Heart failure
MADIT-CRT results: CRT-D reduces mortality and morbidity in NYHA 1 or 2 HF
Jun 23, 2009 16:45 EDT
As announced by Boston Scientific today, so only the most preliminary data are currently available, CRT-D reduced death or heart-failure hospitalizations 29% compared with ICD therapy alone.

Natick, MA - The use of a cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) device that includes defibrillation (CRT-D) reduced the combined end point of all-cause mortality or heart-failure events in patients with mild heart failure when compared with implantable cardioverter defibrillation (ICD) therapy alone [1].

These are the preliminary results of the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial-CRT (MADIT-CRT), announced today by Boston Scientific, the sponsor of the study. The study included 1820 patients with New York Heart Association class 1 or 2 heart failure and was led by Dr Arthur Moss (University of Rochester, New York). Read full article »

Inside: Heart failure
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Clinical cardiology
Progenitor cells identified from human fetal hearts
Jul 1, 2009 13:00 EDT
Human cardiovascular progenitor cells isolated from human fetal hearts can give rise to striated- and smooth-muscle cells as well as endothelial cells, researchers report.
Hypertension
Wolves in sheep's clothing: Don't ignore white-coat and masked 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.
Arrhythmia/EP
More details on arrhythmias associated with sleep apnea
1 COMMENT - Jun 23, 2009 14:45 EDT
A new study has found that increasing severity of sleep apnea is associated with a progressive increase in the risk of nocturnal arrhythmias. In addition, different types of sleep apnea were associated with different kinds of arrhythmias.
Acute Coronary Syndromes
CV mortality and hospitalizations declining in Canada
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%.
Arrhythmia/EP
ESC issues statement on driving restrictions for ICD patients
Jun 22, 2009 16:00 EDT
Hopes are that the recommendations will help European governments standardize such restrictions across Europe.
Heart failure
Framingham analysis: Look beyond LVEF in heart-failure management
Jun 19, 2009 17:30 EDT
Is it limiting to categorize heart failure simply in terms of low or preserved LVEF? An analysis points to a constellation of features apparent at the time of heart-failure onset that suggest a likelihood of preserved-LVEF heart failure and that may be etiologic and potentially modifiable.
Hypertension
New low-cost, solar-powered BP device for developing countries
Jun 18, 2009 15:15 EDT
A new, low-cost, solar-powered blood-pressure-monitoring device has been shown to be accurate and easy to use and was well accepted by healthcare professionals and patients in a field trial in Africa. This could be a "critical tool" in tackling the global problem of hypertension, said one expert.
Heart failure
Early natriuretic-peptide level changes seen to predict late acute-HF outcomes
Jun 18, 2009 14:15 EDT
A drop in BNP over the first few hospitalization days independently predicted survival gains over six months in a post hoc analysis from a randomized trial. Researchers say it's time for a prospective trial in acute decompensated heart failure testing the value of treatment aimed specifically at pushing down natriuretic-peptide levels.
Heart failure
NT-proBNP proposed for LVD screening in patients at high risk for heart failure
Jun 17, 2009 13:00 EDT
The natriuretic peptide had a very high negative predictive value for identifying LV dysfunction in asymptomatic diabetics and hypertensives in an observational study.
Heart failure
Exercise training boosts benefits of cardiac resynchronization therapy
Jun 16, 2009 17:45 EDT
The addition of an exercise program yielded improved functional and hemodynamic changes on top of those already observed with biventricular pacing, prompting investigators to suggest it is reasonable to provide exercise training to all patients after CRT.
Hypertension
Darusentan data encouraging but "very, very early"
Jun 16, 2009 14:30 EDT
A phase 3 study with darusentan in patients with resistant hypertension was encouraging, but the data are still "very, very early," said the researcher who presented the late-breaking trial at the European Hypertension meeting this weekend.
Educational partnerships
Heart failure
What Happened at AHA 2008? Mayo Clinic Perspective
Nov 26, 2008 13:20 EST
In our first program Drs Gibbons, Holmes, and Simari discuss cell therapy and the latest trials in intervention. Our second program features Drs Gibbons, Ackerman, and Redfield discuss personalized genomics and heart failure.
Heart failure
National Heart Failure Training for Improved Patient Care N-HeFT
Aug 22, 2008 09:25 EDT
Heart failure is one of the most important cardiovascular public health burdens in contemporary medicine. Join Ileana L Piņa, MD in a discussion of the National Heart Failure Training Programs (N-HeFT) strategies for the identification of treatment gaps and improving care in heart failure.
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Editorial Programs
Editorial series
ACC 2009: Update on heart failure
May 12, 2009 15:15 EDT
Drs Melissa Walton-Shirley and Clyde Yancy review the latest data on heart failure from ACC 2009, including STICH, Pre-RELAX-AHF, PRIMA, and more.
The Cardiology Show
ACC 2009: From the eye of the storm in Orlando
Apr 2, 2009 15:35 EDT
Join Drs Valentin Fuster, Anne Curtis, Timothy Gardner, Barry Greenberg, Cindy Grines, Bob Harrington, Sanjay Kaul, Harlan Krumholz, and Salim Yusuf as they unravel the STICH trial and debate the lessons learned from PROTECT-AF in Part 1 of the Cardiology Show. In Part 2 of the program, the JUPITER trial is back on the table and our experts give their opinion on the polypill following the results of the TIPS study.
Editorial series
Beyond Natriuretic Peptides: ST2 in Heart Failure
Mar 9, 2009 08:00 EDT
What role is there for new biomarkers in the biological management of heart failure? Join Dr James Januzzi as he discusses the role of ST2 in this rapidly expanding field and how ST2 can help to improve the care of patients with heart failure.
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Previews
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Info from Industry
Poll
How important a consideration is patient age alone in deciding whether to recommend implantation of a primary-prevention defibrillator to a 90-year-old man with heart failure and an LVEF of 35% but no significant comorbidities?
See: More questions about primary-prevention ICD benefit in the very old with comorbidities
Very important
Moderately important
Not very important

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