More articles from Interpreting Key Trials

  • Insights from the LAAOS III trial of left atrial appendage occlusion to prevent stroke in atrial fibrillation
    Anže Djordjević, MD, PhD and Edward Soltesz, MD, MPH
    Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine July 2025, 92 (7) 415-419; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3949/ccjm.92a.25001

    Left atrial appendage occlusion added to routine cardiac surgery reduced the risk of ischemic stroke or systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation and high stroke risk, but questions remain.

  • Update in perioperative cardiac medicine 2021
    Steven L. Cohn, MD, MACP, SFHM
    Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine April 2021, 88 (4) 216-220; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3949/ccjm.88a.21014

    New light on preoperative assessment and on the need for anticoagulation.

  • The role of ISCHEMIA in stable ischemic heart disease
    Nikolaos Spilias, MD, Benjamin Zorach, MD, Kara Denby, MD and Stephen Ellis, MD
    Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine July 2020, 87 (7) 401-409; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3949/ccjm.87a.20033

    Decisions regarding treatment of stable ischemic heart disease must remain individualized.

  • Renal denervation: What happened, and why?
    Mehdi H. Shishehbor, DO, MPH, PhD, Tarek A. Hammad, MD and George Thomas, MD, MPH
    Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine September 2017, 84 (9) 681-686; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3949/ccjm.84a.14129

    Despite promising initial results, this treatment failed in its largest trial to date. Is it dead? Can it be revived?

  • Interpreting SPRINT: How low should you go?
    George Thomas, MD, FACP, FASN, Joseph V. Nally, MD and Marc A. Pohl, MD
    Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine March 2016, 83 (3) 187-195; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3949/ccjm.83a.15175

    In treating hypertension, lower systolic pressure is better than higher—but with caveats.

  • A new class of drugs for systolic heart failure: The PARADIGM-HF study
    A new class of drugs for systolic heart failure: The PARADIGM-HF study
    Marwa A. Sabe, MD, MPH, Miriam S. Jacob, MD and David O. Taylor, MD
    Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine October 2015, 82 (10) 693-701; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3949/ccjm.82a.14163

    Valsartan-sacubitril is the first new drug in over a decade to decrease death rates in patients with systolic heart failure.

  • The METEOR trial: No rush to repair a torn meniscus
    Yong Gil Hwang, MD and C. Kent Kwoh, MD
    Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine April 2014, 81 (4) 226-232; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3949/ccjm.81a.13075

    Many patients who have osteoarthritis of the knee and a torn meniscus can defer surgery and undergo physical therapy instead.

  • Bone mineral density testing: Is a T score enough to determine the screening interval?
    Krupa B. Doshi, MD, CCD, Leila Z. Khan, MD, CCD, Susan E. Williams, MS, MD, CCD and Angelo A. Licata, MD, PhD
    Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine April 2013, 80 (4) 234-239; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3949/ccjm.80a.12069

    Although a trial found that women with normal or only slightly low results need not come back for another 15 years, it may not be so simple.

  • Is niacin ineffective? Or did AIM-HIGH miss its target?
    Stephen J. Nicholls, MBBS, PhD
    Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine January 2012, 79 (1) 38-43; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3949/ccjm.79a.11166

    The AIM-HIGH trial (Atherothrombosis Intervention in Metabolic Syndrome With Low HDL/High Triglycerides: Impact on Global Health Outcomes) found, in an interim analysis, no cardiovascular benefit from taking extended-release niacin (Niaspan). In fact, there was a trend toward a greater risk of ischemic stroke, which did not reach statistical significance. But questions remain about this complex trial, which included intensive statin therapy in the active-treatment group and the control group.

  • Understanding the CREST results
    Understanding the CREST results
    Olcay Aksoy, MD, Samir R. Kapadia, MD, Christopher Bajzer, MD, Wayne M. Clark, MD and Mehdi H. Shishehbor, DO, MPH
    Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine December 2010, 77 (12) 892-902; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3949/ccjm.77a.10074

    For patients with carotid artery stenosis, percutaneous intervention with stenting is as good as surgery—with some qualifications.

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