Clinical Cardiology Alert – November 1, 2020
November 1, 2020
View Issues
-
Which Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients Need a Blood Transfusion?
A randomized trial of a restrictive blood transfusion strategy vs. a more liberal strategy in patients with acute myocardial infarction and anemia showed the restrictive strategy is noninferior to the liberal strategy for preventing the primary outcome of death, reinfarction, stroke, or emergency revascularization.
-
Ticagrelor in the Elderly: More Potent Platelet Inhibition Not Always Better
In a study of 14,000 elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction, treatment with ticagrelor was associated with higher risks of bleeding and all-cause death vs. clopidogrel.
-
When Is TAVR Futile?
A study of all patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement over eight years in France was used to develop a futility score that would help predict who would not live one year after the procedure. This simple clinical score based on comorbidities predicted who would live one year with 95% specificity.
-
TAVR Outcomes in Patients on Chronic Corticosteroid Therapy
A 12-year experience with transcatheter aortic valve replacement at one Paris hospital demonstrated chronic systemic corticosteroid use increases the incidence of major 30-day complications and all-cause mortality at one year.
-
U.S. Readmission Rates for TAVR
An analysis of the Nationwide Readmission Database revealed one-fifth of transcatheter aortic valve replacement patients are readmitted a median of 31 days after discharge. Medical comorbidities are the most common reason.