Clinical Cardiology Alert 2012-06-01

Cardiac Device-Related Infective Endocarditis

This study reports data from the International Collaboration on Endocarditis-Prospective Cohort Study (ICE-PCS) on the clinical characteristics of infective endocarditis related to pacemakers and ICDs.

PCI in Addition to Medical Therapy for Stable CAD — The Debate Continues

Medical therapy is the mainstay of treatment for coronary artery disease (CAD), resulting in improved clinical outcomes. Revascularization with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), in addition to medical therapy, improves symptoms in patients with stable CAD.

Perioperative Risk in Patients with Coronary Stents

It is well known that the risk of perioperative major adverse cardiac events (MACE) is high in patients with coronary stents, especially early after stent implantation.

Oral Anticoagulants During Pregnancy

Newer bileaflet mechanical heart valves require lower doses of oral anticoagulants to avoid valve thrombosis and embolism genesis. However, little is known about the safety of low-dose regimens in pregnant women who have a hypercoagulable state, yet warfarin embryopathy is known to be dose related.

Riata ICD Lead Failures

The Riata and Riata ST ICD leads manufactured by St. Jude Medical have recently come under increased scrutiny because of the observation that the conductor cables could extrude from the outer insulation.

New Cardiomyopathy

Concentric left ventricular hypertrophy (CLVH) is occasionally unexplained. Thus, these investigators from Beijing, China, sought evidence for Danon disease, a glycogen storage disease, in patients being evaluated for cLVH who underwent endomyocardial biopsy.

Clinical Briefs in Primary Care Supplement

Pharmacology Watch

Drug shortages; metformin and cancer prevention; migraine prevention guidelines; and FDA actions.

Clinical Cardiology Alert – June 1, 2012

June 1, 2012