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Computed tomography (CT) imaging has progressed substantially in recent years, and we are now able to non-invasively image coronary artery disease in many patients.
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The echocardiographic assessment of diastolic function of the left ventricle (LV) involves five measurements derived from two-dimensional imaging, pulsed Doppler, Color M-mode, and tissue Doppler. Not only is it complicated, but sometimes the measurements are discordant.
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Thoracic aortic dissection is notoriously difficult to diagnose. Since the presenting symptoms are protean, it is not feasible to image everyone with symptoms that could be due to dissection.
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Several studies have shown lower rates of arterial access site complications when performing cardiac catheterization via the radial artery compared to the femoral artery, but these have largely been retrospective studies or registries.
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RE-LY randomized 18,113 patients to one of its three arms. In the entire study group, dabigatran 110 mg twice per day compared with warfarin was associated with lower risks of major bleeding (2.87% vs 3.57 %), intracranial bleeding (0.23% vs 0.76%), and life-threatening bleeding (1.24% vs 1.85%).
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In this paper, Haines and his coauthors propose a scoring system to predict risks associated with implantable cardioverterdefibrillator (ICD) implant procedures.
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Two new drugs for treatment of hepatitis C; NSAIDs and myocardial infarction risk; AIM-HIGH clinical trial stopped; and FDA actions.
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The authors conclude that even short-term treatment with most NSAIDs was associated with increased risk of death and recurrent MI in patients with prior MI. Neither short- nor long-term treatment with NSAIDs is advised in this population, and any NSAID use should be limited from a cardiovascular safety point of view.
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The Clinical Outcomes Utilizing Revascularization and Aggressive Drug Evaluation (COURAGE) study showed that in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) put on optimal medical therapy (OMT) that randomization to a percutaneous coronary intervention did not improve survival or prevent myocardial infarction.
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