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The Microvolt t-wave Alternans Testing for risk Stratification of Post-Myocardial Infarction Patients (MASTER) trial tested the hypothesis that microvolt T-wave alternans (MTWA) testing could successfully predict arrhythmia occurrence in patients receiving an ICD for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death.
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Khan et al report a multicenter trial comparing pulmonary vein isolation vs AV junctional ablation with biventricular pacing in patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure.
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Invasive coronary angiography (ICA) is the gold standard for assessment of epicardial coronary artery disease. There is much interest in non-invasive alternatives to ICA to assess coronary arteries in order to eliminate the complications associated with arterial access and catheter manipulation during ICA.
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In order to achieve new aggressive blood pressure goals in hypertensive patients, drug combinations are often used. But which combinations are superior for preventing cardiovascular events?
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5-α reductase inhibitors and hip fracture in men; the effects of drug-reimbursement policy on outcomes; new guidelines for type 2 diabetes; beta-blocker-associated brady-cardia is linked to CVD events; FDA Updates.
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Unfractionated Heparin (UFH) is the standard bridging therapy for patients with mechanical heart valves who need to temporarily stop oral anticoagulants. Small case series have suggested that low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) may be useful for this purpose.
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Coronary artery stenoses involving the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) have caused significant concern for clinicians over the years. If these lesions give rise to a myocardial infarction, this is often termed the "widow maker" because of the large area of myocardium subtended by the LAD and the high mortality associated with proximal LAD occlusion.
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Prasugrel, a novel third-generation oral thienopyridine (following ticlopidine and clopidogrel), has recently been shown to provide clinically important platelet inhibition in acute coronary syndromes (ACS), with decreased ischemic events compared to clopidogrel in the TRITON-TIMI 38 trial of almost 14,000 ACS patients undergoing PCI.