Researchers from the Perelman school of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania conducted the largest observational study of minimally invasive transfemoral—entry through the groin—TAVR to find whether the use of moderate sedation is associated with improved patient outcomes, specifically evaluating 30-day mortality and length of hospital stays, as compared to traditional general anesthesia.
(Oak Park) -- Rush Oak Park Hospital is the first hospital in the surrounding area to acquire and use a newly approved technology that allows vascular surgeons to see in real-time the plaque they are removing during an atherectomy, a minimally invasive procedure that helps treat peripheral artery disease (PAD). “The fact that a physician is visually guided while removing the buildup of plaque in the blood vessel can help prevent the formation of scar tissue, which can possibly lead to another blockage down the road,” says Charles Schubert, MD, the first vascular surgeon to use the Pantheris Lumivascular Atherectomy System at ROPH.
Patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome who receive catheter ablation to cure their abnormal heart rhythms are just as likely as non-ablated patients to develop atrial fibrillation no matter what age they receive ablation, according to a new study.
Patients with atherosclerosis are at a higher risk of osteoporosis. A new study published in the American Journal of Physiology—Endocrinology and Metabolism reports that atherosclerosis reduces the number of bone-forming cells, leading to loss of bone density. This study is highlighted as one of this month’s “best of the best” as part of the American Physiological Society’s APSselect program.
Mothers with a history of depression are not physiologically “in sync” with their kids, according to a new study from Binghamton University. While researchers have known for a while that depression is associated with interpersonal problems with others, this is the first study to examine whether this is also evident physiologically.
Atrial fibrillation patients taking warfarin, a popular anticoagulation drug, are at higher risk of developing kidney failure if anticoagulation levels are not properly managed, according to a new study from researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute.
Study of more than 10,000 patients treated long term with the blood thinner, warfarin, reveals higher rates of dementia for patients with atrial fibrillation versus non-AF patients
Giving daily doses of statins for a few days before and after heart surgery does not prevent heart muscle damage or the development of atrial fibrillation (AF), according to an international clinical trial led by the University of Oxford and funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
The LifeBridge Health Cardiovascular Institute has launched a pilot study to evaluate the potential benefits of a wireless heart monitoring system for patients with moderate to severe heart failure. The system tracks weight, blood pressure and other measures, and automatically sends the information to doctors and staff at the Cardiovascular Institute. The study is looking at whether this approach, designed to be simple and easy-to-use, can result in better outcomes for patients with heart failure.
In a "real-world" analysis, the ACC/American Heart Association (AHA) Pooled Cohort Risk Equation for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events was shown to overestimate the five-year risk in adults without diabetes, according to a study published May 2 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Statins and aspirin together are needed to keep lifesaving bypass grafts open, but Jefferson researchers found patients are not taking these medications long-term.
The award will fund the study of the role of both genes and the environment on the development of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of medical conditions that are common in aging adults, including obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, high blood sugar and insulin resistance.
Three PinnacleHealth patients recently underwent a new procedure for aortic valve reconstruction using the patients’ own heart tissue (pericardium) to create the new valves. Aortic valve reconstruction patients benefit from using their own pericardial tissue as it has fewer tendencies to scar and calcify, which is the main reason for failure of tissue valves obtained from animals. The body also is less likely to mount an immune response against the patient’s own tissue. In addition, these patients do not need lifelong blood thinners, which are required when mechanical aortic valves are used.
Researchers have known for more than a decade that the risk of heart disease and stroke increases when people take pain relievers like ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. Now, scientists from the University of California, Davis, have uncovered some of the reasons why these drugs can harm heart tissue.
Frailty, a condition that affects 10 percent of people aged 65 and older, can make older adults more prone to disability, falls, hospitalization and a shorter lifespan. Recently, researchers writing in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society examined the effects of frailty and depression on married couples. Although we know much about the effects of frailty and depression on individuals, up until now, little has been uncovered about how these two conditions may be connected within couples.
Vitamin A is important for heart development in embryos, but whether it has a role in maintaining heart health is unclear. A new study in American Journal of Physiology—Heart and Circulatory Physiology finds that the heart is able to respond to vitamin A and the amount of vitamin A present has an effect. However, whether the effects are beneficial or harmful is still a mystery.
Researchers have learned new information about how different people respond to aspirin, a globally prescribed drug in cardioprotection. The team identified more than 5,600 lipids in blood platelets and gained new insights into how these cells respond to aspirin.
Scientists have used a novel gene therapy to halt the progression of pulmonary hypertension, a form of high blood pressure in the lung blood vessels that is linked to heart failure.
While the Fontan procedure has improved the short- and mid-term outcomes for patients born with single ventricle anatomy, long-term complications of Fontan circulation include heart failure. These complications are thought to be secondary to elevated central venous pressure, chronic venous congestion and low cardiac output.
A new study published in the British Journal of Nutrition appears to back up the adage that a little of what you fancy does you good.
Including a small amount of chocolate each day could help prevent diabetes and insulin resistance. That’s one of the research findings from the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), the University of Warwick Medical School, the University of South Australia and the University of Maine.
Cardiologists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that sedentary behavior is associated with increased amounts of calcium deposits in heart arteries, which in turn is associated with a higher risk of heart attack.
Pinellas County a Model for Mosquito-Borne Disease Surveillance, Scientists Unravel the Genetic Evolution of Zika Virus, Worm Infection Counters Inflammatory Bowel Disease and more in the Infectious Diseases News Source
Among female registered nurses, working a rotating night shift for 5 years or more was associated with a small increase in the risk of coronary heart disease, according to a study appearing in the April 26 issue of JAMA.
Lack of sleep has previously been found to impact the activation of the immune system, inflammation, carbohydrate metabolism and the hormones that regulate appetite. Now University of Helsinki researchers have found that sleep loss also influences cholesterol metabolism.
An assistant professor of medicine in the University of Louisville's Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, won first place in the category of “Young Investigator Awards in Cardiovascular Health Outcomes and Population Genetics” from the American College of Cardiology earlier this month.
FINDINGS Researchers from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA found that cardiovascular disease patients who have high muscle mass and low fat mass have a lower mortality risk than those with other body compositions. The findings also suggest that regardless of a person’s level of fat mass, a higher level of muscle mass helps reduce the risk of death.
• Systolic blood pressure levels above 140 mmHg were linked with higher risks of coronary heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and death in patients with chronic kidney disease of all ages, but the magnitude of these associations diminished with more advanced age.
• Diastolic blood pressure levels below 70 mmHg were associated with a higher risk of death, but otherwise they showed no association with cardiovascular outcomes
Pediatric researchers have devised an innovative, safe and minimally invasive procedure that helps relieve rare but potentially life-threatening airway blockages occurring in children who had surgery for congenital heart defects.
Molecular struts called microtubules interact with the heart’s contractile machinery to provide mechanical resistance for the beating of the heart, which could provide a better understanding of how microtubules affect the mechanics of the beating heart, and what happens when this goes awry.
Why are black older adults at higher risk of repeat hospital admission after a heart attack? Treatment at hospitals with higher rates of missed nursing care may be a contributing factor, reports a study in the May issue of Medical Care.
It has been disorienting to the scientific and medical community as to why different subtle changes in a protein-coding gene causes many different genetic disorders in different patients -- including premature aging, nerve problems, heart problems and muscle problems. no other gene works like this. According to a new study, co-authored by Binghamton University faculty Eric Hoffman, it has to do with cell “commitment.”
Testosterone might be involved in explaining why men have a greater risk of heart attacks than women of similar age, according to a study funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
A recent study at Oregon State University has identified specific intake levels of xanthohumol, a natural flavonoid found in hops, that significantly improved some of the underlying markers of metabolic syndrome in laboratory animals and also reduced weight gain.
Breast cancer patients undergoing treatment with trastuzumab-containing regimens should be monitored for heart damage regardless of age. This is among the findings of a new study from the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, University Health Network (UHN).
A new analysis of 204 studies involving more than 1.4 million people suggests that metformin, the most frequently prescribed stand-alone drug for type 2 diabetes, reduces the relative risk of a patient dying from heart disease by about 30 to 40 percent compared to its closest competitor drug, sulfonylurea.
UT Southwestern Medical Center cardiology researchers have identified molecular ties between the growth of cancer cells and heart cells that suggest existing cancer drugs may be able to help those with enlarged heart cells – a condition that can lead to heart attacks and stroke.
In a paper published in the April 13 issue of Nature Communications, investigators from Harvard report on a novel biochemical method that enables the rapid and repeated regeneration of selected molecular constituents in situ after device implantation, which has the potential to substantially extend the lifetime of bioactive films without the need for device removal.
Bill Spence feels so good since receiving a heart transplant at Loyola University Medical Center that he’s planning to hike the Appalachian Trail to raise awareness for organ donation. Mr. Spence hopes to sign up 2,190 donors – one for each mile of the trail
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is often referred to as good cholesterol: high levels of HDL are associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease. But many clinical outcome trials for drugs that raise HDL levels have failed to show significant benefits for trial participants. However, current HDL detection methods usually measure only total HDL cholesterol - a more sensitive detection method could allow investigators to measure the subfractions of HDL, and more precisely pinpoint which of these subfractions should be raised to help protect against cardiovascular events.
The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to heart disease research and education, launched a new logo and website today.
How should athletes at increased risk of major cardiac events during competitive sports be detected? Suggestions for interim screening programs in Canada & call for development of Canadian-specific guidelines, in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology
Cornell researchers, working in collaboration with scientists in Switzerland, have identified a strong connection between a protein, SIRT5, and healthy heart function. SIRT5 has the ability to remove a harmful protein modification known as lysine succinylation, which robs the heart of its ability to burn fatty acids efficiently to generate the energy needed for pumping.
New research presented at the Experimental Biology 2016 meeting suggests that fat and blood sugar control and cardiovascular health start improving in the early stages of recovery before dramatic weight loss occurs.
While controlling blood pressure, blood sugar and LDL-cholesterol levels reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with diabetes, only 7 percent of diabetic participants in three major heart studies had recommended levels of these three factors, according to research from the Heart Disease Prevention Program at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine.