The controversy over the use of genetic testing to guide antiplatelet therapy reminds us of a WWF (Worldwide Wrestling Federation) tag team match.  What we agree upon (the match rules): Clopidogrel is a prodrug activated by several enzymes, including CYP2C19, and common genetic variations alter CYP2C19 activity. Here’s where the wrestling match begins: Are the CYP2C19 genetic…

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French researchers have identified several genetic and clinical factors independently tied to early stent thrombosis. Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Guillaume Cayla and colleagues report on their case-control study comparing 123 patients with definite early stent thrombosis with 246 matched controls without stent thrombosis. The researchers found three genes with variants…

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Circadian patterns have long been known to influence the cardiovascular system, resulting in early morning peaks in blood pressure, heart rate, and certain hormone levels, as well as an increased risk for MI and sudden cardiac death. Now, in a study published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, Karim Mahmoud and colleagues have found that coronary stent…

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African-Americans are nearly three times more likely than other races to develop stent thrombosis after receiving a drug-eluting stent, according to a new study appearing in Circulation. Ron Waksman and colleagues analyzed data from a large, single-center registry of 7,236 patients who received a DES and found that African-American race was the single strongest predictor…

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