The HCPLive Cardiology condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for heart disease and cardiovascular events, as well as associated diabetes, renal failure, and more...
May 2nd 2024
The April 2024 cardiology month in review spotlights FDA news and top updates from the American College of Cardiology 2024 Scientific Session.
Medical Crossfire®: Updates in Continuous Glucose Monitoring—Having the Important Conversations With Your Patients
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Evaluating the Recent Advancements in Chronic Kidney Disease Treatment: A Case-Based Approach to Managing CKD and Related Comorbidities
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Elevating Care for PAH: Applying Recommended Management Approaches to Maximize Outcomes
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7th Annual New York Cardio-Endo-Renal Collaborative (NY CERC)
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‘REEL’ Time Patient Counseling™: Navigating the Complex Journey of Diagnosing and Managing Fabry Disease
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Expert Illustrations & Commentaries™: Envisioning Novel Therapeutic Approaches to Managing ANCA-associated Vasculitis
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Renal dysfunction in older age groups and mortality after acute myocardial infarction
September 17th 2008Only one third of patients admitted to the hospital with acute myocardial infarction have normal renal function, and 17% have severe renal impairment. Decreased renal function is associated with the presence of comorbid conditions, underuse of effective treatments, and higher mortality. Renal function parameters should not only be included in scoring systems to assess risk levels, but patients with abnormal renal function should benefit from careful application of guidelines-recommended treatments for acute and long-term care.
Renal dysfunction in older age groups and mortality after acute myocardial infarction
September 17th 2008Multiple observational and randomized trials support the finding that renal insufficiency has a significant, independent, graded effect on the risk of cardiovascular events and cardiovascular mortality.
Congestive heart failure in the elderly
September 17th 2008Studies have shown that elderly patients with heart failure are undertreated with evidence-based therapy, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and beta-blockers, although these therapeutic options appear to be effective in this age group. The risk of some side effects may be increased in elderly patients, and physicians should be aware of those when prescribing therapy. Cardiac resynchronization therapy is predicted to play a major role in future heart failure treatment, including in the elderly population.
Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy as a gatekeeper for invasive procedures
September 17th 2008We evaluated the potential benefit of using myocardial perfusion scintigraphy as a gatekeeping technique prior to performing coronary angiography and revascularization procedures in patients with stable angina pectoris. Results showed that about half of all catheterizations and almost one fifth of coronary revascularizations could be avoided, assuming that only patients with reversible (stress-induced) myocardial ischemia and a minority of patients with "fixed" perfusion defects (present both at rest and during stress) would benefit from coronary revascularization.
Impact of myocardial perfusion scintigraphy in general cardiology practice
September 17th 2008The study by Høilund-Carlsen and Johansen evaluates the benefits of using myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) in a new way—as a gatekeeping technique for further invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures among patients with stable angina pectoris.
Lipoprotein particle numbers: A better index of coronary events than lipoprotein cholesterol?
September 17th 2008In a case-control substudy of the Veterans Affairs High-Density Lipoprotein Intervention Trial, therapy with gemfibrozil was shown to reduce the total number of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles, especially small, more oxidizable LDL particles, which was associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) events. Gemfibrozil also increased small-sized high-density lipoprotein particle numbers, which also correlated with a decrease in CHD events. Notably, these changes in particle numbers were not associated with significant changes in lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, which current guidelines have made the principal target of lipid therapy.
What to measure? Everything is not always better
Conventional measurements of cardiac lipoprotein risk include cholesterol, triglyceride, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is estimated from these measurements.
Inflammation, heart failure, and mortality in survivors of acute myocardial infarction
September 17th 2008We prospectively studied the relationship between C-reactive protein, obtained within 12 to 24 hours of symptom onset, and long-term risk of death and heart failure in survivors of acute myocardial infarction. The risk of death and heart failure increased progressively with increasing quartiles of C-reactive protein. We found a graded positive relationship between C-reactive protein levels and post-discharge mortality and heart failure.
Early statin treatment after acute myocardial infarction
September 17th 2008To evaluate whether the early use of statins would reduce cardiovascular events, we conducted a prospective, randomized trial that included 486 patients with acute myocardial infarction and normal total cholesterol levels, of whom 241 patients received statin therapy. The statin group had a lower risk of congestive heart failure and symptomatic myocardial ischemia, which indicates that early treatment with statins reduces recurrent cardiovascular events.
Benefits of early statin treatment in patients with acute myocardial infarction
Numerous clinical trials have shown that HMG CoA reductase inhibitor (statin) therapy reduces the risk of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease.
Aspirin plus warfarin therapy: Better alternatives available
The study by Andreotti and Testa from Rome, Italy, was a retrospective lit erature review and meta-analysis of treatment with aspirin and warfarin (Coumadin) in survivors of acute coronary syndromes.
Maintaining sinus rhythm after cardioversion of atrial fibrillation
September 17th 2008We performed a meta-analysis of the effect of long-term treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs for the prevention of recurrent atrial fibrillation after conversion to sinus rhythm. We found that several class IA, IC, and III drugs are effective in maintaining sinus rhythm, but virtually all of them increase adverse effects, including proarrhythmia. In addition, class IA drugs are associated with increased mortality. The final risk-benefit ratio of antiarrhythmic drugs on clinically relevant outcomes is still unclear.