theheart.org : heartwire

Lipid/Metabolic

FDA approves expanded rosuvastatin label

Feb 8, 2010 20:40 EST

The FDA's decision was announced late Monday.

Prevention

Repeatedly telling patients of their coronary disease risk improves outcomes

Feb 8, 2010 17:00 EST

Providing patients with their global coronary heart disease risk appears to improve the accuracy of their risk perception, and repeating risk information improves outcomes slightly, according to a review of 20 studies.

Heart failure

African Americans have highest risk of peripartum cardiomyopathy

Feb 8, 2010 17:00 EST

African American women have much higher odds of developing peripartum cardiomyopathy than non-African Americans, a new US study shows; the findings illustrate that race is by far the largest risk factor for this disease, say the researchers.

Clinical cardiology

From the heart: Call for better African CV research

Feb 8, 2010 17:00 EST

Two doctors from Mozambique are calling for concerted efforts to foster multidisciplinary research into neglected cardiovascular diseases that predominantly occur in Africa. These include newly emerging cardiac manifestations of infectious diseases, say the authors.

Imaging

Zero means nothing: "Gatekeeper" role of calcium scoring questioned

2 COMMENTS - Feb 8, 2010 17:00 EST

Zero coronary calcification does not exclude obstructive stenosis or the need for revascularization in patients referred for coronary angiography, according to a new substudy of the CORE 64 study.

heartbriefs

Higher risk of AMI in women with gout

Feb 7, 2010 19:01 EST

UPDATED WITH COMMENTARY // A link between gout and AMI has been previously documented in men: now a new cohort study suggests gout may be even more important as a comorbidity in women.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

Changes in diet and exercise can make a big difference within six months of ACS

Feb 5, 2010 15:45 EST

Results of a large international study confirm that adherence to doctor's advice on diet, exercise, and smoking after an acute coronary syndrome can substantially lower the risk of recurrent cardiovascular adverse events within six months.

heartbriefs

Thomas recalls SafeSheath CSG introducers

Feb 5, 2010 10:30 EST

Thomas Medical is recalling certain lots of its SafeSheath CSG lead introducers in response to reports of fragmentation and embolization of the tip.

Arrhythmia/EP

A good report card for laser-assisted pacemaker/ICD lead extraction

Feb 5, 2010 09:30 EST

Non-procedure-related clinical issues, such as diabetes or device-related infection, are a major cause of poor procedural and clinical outcomes; still, the overall success rate is high, and complication rate is very low, suggests a multicenter experience of >1400 cases.

heartbriefs

Statins fail to slow progression of small AAAs

2 COMMENTS - Feb 4, 2010 15:45 EST

The negative results, according to researchers, highlight the need for more research to develop medications targeted specifically at reducing abdominal aortic aneurysm growth.

Clinical cardiology

Religion, spirituality not associated with better cardiovascular health

14 COMMENTS - Feb 4, 2010 15:15 EST

In fact, the researchers showed that greater religiosity was associated with obesity. At the present time, however, it is unknown whether the obese are more likely to seek out religion and spirituality or if these activities lead to obesity.

Arrhythmia/EP

UK cardiologists petition NICE to reverse dronedarone decision

1 COMMENT - Feb 4, 2010 13:15 EST

Doctors and patient groups are petitioning the agency to change its recent draft guidance, which did not recommend the use of the new drug for AF.

Arrhythmia/EP

Stand up and be counted: ECG-based test for long-QT syndrome proposed

1 COMMENT - Feb 3, 2010 17:15 EST

Easily added to any other tests performed, a positive finding suggests the patient is susceptible to potentially fatal ventricular arrhythmias, according to researchers.

Murmurs

Cardiologist may score "big" in Ohio whistleblower case

Feb 3, 2010 15:00 EST

According to news reports, Christ Hospital has now settled with the feds in a lawsuit alleging that cardiologists were allotted time in an outpatient testing unit based on the number of CABG procedures or cath-lab revenues they or their group generated the previous year.

News

Procedure volume is a close proxy for popular hospital quality rankings

1 COMMENT - Feb 3, 2010 14:30 EST

A study comparing cardiovascular outcomes at the "best hospitals," according to two popular hospital ranking systems, shows that the systems do identify high-quality hospitals, but not all of them.

heartbriefs

Asymptomatic Brugada patients may not need ICDs

Feb 3, 2010 13:45 EST

In the largest series of Brugada-syndrome patients studied to date, researchers have discovered that arrhythmic event rates appear to be low for asymptomatic patients. The decision as to whether or not to implant an ICD in such patients therefore requires some consideration, say the authors.

heartbriefs

One in five kids with abnormal lipids

Feb 3, 2010 10:15 EST

Also, nearly one-third of these youths are obese or overweight and based on their BMI are candidates for lipid screening, according to the CDC.

News

Opportunity lost: 400 000 US CHD deaths predicted for 2010, as risk-reduction goals fall short

Feb 2, 2010 16:15 EST

The number of deaths predicted would be half as high, if the US population met goals set out 10 years ago in the Healthy People 2010 report, researchers say. Obesity and diabetes have proved to be the major obstacles.

Hypertension

Déjà vu? Experts debate new data on diuretic/CCB combo and MI risk

5 COMMENTS - Feb 2, 2010 14:00 EST

Low-risk hypertensive patients taking a combination of diuretics and calcium-channel blockers had a higher risk of MI than users of other common two-drug BP-lowering regimens in a new case-control study. The authors say a large clinical trial is needed to examine the best options for second-line therapy; others disagree.

Medscape Medical News

New advisory warns of CV risk with common prostate-cancer treatment

Feb 2, 2010 10:00 EST

Androgen-deprivation therapy is a "mainstay" in prostate-cancer treatment, but a possible link between certain hormone therapies and cardiovascular events has moved the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, and American Urological Association to issue a joint statement.

Imaging

CT more accurate than MRI for ruling out coronary artery disease

2 COMMENTS - Feb 1, 2010 17:00 EST

Results from a new meta-analysis showed that CT has better sensitivity and specificity than MRI, leading researchers to conclude that it is more advantageous for detecting and ruling out clinically relevant coronary stenoses.

Clinical cardiology

Herbal heartache: New review reminds cardiologists to query supplement use

Feb 1, 2010 17:00 EST

More than 15 million people in the US alone take herbal remedies and/or vitamins at doses that may be interacting with their cardiovascular medications, potentially putting them at risk.

Thrombosis

No rebound effect with platelets after stopping clopidogrel

Feb 1, 2010 17:00 EST

Tapering off clopidogrel treatment after the implantation of a drug-eluting stent does not result in lower platelet-aggregation values than those seen after the antiplatelet medication is abruptly stopped.

Interventional/Surgery

POPE published: Avoid NSAIDs for asymptomatic pericardial effusions

1 COMMENT - Feb 1, 2010 17:00 EST

Diclofenac does not reduce pericardial effusions, according to the POPE study. This should signal the end of routine use of NSAIDs in this indication, comments an expert.

Interventional/Surgery

No time like the present: Study supports early mitral-valve repair in asymptomatic patients

7 COMMENTS - Feb 1, 2010 13:45 EST

In a study of 4586 patients with severe degenerative mitral regurgitation, even mild heart-failure symptoms are associated with decline in cardiac function, suggesting that early valve surgery will yield better long-term outcomes than surgery after symptoms become manifest.