Due to recent highly publicized controversies of alleged over-stenting, state and federal authorities have begun to question the peer review process in cath labs. As a result, professional societies are exploring a new accreditation process, but some providers fear the time and costs that this could entail.

The antihypertensive efficacy of hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) in its daily dose (12.5 to 25 mg) measured by ambulatory blood pressure (BP) is inferior to all other drug classes, according to a systematic review published in the Feb. 1 issue of Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Data provided by abdominopelvic CT of emergency department patients with nontraumatic abdominal pain changed treatment plans for almost half of patients and significantly reduced probable hospital admissions, according to a study conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital and published in the February issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

The clinical efficacy of clopidogrel (Plavix) in patients with a recent MI is not modified by concomitant calcium-channel blocker treatment, and the potential drug interaction is unlikely to have clinical significance, according to research published Jan. 25 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

BOSTON--The Heart Rhythm Society, along with other societies, is currently revising the atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation consensus statement, last issued in 2007, paying particular attention to ablation developments, new anticoagulation options and the use of transesophageal echocardiography, according to a presentation at the Boston AF Symposium (BAFS).

Despite a greater reduction of platelet reactivity by the addition of cilostazol to conventional dual-antiplatelet therapy, triple-antiplatelet therapy did not show superiority in reducing the composite of adverse cardiovascular outcomes after drug-eluting stent implantation, according to a study in the Jan. 18 Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The use of endoscopic vein harvesting during CABG was not associated with harm or decreased survival compared with open vein harvesting, based on a regional, five-year study published Jan. 10 in Circulation.

The potential improper utilization of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) for primary prevention has recently come to the forefront, as some data have associated this practice with a greater risk of mortality. While many providers may be stretching the guideline recommendations in an effort to treat very sick patients with no alternatives, others are calling for a better understanding of how the therapy affects various populations.