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Lancet: Bad news for HDL’s rep as the ‘good cholesterol’

Wednesday, May 16
Cholesterol (green) on a cell membrane - 69.62 Kb
Source: National Institutes of Health
Being genetically predisposed to higher concentrations of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol provides no protective benefits against MI, according to a study published online May 17 in Lancet. The results put in question whether drugs designed to raise HDL levels will succeed in reducing the risk of heart attacks.
 

Radiology: Contrast-enhanced US could cut EVAR follow-up risks

Tuesday, May 15
Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) stents with bilateral iliac arteries - 86.91 Kb
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound may complement CT angiography surveillance of patients following endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (EVAR) and help curb the risk of kidney toxicity, according to a study published online May 15 in Radiology.
 

HRS: Off-guideline ICD use for primary prevention may not cause harm

Monday, May 14
road, split, pathway, two minds - 157.97 Kb
BOSTON—Despite recent studies that question the "inappropriate use" of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) in primary prevention, the large OMNI registry, presented May 11 at the 33rd annual scientific sessions of the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), found that patients who received ICD implants in a non-evidence based manner experienced similar therapeutic benefit and outcomes to those who received evidence-based treatments.
 

HRS: Watchman still strong for stroke prevention, even without warfarin

Sunday, May 13
Patient Distress - 30.11 Kb
BOSTON—Implantation of the Watchman device (Boston Scientific) without a warfarin transition is safe and effective in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with contraindications to even short-term oral anticoagulation, according to an analysis of the ASA Plavix registry, presented May 11 as a late-breaking clinical trial at the 33rd annual scientific sessions of the Heart Rhythm Society.
 

Study: Accountability at a glance—new tool may cut unnecessary CT exams in ED

Friday, May 11
EMERGENCY - 53.69 Kb
Emergency physicians at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania reduced abdominal CT scans approximately 10 percent after implementing an electronic accountability tool in the EMR and computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems, according to a study presented May 11 at the annual meeting of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.
 

HRS: LAA closure may be good alternative for high-risk AF patients

Friday, May 11
atrial fibrillation - 31.51 Kb

BOSTON—Closing the left atrial appendage (LAA) in high-risk atrial fibrillation patients who have an intolerance to warfarin proved safe and effective in a single-center observational trial presented at a late-breaking clinical session May 11 at the 33rd annual scientific sessions of the Heart Rhythm Society.
 

HRS: Apixaban may be new ARISTOTLE for AF, no matter what type

Friday, May 11
Pills - 30.90 Kb
BOSTON—Results from the ARISTOTLE study showed that apixaban may give warfarin a run for its money, particularly for atrial fibrillation (AF); however, does the drug’s benefits differ between the varying types of AF? A secondary analysis of the ARISTOTLE trial, presented May 11 at a late-breaking clinical trial session at the 33rd annual scientific sessions of the Heart Rhythm Society, showed apixaban to take the cake in all subsets of AF patients when compared with warfarin.
 

HRS: Atrial overdrive pacing fails to ASSERT itself in AF prevention

Friday, May 11
electrophysiology - 73.02 Kb
BOSTON—Dynamic Atrial Overdrive (DAO) does not prevent new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF), is often not well tolerated and increases the risk of premature battery depletion, based on the results of ASSERT, a late-breaking clinical trial presented May 11 at the 33rd annual scientific sessions of the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS). Therefore, the study authors recommended that implantable devices no longer get developed with this software.
 

SCAI: Iliac stents gain MOBILITY in treatment of PAD

Friday, May 11
horizon, path, highway, road - 238.01 Kb
LAS VEGAS—When treating a real-world sample of patients for intermittent claudication or critical limb ischemia, two off-label iliac artery stents showed a statistically significant performance goal for low major adverse event rates, according to the late breaking MOBILITY trial results presented May 10 at the 35th annual meeting of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI). During the press conference, experts suggested that this study may further reinforce the role of percutaneous treatments over the more invasive surgical option for these sick patients.
 

SCAI: Robotic-assisted PCI is safe for patients, safer for operators

Thursday, May 10
robotics, PCI, - 23.92 Kb
LAS VEGAS—A robotic remote-control coronary intervention system demonstrated technical and clinical effectiveness comparable to manual operation, but the operator exposure to radiation was significantly lower, based on PRECISE, a late breaking clinical trial presented May 10 at the 35th annual meeting of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI).
 

FDA: Controversial stenting treatment for MS may endanger patients

Thursday, May 10
warning, stop, caution - 46.01 Kb
The FDA issued an alert May 10, warning healthcare professionals and patients about injuries and death associated with the use of balloon angioplasty or stenting, an experimental treatment for treating chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI).
 

HRS: Study shows Riata leads worse off in terms of survival

Thursday, May 10
ICD - 16.52 Kb
BOSTON—Adding to the hoopla surrounding Riata research, a late-breaking study presented May 10 at the 33rd annual scientific sessions of the Heart Rhythm Society showed that survival for Riata (St. Jude Medical), but not Riata ST leads, was significantly lower than that of the Quattro Secure leads (Medtronic). However, the authors noted that this could be due to the fact that Riata ST leads had a shorter follow-up period.
 

HRS: More data lean in favor of S-ICD system

Thursday, May 10
Subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator - 87.86 Kb
Source: New England Journal of Medicine
BOSTON—Adding to the recent positive data from the FDA regarding Cameron Health’s subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) system, a study presented May 10 at the late-breaking clinical trial section at the 33rd annual scientific sessions of the Heart Rhythm Society found the device to be safe and effective.
 

HRS: Women respond better to CRT, but we still don't know why

Wednesday, May 09
Battle of the Sexes - 77.33 Kb
BOSTON—While previous trials have shown that women see greater benefits from cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) compared with men, better efforts are needed to explain why, said Aysha Arshad, MD, of the Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, N.J., and New York City, during a presentation May 9 at the 33rd annual scientific sessions of the Heart Rhythm Society. Additionally, she said that women are underrepresented in trial enrollments, which should be rectified.
 

SCAI: Best bailout strategy for radial failures? Switch sides

Wednesday, May 09
transradial, wrist - 63.17 Kb
LAS VEGAS—While higher failure rates with transradial PCI are clearly aligned with lower operator volumes, Christopher T. Pyne, MD, of the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass., suggested that switching sides of the transradial is a better bailout strategy than “going femoral,” during a May 9 presentation at the 35th annual meeting of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI).
 

FDA recommends imaging vendors demonstrate pediatric safety

Wednesday, May 09
FDA logo - 10.14 Kb
The FDA has issued a draft guidance outlining its current thinking regarding information that should be included in premarket notifications for x-ray imaging devices with indications for use in pediatric populations.
 

AIM: False STEMI activations lead to costs, inappropriate cath lab use

Tuesday, May 08
cath lab activation, OR - 124.30 Kb
While STEMI patients benefit from reperfusion therapy with PCI, a two-center study published May 7 in the Archives of Internal Medicine found than one-third of patients referred for primary PCI from the emergency department did not have a STEMI and 36 percent were deemed to be false-positive activations. An accompanying editorial questioned the impact of these false-positive activations and concluded that they lead to high costs and increased risk.
 

Five societies blast CMS with meaningful use opinions

Tuesday, May 08
Helping Hands - 74.91 Kb
It’s no surprise that when a proposed rule on meaningful use is revealed, a litany of organizations want their voices heard. May 7 was the last day to submit comments to the Stage 2 meaningful use proposed rule to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and five organizations have joined the din of democratic speech on the legislation.
 

Stroke: Primary stroke centers are cost effective in most scenarios

Monday, May 07
Brain on scale - 65.27 Kb
Treating patients with acute ischemic stroke at a primary stroke center (PSC) compared with a non-PSC setting is cost effective, researchers reported in a study published online April 25 in Stroke. Based on their analyses, increasing the number of patients annually admitted to a PSC improved cost effectiveness.
 

AATS: Study questions insulin protocols for CABG patients

Friday, May 04
Helping Hands - 54.60 Kb
Cardiothoracic surgeons and endocrinologists from Boston Medical Center have found that among patients undergoing CABG surgery, achieving Surgical Care Improvement Project benchmarks for glycemic control may be irrelevant when perioperative continuous insulin infusion protocols are implemented. These findings were presented May 1 at the annual meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) in San Francisco.