News and views
May 2010 Br J Cardiol 2010;17:152
Book Review – Cardioprotection
For more than 30 years, the term ‘cardioprotection’ has been applied widely and often without precision to sundry interventions that reduce the incidence and severity of cardiovascular disease. For those of us who spend time occluding and reperfusing coronary arteries to model experimentally the effects of coronary thrombosis, ‘cardioprotection’ has a precise (and arguably the definitive) meaning; i.e. cardioprotection is the limitation or prevention of irreversible cellular injury in heart muscle as a consequence of ischaemia and reperfusion. In this little book, this definition is applied and is extended to consider all aspects of the medical management of acute myocardial infarction. This is a highly successful and justified approach that will maximise the appeal and utility of this text to a wide clinical and scientific audience. Barely 120 pages of text, nevertheless the book provides an up-to-date and remarkably comprehensive series of essays that convey an accurate snapshot of the basic and clinical science relevant to the rational treatment of myocardial infarction....
May 2010 Br J Cardiol 2010;17:152
Book review – Cardiovascular risk management
My initial reaction on reading this slim, elegant volume was a twinge of professional jealousy which was rapidly replaced by enjoyment. An important feature is that nationalism has been set aside, with authors from Europe, New Zealand, America, Canada and Australia. Perhaps the next edition will embrace the challenges of developing countries as well. ...
March 2010 Br J Cardiol 2010;17:59-61
New NICE guidance on VTE prevention
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued new guidance on the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients admitted to hospital. ...
March 2010 Br J Cardiol 2010;17:59-61
NICE preliminary hearing negative on new antiarrhythmic
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued a draft guidance on the new anti-arrhythmic drug, dronedarone, saying it does not recommend its use to treat atrial fibrillation (AF), because “it is less effective and costs considerably more than existing treatments”. It is estimated that dronedarone costs around £2.25 per day compared with about £0.05 for amiodarone....
March 2010 Br J Cardiol 2010;17:59-61
What is the best blood sugar level in diabetics? –New UK data
A new UK study has suggested that both very low and very high blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes are associated with increased all-cause mortality and cardiac events. ...
March 2010 Br J Cardiol 2010;17:59-61
Hormone replacement therapy and heart disease risk in younger women
Among recently menopausal women, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with both oestrogen and progestin, showed a slight non-significant increase in risk of coronary heart disease within the first few years of use in a new analysis of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI). ...
March 2010 Br J Cardiol 2010;17:59-61
Cardiovascular services in London – the case for change
A document outlining how London’s acute and complex cardiovascular services are currently provided and broad principles for how things could be improved, Cardiovascular services in London: the case for change, has now been published....
March 2010 Br J Cardiol 2010;17:59-61
Statins appear to increase risk of diabetes
A new meta-analysis has suggested that use of statins slightly increases the risk of developing diabetes. The analysis – published in the February 27th issue of The Lancet, (Lancet 2010;375:735-42) – was led by researchers at the University of Glasgow....
