Heart failure
CORONA analysis reopens door for statins in heart failure
Nov 3, 2009 10:45 EST
Statins for heart failure? After they failed to show much effect in two large randomized trials? Yes—maybe; at least in patients with ischemic heart failure who start the drugs early enough, suggests a post hoc analysis based on one of the trials.

Washington, DC - In a post hoc analysis of the first major trial to have found no statin protective effect overall in patients with chronic heart failure, the efficacy of rosuvastatin (Crestor, AstraZeneca) was inversely related to levels of amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), such that the drug apparently did cut the risk of cardiovascular events in those with less severe disease as gauged by the biomarker [1]. Read full article »

Inside: Heart failure
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Heart failure
Benefits of targeted lead placement with CRT devices supported by long-term mortality data
Oct 29, 2009 15:00 EDT
An additional year of data from the INCREMENTAL study showed that echo-targeted LV lead positioning increased the likelihood of a response to device therapy by about 40% over standard lead placement. But does that difference translate into better long-term outcomes for the patient?
Interventional/Surgery
Underutilization of ICDs in CABG patients is worst in women and elderly, Halifax study shows
1 COMMENT - Oct 28, 2009 16:45 EDT
Only 101 of 1169 post-bypass-surgery patients eligible for an ICD got one over a 13-year period in Nova Scotia.
Arrhythmia/EP
NT-proBNP "remarkable predictor" of incident atrial fibrillation
1 COMMENT - Oct 23, 2009 16:30 EDT
The fact that elevated baseline NT-proBNP levels predict a diagnosis of AF even 16 years later suggests that peptide elevations precede the onset of arrhythmia, according to the researchers.
Prevention
HCM transmitted by sperm donation: A case report
Oct 22, 2009 15:45 EDT
The donor, who was later shown to be affected by a novel beta-myosin heavy-chain mutation that causes HCM, is responsible for at least nine children known to be genetically affected with HCM.
Clinical cardiology
Cardiovascular disease increases risk of hip fracture
Oct 20, 2009 16:00 EDT
Swedish researchers have confirmed a link between stroke and subsequent hip fracture in older people and identified for the first time that a diagnosis of heart failure also increases the risk for this fracture. They also identify a large genetic component to this association, via their use of a twin registry.
Heart failure
Just one-third of heart-failure patients receive aldosterone antagonists
7 COMMENTS - Oct 20, 2009 16:00 EDT
Just one-third of hospitalized HF patients who meet the criteria for an aldosterone antagonist receive the drugs upon discharge. On the plus side, few patients with contraindications are prescribed the medication.
Heart failure
Transfusion in acute HF: No extra mortality risk
Oct 19, 2009 11:00 EDT
Blood transfusions for anemia in acute decompensated heart failure don't exacerbate outcomes, as may happen in some ACS cases, suggests a one-year experience of hospitals in Israel. On the contrary . . . 
Heart failure
No link seen between heart failure and coffee intake
Oct 16, 2009 10:15 EDT
With few studies in the literature specifically looking at the issue, a prospective, population-based study in Sweden has found no significant rise or fall in risk of heart-failure hospitalization or death at increasing levels of coffee intake.
Acute Coronary Syndromes
Racial background woefully underreported in CV trials
1 COMMENT - Oct 15, 2009 13:15 EDT
Two-thirds of the 156 trials considered by the AHA in preparing a recent guideline failed to even record the ethnic backgrounds of participants, a new study has found. The researchers call for the reporting of race/ethnicity to be mandatory in all clinical trials, and they suggest medical journals should enforce this policy.
Heart failure
A fish tale with merit: Omega-3 PUFAs underrated for heart failure
18 COMMENTS - Oct 14, 2009 12:30 EDT
Are the data not shouting loud enough, or is cardiology hard of herring? Omega-3 fatty acids may have only a modest treatment effect in heart failure, but they've performed swimmingly in randomized and observational studies considering how few new HF drugs have been reeled in lately.
Heart failure
Hospital efficiency gauged by resource use vs outcomes
Oct 13, 2009 16:00 EDT
An analysis of Medicare data from heart-failure patients at six California hospitals challenges the notion advanced by some studies that hospital efficiency can be measured by looking back at resource use on behalf of patients who ultimately died.
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Editorial Programs
Editorial series
Clinical research: Comparing regulatory pathways in US and UK
Oct 30, 2009 12:35 EDT
How do regulatory pathways differ in the US and UK? Drs Harrington, Bhatt, and Cleland share their experiences and offer insight on how to support innovative research.
Editorial series
Afib treatment: The five-year plan
Oct 23, 2009 10:40 EDT
Dr Melissa Walton-Shirley talks to Dr Nassir Marrouche about the results of RE-LY, the impact of dronedarone on the treatment of atrial fibrillation, and his hopes for the future of MRI-guided ablation.
Editorial series
All about ARBs: From Kyoto to Barcelona
Oct 16, 2009 10:00 EDT
Join heartwire's Lisa Nainggolan as she talks to Drs Franz Messerli and Melissa Walton-Shirley about the results of the KYOTO HEART Study, what they mean for North American and European populations, and the future role of angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs).
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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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