A generic version of clopidogrel is expected to be available soon in Germany and then other European countries, according to an announcement from Swiss pharmaceutical company Schweizerhall. Heartwire
Guidelines have been issued regarding proper anticoagulant and antiplatelet treatment of patients who undergo endoscopic procedures. Medscape Medical News
Drs. Thomas Giles, Suzanne Oparil, and Henry Black announce a new educational alliance with the American Society of Hypertension to improve prevention, detection, and management of hypertension. American Society of Hypertension
ACC.08: Treating very old patients with hypertension, initiating therapy with fixed-dose combinations, and regressing LV hypertrophy -- all good targets for antihypertensive therapy. Or are they? Medscape Cardiology
Daniel Levy, MD, discusses findings from the Avoiding Cardiovascular Events in Combination Therapy in Patients Living with Systolic Hypertension (ACCOMPLISH) trial, as presented at the ACC 2008. American Society of Hypertension
Results from the trial--halted last year due to safety concerns--clearly point to increased deaths in high-risk CABG patients randomized to aprotinin instead of a lysine-analog antifibrinolytic. Heartwire
Can patients with liver cirrhosis who already have a prolonged INR receive warfarin therapy if needed for other indications? If so, how do we assess anticoagulant activity? Medscape Pharmacists
Proponents say intravascular ultrasound can reduce stent underexpansion and improve placement--things that should translate into less stent thrombosis/restenosis. But in the absence of large randomized clinical trials, others argue the technology is too expensive, prolongs procedures, and requires too much expertise to use on a routine basis. Heartwire
