The additional use of angioplasty and stents to treat some patients with ischemic stroke appears to be safe and effective, according to a study published online Dec. 11 in Radiology.

A randomized clinical trial has confirmed that patients with polycythemia vera benefit from aggressive treatment to lower their hematocrit to less than 45 percent and maintain it at that level. The study was published online Dec. 8 in the New England Journal of Medicine. However, an editorial suggested the drugs should not be recommended for thrombosis prevention in patients with polycythemia vera.

European researchers have demonstrated a significant decline in ischemic stroke mortality in all age and sex classifications from 1980 to 2000; however, incidence of stroke was stable or may have increased slightly between 1997 and 2005. These results were published online Dec. 4 in Stroke.

Continuing treatment of either low- or high-dose apixaban reduces the risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE), according to results of the AMPLIFY-EXT trial. Patients given extended anticoagulation also were at no higher risk of major bleeding than the placebo group.

A sub-analysis of data from a randomized clinical trial comparing the use of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors plus a diuretic to ACE inhibitors plus a calcium channel blocker found that obese, hypertensive patients receiving the diuretic combination experienced significantly fewer adverse events than normal weight patients taking the same combination of drugs. However, a study commentary argued that the lower risk should not spur physicians to consider body mass index when making hypertension treatment decisions.

A study analyzing the cost-effectiveness of a telestroke network model with one hub and seven spoke hospitals found that with a target 30 percent transfer rate, the arrangement was cost effective for the hub, the spokes and the network as a whole.

Volcano, a developer and manufacturer of tools for the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease, has signed an agreement to acquire Crux Biomedical, a privately held company that has developed an inferior vena cava filter—the Crux VCF System—to treat pulmonary embolisms (PEs).

Endovascular repair and open repair resulted in similar long-term survival, and the perioperative survival advantage with endovascular repair was sustained for several years. But rupture after repair remained a concern, according to the OVER Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study.