Hot Lines, Simultaneous Publications, And The Decline Of Medical Meetings

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…

Click here to continue reading…

American College of Cardiology Announces Late-Breaking Clinical Trials

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…

Click here to continue reading…

Minority Report: Five Guideline Authors Reject Change In Blood Pressure Goal

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…

Click here to continue reading…

Eplerenone May Help Prevent Heart Failure In Acute STEMI Patients

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–…

Click here to continue reading…

ACC And STS Break New Ground To Test TAVR For Unapproved Uses

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…

Click here to continue reading…