More conundrums on whether cardiac catheterization is safe for unstable angina (”near heart attack”) or non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (”small heart attacks”).

Heart disease is the number one killer of women each year in the United States. Cardiac catheterization is a routine procedure that allows doctors to find potential blockages in coronary arteries in order to help prevent new heart attacks and even death. A recent study finds that high risk women, who do have a heart attack, benefit from this procedure just as much as men. But for some women the procedure may not always be the best option.

Reference: JAMA

A video from JAMA featuring Steve Nissen, one of the authors of the STRADIVARIUS trial.

This trial was designed to show that Rimonabant ( a drug used for weight loss in several countries but not US) could reduce plaque build up in the arteries which is a surrogate risk marker for developing heart attack and stroke.

This study used two methods to measure the amount of plaque in the arteries. The main method (called percent atheroma volume) to measure plaque thickness did not show any benefit. However, the second method (called normalized total atheroma volume) did show some benefit. The clinical benefit of this medication therefore will need to determined by additional studies before it gets FDA approval.

Reference: JAMA