An international and multidisciplinary team of experts has developed guidelines to assist physicians who treat patients with mechanical circulatory support devices (MCSDs). The executive summary with recommendations was published in the February issue of the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation.

Patients who do not have risk factors for diabetes are unlikely to develop the disease due to statin use, and although statins may increase the rate of new onset diabetes in patients at high risk of the disease, the benefits of reducing cardiovascular events outweigh the complications of diabetes, according to one meta-analysis.

There is consensus that reducing hospital admissions and readmissions for heart failure (HF) is critical, but not on the best path to follow to reach those goals.

A polypill designed to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease would be cost-effective in Latin America, even in countries with low gross national incomes, according to an analysis published in the January issue of Health Affairs.

An FDA advisory panel recommended on a 10-5 vote approval for canagliflozin (Invokana, Janssen Research & Development) to treat type 2 diabetes in adult patients. But the panel also expressed concerns about the drug’s cardiovascular safety. In a separate vote on cardiovascular safety, the panel voted 8-7.

Merck, known as MSd outside the U.S. and Canada, is taking steps to suspend the availability of nicotinic acid/laropiprant (Tredaptive) modified-release tablets worldwide.

Patients hospitalized for medical reasons who are at risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) rarely receive either pharmacologic or nonpharmacologic prophylactic treatment to prevent the condition.

Physicians who prescribe a combination of two antihypertensive drugs to their patients may want to be extra vigilant if non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are added to a patient’s regimen. A study published Jan. 8 in BMJ found a triple therapy combination was associated with increased risk of acute kidney injury, with a twofold increased risk in the first 30 days of use.