The FDAs Cardiovascular and Renal Drug advisory committee has unanimously voted 9 to 0 in favor of Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals dabigatran etexilate mesylate (Pradaxa) capsules, an anticoagulant indicated for use in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients to prevent stroke.

Swedish researchers have found no difference in 30-day survival when witnesses to cardiac arrest performed either compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or standard CPR, consisting of chest compressions and ventilation, according to a study in the July 29 New England Journal of Medicine.

Compared with non-Hispanic whites, Mexican-Americans have a higher rate of stroke recurrence, by almost double, but all-cause mortality rates between the ethnic groups did not differ, according to a study published in the September issue of Stroke.

Colon computer-aided detection (CAD) improved reader sensitivity per segment, per patient and per polyp for small polyps and adenomas, while slightly reducing specificity, according to a study published in the September edition of Radiology.

Stand-alone colon computer-aided detection (CAD) delivered excellent performance for polyp detection in a large screening population with high sensitivity and an acceptable number of false-positive results, according to a study published in the September edition of Radiology.

Control of atrial fibrillation (AF) was not achieved in more than 40 percent of the AF patients included in a 10,000 patient REALISE-AF registry, according to a study presented Sept. 1 at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) congress in Stockholm.

There are increasing demands for electrophysiology (EP) professionals as a result of shifting demographic trends, evolving healthcare reform policies and improved procedural outcomes, according to a workforce study published in the September issue of the HeartRhythm Journal. The analysis also found substantial growth in the overall volume and complexity of cardiac procedures performed in the past decade.

Members of the AVERROES trial data monitoring committee ordered that the trial be halted after interim results found a 50 percent stroke reduction for apixaban (Bristol-Myers Squibb/Pfizer) compared to aspirin in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who were not suitable for warfarin, according to a presentation during the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) congress Aug. 31 in Stockholm.