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The novel antiplatelet agent ticagrelor was evaluated against clopidogrel in the PLATO trial of patients with acute coronary syndromes. This article discusses the main findings and importance of this study, including the reduction in mortality associated with ticagrelor therapy.
Endoscopic harvesting of saphenous veins for use in CABG surgery has become standard practice worldwide. This strategy reduces postoperative infection and hospital stay, and increases patients' satisfaction when compared with open harvest. However, long-term follow-up data provided by Lopes et al. indicate that widespread use of this technique must be urgently reviewed.
New methods of cardiac troponin measurement accurately characterize patients as they present to the emergency department. Decisions on admission or discharge within 1–2 h of initial assessment (rather than 6–12 h thereafter), therefore, have become feasible. This development has potential for a major influence on how patients with chest pain are managed.
Randomized trial data on pericardial diseases are scarce, but a number of new studies are moving the management of these conditions from empirically-based to evidence-based medicine. Massimo Imazio and colleagues show how the emerging data and the first guidelines for pericardial disease can be used to tailor management to the individual patient.
Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids is recommended by many international cardiology associations on the basis of abundant evidence for their cardioprotective nature. In this Review, Lee et al. discuss whether fish or fish-oil supplements are the best source of omega-3 fatty acids, and whether recommendations for omega-3 supplementation are warranted in view of the rapid depletion of world fish stocks.
In this Review, the authors discuss the difficulties with assessing the response to cardiac resynchronization therapy in the treatment of advanced heart failure. They discuss the problems with current methods used and the potential benefits of molecular imaging techniques.
In this Review, the authors discuss new developments in the understanding of how thoracic aortic aneurysms arise. They describe the developmental origins of the thoracic aorta, mutations in the structural components of the thoracic aorta that are associated with aneurysms, and advances in treatment strategies.
