A new meta-analysis criticizes earlier work warning that the smoking-cessation drug varenicline (Chantix) poses increased cardiovascular risks. The analysis appears in BMJ. It was performed by researchers with no current ties to the drug maker, but one of whom had received a Pfizer investigator-initiated research award. The new analysis examined the risk of treatment-emergent serious…

This content is exclusive to CardioExchange. To continue reading, please log in or request an invitation.

Boehringer Ingelheim failed to fully disclose data suggesting that one of its drugs, pramipexole,  a dopamine agonist sold under the brand name of Mirapex, is associated with a significantly increased risk of heart failure, according to a recent news report. The drug, which was originally developed for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, is now also used to treat…

This content is exclusive to CardioExchange. To continue reading, please log in or request an invitation.

John Ryan interviews Elizabeth Bradley about the hospital management strategies that can reduce 30-day risk-standardized mortality rates for acute myocardial infarction.

This week, Richard looks at endocarditis and ICDs, more stent wars, stroke prevention in A-Fib, and more.

McMaster University’s Salim Yusuf has tied for second place in the annual ranking of the “hottest” scientific researchers, according to Thomson Reuter’s Science Watch. Yusuf was a co-author of 13 of the most cited papers in 2011. Only one other researcher, genomic pioneer Eric Lander of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, had more highly-cited papers than Yusuf. Two…

This content is exclusive to CardioExchange. To continue reading, please log in or request an invitation.

This week, Richard discusses JAMA’s coverage of patient-centered care and all things CABG in NEJM.

A CardioExchange member shares 10 tips for avoiding a lousy practice position – and finding a great one – after fellowship.

The FDA has issued new warnings about antihypertensive drugs containing the direct renin inhibitor aliskiren (including Tekturna, Amturnide, Takamio, and Valturna) when used in combination with ACE inhibitors or angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs). The FDA now states that these drug combinations are contraindicated in patients with diabetes, and it is adding a new warning to avoid…

This content is exclusive to CardioExchange. To continue reading, please log in or request an invitation.

This week’s topics include an “awful question” about statin therapy, coronary computed tomographic angiography in the ED, vorapraxar for secondary prevention, and stent wars.

In a systematic review published in the Cochrane Library, investigators at the University of Cologne in Germany analyzed data from 11 trials that tested the effects of preoperative statins in 984 patients undergoing heart surgery. Preoperative administration of statins reduced the risk for developing atrial fibrillation (AF) and shortened the length of stay in the ICU and in…

This content is exclusive to CardioExchange. To continue reading, please log in or request an invitation.