Evacetrapib Raises HDL and Lowers LDL — but Then What?

The cholesterol ester transfer protein inhibitor evacetrapib had very favorable lipid effects, but the trial was small and lasted only 12 weeks.

Compared with other smoking-cessation treatments, the risk for suicidal behavior or depression was markedly increased with varenicline.

Even with Anticoagulation Therapy, Higher CHADS2 Scores Predict Worse Outcomes

In a RE-LY substudy, the correlation was present and similar in all treatment arms.

Genotype Testing for Clopidogrel Responsiveness May Not Predict Events

A meta-analysis finds no association between CYP2C19 genotype and cardiovascular outcomes in clopidogrel recipients, but concerns about stent thrombosis linger.

Revised Guidelines: Secondary Prevention and Risk Reduction in Patients with Atherosclerotic Disease

New recommendations for cardiac rehabilitation and risk reduction are welcome, but updated guidance is lacking on lipid and blood pressure management.

Diuretic use raised risk for gout by several percentage points.

Observational data have suggested that gout is associated independently with both hypertension and diuretic use. In a prospective study, researchers determined incidence of diuretic-associated gout in nearly 6000 hypertensive patients with no histories of gout at baseline.

New Guidelines for the Management of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

An important consensus document on a potentially fatal disorder that, while often clinically silent, is increasingly identified

Revised Guidelines: Secondary Prevention and Risk Reduction in Patients with Atherosclerotic Disease

New recommendations for cardiac rehabilitation and risk reduction are welcome, but updated guidance is lacking on lipid and blood pressure management.

Sponsoring Organizations: American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology

No Apparent Benefit from PFO Closure After Cryptogenic Stroke

In the first published randomized trial of patent foramen ovale closure, recurrent strokes were uncommon and usually unrelated to PFO.

Value of Asking About Family History of Heart Disease

Systematically asking primary care patients to report such histories substantially increased the percentage identified as having high CV risk.