Clinical Cardiology Alert – April 1, 2014

April 1, 2014

• Should Catheter Ablation be First-Line Therapy for Patients with Paroxysmal AF?

  Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common and catheter ablation has become widely available.

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• Is Catheter Ablation Superior to Antiarrhythmic Drugs in Treating Premature Ventricular Contractions?

  Frequent premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) may lead to a cardiomyopathy or worsen a pre-existing cardiomyopathy.

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• New Study Advocates for More Provocative Vasospasm Testing During Routine Cardiac Catheterization

  Since the initial description of variant angina by Prinzmetal in the late 1950s and the later confirmation of coronary artery spasm as its cause, clinicians have sought a means of reliably testing for this entity.

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• The Allen’s Test Prior to Transradial Access: A Necessary Precaution or a Waste of Time?

  The transradial approach to cardiac catheterization has been steadily gaining ground over the past several years due to advantages over the femoral approach in terms of bleeding risk, vascular injury, procedural cost, and patient comfort.

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• Value of the Physical Examination in Heart Failure

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• Who Should be Referred for Advanced Heart Failure Care?

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