As Duval points out, the cardiologists needed training in the advanced functionalities such as echo strain analysis and the 3D analysis embedded in the application. They needed image viewing to be closely integrated with the Epic EMR Continue reading →

PHILADELPHIA Once again, the antidiabetic drug dapagliflozin (Farxiga, AstraZeneca) showed that the term "antidiabetic drug" doesn't really capture all that it might offer. In the randomized DEFINE-HF trial of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), either with or without type 2 diabetes, those who took dapagliflozin along with their standard heart failure meds rapidly showed fewer symptoms and improved quality of life Continue reading →

Novo Nordisk officials believe the new therapy will fufill an unmet need for patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity who need a GLP-1 receptor agonist but do not wish to use an injectable drug. The filings are based on thePIONEER clinical trial programfor oral semaglutide, which included a cardiovascular outcomes trial Continue reading →

Cardiologists of all stripes must have fair and equal access not only to pay but also to opportunity, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) asserts in a newly released document that sets standards for compensation and professional growth. Both are critical to the health and future of the cardiovascular workforce, the document stresses. Continue reading →

Friends, family, and non-physician health workers (NPHWs) can make a dramatic difference in reducing the risk factors for heart problems in patients with hypertension, according to a new international study. People with new or poorly controlled hypertension given an integrated and comprehensive intervention by non-physician health workers along with personal supporters over a yearhad a reduction in cardiovascular risk of more than 40% compared to usual care, according to the study. There was a doubling in blood pressure control, with reductions in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and improvements in medication adherence, physical activity, and diet, says lead author Jon-David Schwalm, MD, of the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences. Continue reading →

Most instances of major bleeding among patients with CAD or PAD who take rivaroxaban plus aspirin occur within the first year of treatment, according to a new analysis from the COMPASS randomized trial. On top of that, the advantage of combination therapy over aspirin alone in preventing CV events does not taper off during year two. John W Continue reading →

Conjugated bilirubin , a liver function biomarker, proved to be a relatively powerful indicator of in-hospital and long-term adverse prognosis of infective endocarditis (IE), according to study results published in the European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases. To investigate the potential link between conjugated bilirubin and adverse prognosis in patients with IE, 1010 patients with IE were enrolled between January 2009 and July 2015. Researchers divided patients into 2 groups according to their conjugated bilirubin level at admission: normal (7; n=820) and elevated (> 7; n=190) Continue reading →

New Jersey-based RWJBarnabas Health and St. Lukes University Health Network, based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, signed a three-year clinical affiliation agreement primarilyto expand access to care for patients in northern New Jersey Continue reading →