Cardiology news: award winning coverage by heartwire

Features

The doctor will see you now (from the other side of the world)

5 COMMENTS - Feb 10, 2012 12:30 EST

A unique "medical mission" using handheld echo in a remote rural population in India is being hailed as a success after cardiologists around the globe logged on over a two-day period to read the echocardiograms of unseen patients half a world away.

Thrombosis

US judge upholds FDA approval of generic enoxaparin

Feb 9, 2012 16:30 EST

Sanofi-Aventis had sued the agency in 2010, saying it had failed to follow its own rules and had not appropriately established that a generic drug made by a rival company included the same active ingredient as Lovenox.

Prevention

Like father, like son: Y-chromosome variant may explain CAD

Feb 8, 2012 18:30 EST

New genetic work has unveiled an association between some lineages of the relatively empty male Y chromosome and coronary artery disease. The hypothesis, while "intriguing," requires more research to confirm, says one expert.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

SWITCH III: Bivalirudin is as safe as heparin after fondaparinux in PCI patients

Feb 7, 2012 12:30 EST

Recent studies have shown that ACS patients on fondaparinux prior to PCI should switch to another anticoagulant prior to the procedure to avoid thrombus. The SWITCH III trial compares bivalirudin and unfractionated heparin in a small group of these patients.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

TRA 2°P: Vorapaxar meets end point but ups bleeding

Feb 7, 2012 12:20 EST

In its second phase 3 trial, Merck's novel antiplatelet agent reduced ischemic events but increased bleeding, including ICH. Results looked more promising in patients without a history of stroke.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

CTO, even in non-infarct-related artery, bodes ill in NSTEMI patients

1 COMMENT - Feb 7, 2012 09:45 EST

Swedish researchers examined SCAAR to determine the prognostic significance of a chronic total occlusion in an artery other than the infarct-related one of non-ST-elevation-MI patients.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

MI-shock proposal is cold comfort: Hypothermia might boost survival

1 COMMENT - Feb 6, 2012 16:00 EST

Some data suggest therapeutic hypothermia might reduce the currently high mortality from cardiogenic shock; let's do the necessary clinical studies to see whether it might be true, urges a published viewpoint.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

"Irrational" choices stall adoption of new antiplatelets

7 COMMENTS - Feb 6, 2012 09:15 EST

Dr David Cohen points out some of physicians' potential "psychological" barriers to more rapid adoption of new antiplatelet agents, even though they may be the best choice for their patients.

Interventional/Surgery

CMS draft of proposed coverage for TAVI

Feb 3, 2012 09:30 EST

The CMS has issued a draft of the conditions under which it will provide coverage for transcatheter aortic-valve replacements, as the technology begins to be rolled out in the US.

Features

The flap over flavonoids

7 COMMENTS - Feb 2, 2012 15:15 EST

The field of flavonoids and polyphenols continues to attract a massive amount of interest, from researchers and the public alike. But can health really be improved by eating chocolate and drinking red wine?

Acute Coronary Syndromes

Heart attack deaths plummet in three EU nations

36 COMMENTS - Jan 26, 2012 12:15 EST

New statistics from Denmark, England, and Poland show a roughly 50% drop in deaths due to acute AMI in recent decades.

Murmurs

Cardiologists flagging woeful patient care say they paid with their jobs

8 COMMENTS - Jan 25, 2012 15:30 EST

An echocardiographer and cardiac surgeon who say their jobs were axed in retaliation after they lodged numerous complaints of substandard patient care at a county hospital in Santa Clara are suing some of their former bosses, including two other cardiologists. The plaintiffs also claim they suffered severe harassment as a result of expressing their concerns. The defendants' attorney says the case "is hotly disputed."

Medscape Medical News

Pay for SGR repeal with war savings, say medical groups

3 COMMENTS - Jan 24, 2012 15:45 EST

A letter to Rep Dave Camp from 110 medical societies admits that war savings from military pullbacks are a "budget gimmick" but says they could retire SGR debt, another budget gimmick.

Thrombosis

PLATO: PPI analysis "raises flag" but should not change practice

7 COMMENTS - Jan 24, 2012 13:00 EST

A new analysis of the PLATO study has found that use of a proton-pump inhibitor was independently associated with a higher rate of cardiovascular events but that this was apparent in both the ticagrelor and clopidogrel arms. The finding is likely due to confounding and should not precipitate any change in advice on this subject, says the lead author.

Imaging

Carotid images don't boost quit rates or cut CV risk factors in smokers

8 COMMENTS - Jan 23, 2012 17:00 EST

A new randomized controlled trial is the latest addition to a contentious field of research trying to establish whether "seeing is believing" when it comes to motivating cardiovascular risk reduction.

Interventional/Surgery

Lower mortality rates at two years with transradial PCI, Italian registry shows

6 COMMENTS - Jan 19, 2012 16:45 EST

In a propensity-score-matching analysis, the mortality rate at two years was 8.8% among patients treated via the radial artery and 11.4% in the femoral-PCI patients, a statistically significance difference. Transradial PCI was also associated with a significantly reduced need for vascular surgery and blood transfusions.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

Pillow talk: First AHA advice on sex and CVD

Jan 19, 2012 16:00 EST

The first-ever guidance on sexual activity and cardiovascular disease from the AHA encourages doctors, patients, and their partners to discuss the subject during consultations. The majority of those with heart disease can safely engage in sex, which is important to quality of life, it concludes.

Interventional/Surgery

FFR shows benefit in FAME II; enrollment halted

12 COMMENTS - Jan 18, 2012 12:00 EST

An interim analysis of the FAME II study shows a significant benefit of fractional-flow-reserve-guided stenting plus optimal medical therapy over and above optimal medical therapy alone; as a result the data safety monitoring board has said no further patients should be randomized to medical therapy alone.

Interventional/Surgery

BRIDGE study published: Cangrelor suited for important antiplatelet niche

7 COMMENTS - Jan 17, 2012 16:00 EST

The intravenous antiplatelet with a very short half-life is the ideal candidate for bridging patients on clopidogrel or other thienopyridines to surgery, the authors say.

News

Resveratrol scientists react to Das fraud scandal: "Research will continue"

4 COMMENTS - Jan 13, 2012 17:20 EST

As the controversy over the research fraud allegations against Dr Dipak Das enters its third day, researchers told heartwire what the news means for the field of resveratrol research and, more pressingly, an upcoming scientific meeting.

Imaging

FDA: CardioGen-82 problems site-specific

Jan 13, 2012 10:15 EST

The generators, used in cardiac nuclear scans, were recalled by the manufacturer last summer, and the FDA previously found fault with manufacturing processes. Now the FDA says the excessive radiation cases appear to have occurred only at specific clinical sites and were unrelated to any manufacturing deficiencies.

Medscape Medical News

Red-wine researcher charged with photo-editing fraud

6 COMMENTS - Jan 13, 2012 09:30 EST

A University of Connecticut investigation found Dr Dipak K Das guilty of falsifying and fabricating images that appeared in published research.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

Serum potassium targets in acute MI need rethink, analysis suggests

7 COMMENTS - Jan 10, 2012 16:00 EST

Recommendations to routinely raise serum potassium levels when ventricular arrhythmias are a concern may be based on outmoded data, according to authors of one of the largest analyses of its kind.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

GWTG improves AMI care in Asian Americans

Jan 10, 2012 16:00 EST

The new data suggest that among participating hospitals in the GWTG program, equitable quality care for many performance measures can be attained across racial and ethnic groups, including Asian Americans, say researchers.

Medscape Medical News

New guidelines suggest blood glucose testing for all inpatients

2 COMMENTS - Jan 10, 2012 09:30 EST

New clinical-practice guidelines from the Endocrine Society say all patients should have a glucose test on admission to the hospital and describe optimal management of hyperglycemia in patients who do not require intensive care.