Despite the increasing complexity of cases, the risk of stroke after CABG may be declining, according to a new study published in JAMA. Khaldoun Tarakji and colleagues prospectively studied more than 45,000 patients who underwent CABG at the Cleveland Clinic from 1982 through 2009. The overall stroke rate was 1.6%. The stroke rate was highest…

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Chronic lower respiratory disease (CLRD) has replaced stroke as the third leading cause of death in the United States, according to preliminary 2008 statistics published by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. In 2008, there were 133,750 deaths from stroke compared to 141,075 deaths from CLRD. Although the stroke rate has been declining for…

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Here’s the good news, according to Larry Goldstein, the chairman of the statement writing committee for the revised American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Guidelines for the Primary Prevention of Stroke: “Between 1999 and 2006, there’s been over a 30 percent reduction in stroke death rates in the United States and we think the majority of…

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In a meta-analysis appearing in BMJ, vitamin E supplements had no effect on the overall rate of stroke but were associated with a small reduction in the risk of ischemic stroke and a slightly larger increase in the risk of hemorrhagic stroke. Markus Schürks and colleagues analyzed data from 9 trials including 118,765 subjects. Although…

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The AVERROES (Apixaban Versus Acetylsalicylic Acid (ASA) to Prevent Strokes) trial randomized 5600 AF patients who were unable to take warfarin to receive either aspirin or apixaban, a factor Xa inhibitor. (Another trial still underway, ARISTOTLE, is a direct comparison of warfarin and apixaban in AF.) AVERROES was stopped early after the Data Monitoring Committee…

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The VITATOPS (The VITAmins TO Prevent Stroke) Trial randomized 8164 patients with recent stroke or TIA to either placebo or B vitamins. After a median followup of 3.4 years, the primary endpoint — the combined incidence of stroke, MI, or vascular death — occurred in 616 patients in the B vitamin group and 678 in the placebo…

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