Interventional/Surgery
Jun 23, 2009 12:15 EDT
UPDATED // One of the authors on a new registry analysis says the findings are persuasive: possibly enough to persuade guideline-writing groups to reconsider the class 3 recommendation against performing elective PCI without surgical backup.

Washington, DC - One of the largest, "most comprehensive" studies to show no differences in outcomes between PCI facilities with and without on-site surgical backup has now been published in the June 30, 2009 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology [1]. Moreover, say the authors, no differences were seen when they looked just at primary PCI or elective PCI procedures.

Results of the study were first presented at the ACC 2008 meeting, as reported by heartwire at the time.Read full article »

Inside: Acute Coronary Syndromes
Accredited educational programs, supported by industry, developed by theheart.org

Acute Coronary Syndromes
Jun 22, 2009 00:07 EDT
Early-ACS, HORIZONS-AMI, On-TIME 2... How do you use GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors in contemporary practice? Given the continued uncertainty regarding the optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy, what do you do for AF patients on warfarin who need stents? Answer our 3 short polling questions and learn your peers' responses.
Acute Coronary Syndromes
Jun 12, 2009 15:10 EDT
Studies suggest that major bleeding is associated with a 5-fold increase in the risk for death among ACS patients. Join our expert panel: Profs. Hamm, Kristensen, and Spaulding as they discuss treatment options and strategies to reduce bleeding in STEMI patients.
 
heartbriefs
Jul 2, 2009 11:30 EDT
The rate of major adverse cardiac events was significantly lower among patients "reloaded" with atorvastatin 80 mg 12 hours prior to PCI and 40 mg just before the procedure than in those who did not receive the additional statin boost.
Lipid/Metabolic
9 COMMENTS - Jun 30, 2009 19:01 EDT
A new meta-analysis including some of the more contemporary statin trials has found that the agents significantly improve survival and reduce coronary and cardiovascular end points in primary-prevention populations, a benefit that extends to all subgroups. But the exact cost/benefit equation for each group remains to be determined.
Clinical cardiology
4 COMMENTS - Jun 30, 2009 16:00 EDT
Screening for contemporary biomarkers, such as CRP, will not add much to conventional cardiovascular risk factors in terms of helping to predict future events in the primary-prevention setting, say the authors of a new study.
Hypertension
1 COMMENT - Jun 29, 2009 16:00 EDT
White-coat hypertension and masked hypertension should not be regarded as benign, say the authors of a new 10-year study. The risk of developing sustained hypertension is higher in people with the above two conditions than in those who have normal blood pressure, they found.
Acute Coronary Syndromes
Jun 25, 2009 17:00 EDT
Identifying these unstable coronary plaques could be used to aggressively treat patients who are at higher risk for future events, according to researchers. There are skeptics, however, and at present even researchers concede there are no different preventive measures available to treat those with high-risk lesions.
Acute Coronary Syndromes
Jun 25, 2009 13:45 EDT
Experts suggest that early PCI is beneficial in STEMI patients already treated with fibrinolysis, as long as it is performed at least two hours after the lytic is given.
heartbriefs
3 COMMENTS - Jun 24, 2009 16:30 EDT
Investigators report that echogenicity, an ultrasound-based measure of plaque stability, was significantly improved among patients treated to very low LDL-cholesterol levels.
Imaging
13 COMMENTS - Jun 23, 2009 15:30 EDT
UPDATED // After a rocky ride in and out of the Texas legislature (twice) and most recently a perplexing pairing with bariatric surgery, the bill is now poised to become law September 1.
Acute Coronary Syndromes
Jun 22, 2009 16:30 EDT
From 1994 to 2004, cardiovascular disease mortality declined 30%, while the rate of MI mortality decreased 38.1% and stroke mortality decreased 28.2%.
Acute Coronary Syndromes
1 COMMENT - Jun 22, 2009 16:30 EDT
Patients hospitalized for CABG or MI were twice as likely to successfully quit smoking if they received intensive counseling in the hospital with follow-up support after discharge, in a recent study.
Clinical cardiology
5 COMMENTS - Jun 22, 2009 13:45 EDT
As well as being an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, psoriasis is also associated with an increased risk of cerebrovascular disease and peripheral arterial disease, a new case-control study has shown.
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.
  • Primary and Secondary Prevention of CVD and Stroke in Women
    Jul 2, 2009 00:00 EDT
    The role of lipids in women for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease is a challenging issue for all providers. Join Drs. Foody, Mora, and Welty as they discuss limitations to current risk stratification models, recent clinical trial data, and the changing paradigm in the management of lipids in women.
  • Foundational programs
    1 COMMENT - May 29, 2009 00:00 EDT
    Despite increased awareness of CVD in women, contemporary studies demonstrate gender differences in outcomes. Differences in age and comorbidities account for some, but not all of these disparities. Join Dr. Foody as she discusses these issues with Drs. Mieres and Redberg.
Editorial Programs
Editorial series
Jun 29, 2009 11:00 EDT
Dr Robert Harrington talks to Drs Sanjay Kaul and Harlan Kurmholz about the SYNTAX trial in light of the recent quality-of-life and cost analysis.
Editorial series
1 COMMENT - Jun 1, 2009 10:20 EDT
Join Dr Robert Califf for a probing and personal interview with Dr Steven Nissen, about his activist days at the University of Michigan and the development of IVUS, to how he ended up at the Cleveland Clinic and what he thinks about the future of medicine in America.
Editorial series
May 22, 2009 09:20 EDT
Dr Harlan Krumholz talks to Drs Sanjay Kaul and Robert Harrington about EARLY ACS and the issues around upstream use of GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors.
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Poll
Would you recommend daily aspirin for primary prevention in the average 82-year-old man or women with no obvious bleeding diathesis?
See: Aspirin: More evidence that low dose is all that is needed
Yes, at greater than or equal to 100 mg/day
Yes, at less than 100 mg/day
No