Back in the Dark Ages when I covered big medical conferences (like the European Society of Cardiology meeting now getting underway in London) it was necessary to attend the sessions, roam the halls, and talk to doctors. There were no late-breaking or hot line sessions and there were certainly no simultaneous publications in journals. (If memory…
Hot Lines, Simultaneous Publications, And The Decline Of Medical Meetings
August 29, 2015 by Leave a Comment
American College of Cardiology Announces Late-Breaking Clinical Trials
January 31, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The American College of Cardiology announced the lineup of late-breaking clinical trials for its upcoming annual meeting in Washington, DC. The opening session will include the most eagerly anticipated trials– the main results of Symplicity HTN-3 and the comparison of Corevalve and surgery in high risk patients. Subsequent sessions will include several phase 3 trials…
Minority Report: Five Guideline Authors Reject Change In Blood Pressure Goal
January 13, 2014 by Leave a Comment
It didn’t seem possible but the guideline situation just got even more confusing. Last December, after years of delay and other twists and turns, the Eighth Joint National Committee (JNC 8) hypertension guideline was published in JAMA. The previous guideline recommended that all adults have a target systolic blood pressure below 140 mm Hg. In the new guideline, the target…
Eplerenone May Help Prevent Heart Failure In Acute STEMI Patients
March 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment
A new trial presented at the ACC in San Francisco suggests that the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist eplerenone Pfizer, Inspra) may help prevent the development of heart failure when given acutely in STEMI patients without preexisting heart failure. In the REMINDER trial 1,012 STEMI patients were randomized to eplerenone or placebo. After 10.5 months of followup, the primary endpoint–…
ACC And STS Break New Ground To Test TAVR For Unapproved Uses
February 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment
In a startling break with tradition, the American College of Cardiology and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons will manage and run their own clinical trials testing expanded uses for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The two medical groups have recently been granted an investigational device exemption (IDE) by the FDA for one such trial and…
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