statin-treated CHD patients does not provide benefit
May 2, 2008 16:00 EDT / This most recent analysis showed that while elevated plasma triglycerides identified patients at increased risk for recurrence of disease, the association depended on other risk factors, especially HDL cholesterol. (77th European Atherosclerosis Society Congress.)

Medscape Medical News
Lower bone-mineral density related to arterial stiffness in healthy subjects
May 2, 2008 15:30 EDT / Aortic augmentation index increases with age in patients with low bone density. (American Geriatrics Society 2008 Annual Meeting.)

Heart failure | Clinical cardiology
Exercise/counseling combo good for depressed HF patients
May 2, 2008 12:00 EDT / The first-ever study to look at a combination of psychological counseling together with exercise training for depression in heart-failure patients has shown promising results. However, the home-based interventions were expensive and labor-intensive and would be hard to replicate in a large trial, said the lead author of this pilot study. (American Heart Association 2008 Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Conference.)

Heart failure | Clinical cardiology
Similar need for palliative care seen in heart failure and advanced cancer
May 2, 2008 09:30 EDT / Yet most palliative care is directed toward cancer patients, observe researchers, who say more can done to relieve the suffering of patients with heart failure. (American Heart Association 2008 Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Conference.)

Hypertension | Prevention | Cardiometabolic risk
BP-related disease should be a global priority
May 1, 2008 18:30 EDT / Eighty percent of deaths connected to high blood pressure occur in the developing world, and much of the burden is borne by those with prehypertension, new research shows. In addition, current programs do not target many of the affected countries, say the study authors. Such a travesty cannot be allowed to continue, say accompanying editorialists. (Lawes CMM et al. Lancet 2008; 371:1513-1518.)

Cardiometabolic risk | Clinical cardiology
More evidence of increased fractures with thiazolidinediones
May 1, 2008 16:00 EDT / Long-term use of either rosiglitazone or pioglitazone was associated with a two- to threefold increased risk of fractures in a new case-control study. (Meier C et al. Arch Intern Med 2008; 168:820-825.)

Heart failure | Clinical cardiology
Remote monitoring of heart-failure status benefits patients not tied to home
May 1, 2008 16:00 EDT / Ambulatory heart-failure patients who stayed connected to providers through a telemonitoring device believed the system helped keep their disease under control; it also may have prevented some hospitalizations. (Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Conference 2008.)

Cardiometabolic risk | Prevention
ADAGIO-LIPIDS: Rimonabant reduces visceral fat and improves lipid parameters
May 1, 2008 10:45 EDT / A new rimonabant study presented this week showed that the drug improved lipid parameters, but more important, reduced visceral adipose tissue, the type of abdominal obesity that contributes to big waistlines and type 2 diabetes. (77th European Atherosclerosis Society Congress.)

Acute coronary syndromes | Interventional cardiology
Intracoronary spectroscopy catheter gets FDA approval
May 1, 2008 10:00 EDT / The device can map the location of coronary plaques that contain a lipid core and may be vulnerable to rupture; it can, in theory, be used to guide preventive interventions.

Medscape Medical News | Dyslipidemia
Statins associated with increased progression of AMD, but caution is urged
May 1, 2008 09:30 EDT / A new study shows that the use of statins is associated with the progression of age-related macular degeneration, but the authors urge caution, saying that other causes may be the reason for the findings. (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology 2008 Annual Meeting.)

Acute coronary syndromes | Clinical cardiology | Interventional cardiology
Heparin contamination was deliberate act to cut costs?
Apr 30, 2008 13:45 EDT / A US Congressional hearing on the heparin contamination has suggested that the counterfeit product was introduced in China on purpose to increase profits. Investigators said the tragedy had highlighted "both the best and the worst of the FDA's performance."

Cardiometabolic risk | Prevention
Keeping active attenuates—but doesn't eliminate—increased CHD risk associated with overweight/obesity
Apr 30, 2008 12:45 EDT / A new study suggests that lean, inactive women face lower risks than overweight women who kept fit, although both groups are better off than overweight or obese inactive women. The findings run counter to other research showing that being fit but fat may be better than being normal weight and a couch potato. (Weinstein A et al. Arch Intern Med 2008; 168:884-890.)

Dyslipidemia | Clinical cardiology | Cardiometabolic risk