Search

Apixaban is a direct inhibitor of coagulation factor Xa. Superior efficacy over aspirin and antivitamin K has been shown in the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism during non-valvular atrial fibrillation with a more favorable safety profile, even though the risk of hemorrhage cannot be ignored, considering its mechanism of action. The recommended dose is 5mg twice daily which can be reduced to 2.5mg depending on the individual risk. Apixaban is also indicated for the treatment of venous thromboembolism but reimbursement has not yet been accepted in France for this indication. As with all direct oral anticoagulants, no routine biological monitoring is required, nevertheless their use may have an impact on all coagulation tests, eventually hampering interpretation. In particular clinical circumstances where a measure of anticoagulant efficacy is deemed necessary, specific assay of anti-Xa activity is appropriate, the result being expressed as concentration of the anticoagulant used. It is therefore necessary to state the name of the medicine for which the assay is requested. With these new anticoagulants, management of hemorrhagic events can be more difficult due to the lack of a specific antidote. Pro-hemostatic substances have exhibited efficacy in animal models but results are still insufficiently documented in clinical practice. Local or locoregional hemostasis measurements, when possible, are an essential factor in the treatment of hemorrhagic events., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

For the past 50 years, the implementation of therapeutic advances to the largest number of people has made it possible to have an exemplary reduction in cardiovascular mortality, contributing to extension of life expectancy observed in France. Nevertheless, such gains are fragile, and largely dependent on the quality of blood pressure control. The relative stagnation of blood pressure control in France for the last 5 years is potentially one of its early markers. The French League against Hypertension and the French Society of Hypertension, with the support of the French Ministry of Health, have decided to combine their efforts to provide a new impetus to management of this disease and to make blood pressure control a priority. An ambitious improvement of the percentage of controlled hypertensive patients from 50% to 70% in 2015 is targeted. To achieve this goal, a simplified decisional algorithm is proposed: seven key points dedicated to general practice are emphasized., (Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Objectives: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and protease inhibitor (PI)-based antiretroviral treatment might increase large artery (aortic) stiffness compared with healthy untreated controls. To clarify the role of PI therapy in the progression of subclinical arteriosclerosis in patients with HIV, we investigated the impact of PI treatment on arterial stiffness., Methods and Results: In our single-centre, cross-sectional study, normotensive male HIV patients free from overt cardiovascular disease received PI treatment (n=60) or no PI treatment (n=42). The PI group had a significantly higher pulse wave velocity (PWV) than the PI-free group (9.0 ± 1.4 vs. 8.1 ± 1.3m/s; P=0.016). There was a significant positive correlation between age and PWV in the PI-free group (R(2) 0.310; P<0.0001) and, to a lesser extent, in the PI group (R(2) 0.181; P<0.0001). PI treatment was associated with a significant increase in the adjusted slope of the curve relating age to PWV as compared with no PI treatment., Conclusions: In normotensive HIV patients, PI treatment significantly increases both aortic stiffness and the positive correlation between PWV and age. Aortic stiffness predicts cardiovascular mortality, thus these results provide new insight on the relationship between PI treatment, mechanical arteriosclerotic and cardiovascular risk., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the results of the ATTEST study in order to evaluate general medicine management practices for peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Our analysis was based on the guidelines for good practice which recommend measurement of the systolic pressure index (SPI), search for other localizations of atherothrombosis, treatment of risk factors including smoking, walking exercises, and long-term prescription of anti-platelets., Methods: ATTEST is a cross-sectional multicentric observational epidemiologic study conducted in metropolitan France. The study has recruited 8.475 analyzable patients with symptomatic PAD alone (3811 patients) or associated with other atherothrombotic localizations (2416 patients) or other cardiovascular diseases (2248 patients). These patients were followed by 3020 physicians. The current analysis thus included 6227 patients (81.2% men, 18.8% women, mean age 67.2 years), including 78.8% who had reached the stage of intermittent claudication. Risk factors included current or past smoking (61%), hypercholesterolemia (66.3%), hypertension (63.1%) and diabetes mellitus (26%)., Results: Arterial duplex Doppler exams of the lower limbs were performed in 91.2% of the patients but measurement of the SPI for diagnostic purposes had been performed in only 17%. The majority (85.8%) of the patients with proven coronary artery disease or cervico-encephalic involvement had had an ECG and 69.3% had had a duplex Doppler of the supra-aortic trunks. Smoking continued in 39% of the patients and an aid to cease smoking had been prescribed for only 7% of the patients who were non-smokers for less than one year. Nearly two-thirds of the patients analyzed had received advice concerning physical activities. Finally, anti-platelets had been prescribed for 92.2% of the patients., Conclusions: The general practitioner plays a crucial role in the diagnosis and treatment of PAD. Although measurement of the SPI is recommended as an early diagnostic tool and for evaluation of severity, it had been performed in less than one-third of the patients. Search for another localization of atherothrombosis had been performed in more than half of the patients. The physicians generally delivered advice on physical exercise and prescribed anti-platelets. The fight against smoking was however largely insufficient. The results of this study warrant further optimization of the collaboration between general practitioners and vascular disease specialists.

Cardiac markers are now considered as useful indexes for the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia and prediction of future events. Measurements of creatine kinase (CK) and MB enzymes have been considered as the gold standard in the past, but they lack sensitivity and specificity. Troponin has progressively gained acceptance as the new standard. Troponin assay is now widely available and several authors have demonstrated its diagnostic accuracy, predictive value, and capacity to predict prognosis and guide therapy in acute coronary artery disease. Further evaluations have however opened the perspective of more sensitive markers which may also exhibit more prompt elevation. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is secreted during myocardial ischemia in response to increased overload pressure. BNP rises immediately after ischemic events and may be more sensitive than other cardiac markers, including troponin. Moreover, new techniques allow immediate determination. BNP therefore would be of great interest for the diagnosis and management of myocardial ischemia. New markers may allow determination of coronary plaque fissuring and detection of coronary disease at a preclinical phase.

Aortic dissection is a rare but severe disease. Numerous risk factors have been reported, all leading to an alteration of arterial structures, particularly extracellular matrix. Aortic dissection is a complication of arterial hypertension, whatever its origin. Primary aldosteronism, frequent cause of secondary arterial hypertension, is associated with arterial structural alterations, indirectly by a pressure factor, and directly by aldosterone, which modifies collagen contents and elastin/collagen ratios. In addition to the three previously reported cases, the three cases reported in the present paper lead to the hypothesis of a causal relationship between aldosteronism and aortic dissection. The need for hypertension screening and diagnosis of its potential causes, namely primary aldosteronism, is highlighted.

Atherosclerosis is a diffuse disease that can affect renal arteries. An important point for the management of hypertensive patients is the prevalence of anatomical renal stenosis when lower-limb peripheral vascular disease coexists with hypertension. From Sept 1, 1987, to Aug 31, 1990, 252 consecutive hypertensive adults with peripheral vascular disease were referred to our clinic. For each patient a standardised collection of information was checked and registered with a computerised system. The evaluation included the search for a curable cause of hypertension, the investigation of cardiovascular risk factors, and a complete clinical review. Peripheral vascular disease was confirmed at least by clinical observation, including and ankle/brachial systolic blood pressure ratio of less than 0.90 at rest. In 117 patients (73 males, 44 females, mean age 66), renal arteriography was performed because clinical history, initial diagnostic work-up, or duplex Doppler examination suggested renal artery stenosis. Finally, 89 anatomical renal artery stenoses were detected in 64 patients (54.7%). Stenosis was judged mild (25 to 50%) in 12 patients and severe (> 50%) in 52 patients including 5 occlusions of the renal arteries. Artery stenosis was found bilateral in 23 patients. Even if none patient without renal arteriography would have an anatomical renal artery stenosis, the prevalence of anatomical renal stenosis in this study would reach 25.4% (64/252). These results confirm that lower-limb peripheral vascular disease is an excellent marker for the presence of anatomical artery renal stenosis in hypertensive patients.