Feature Channels: Cardiovascular Health

• share
• favorite_border

Heart experts at Johns Hopkins have begun testing a new device designed to replace blocked aortic valves in patients for whom traditional open-heart surgery is considered too risky, such as elderly patients and those with other serious medical conditions. The testing is part of a nationwide study to evaluate the device, which is deployed in a minimally invasive way. The first two Maryland patients to receive the device had it put in place by Johns Hopkins doctors on July 8, 2011.

• share
• favorite_border

Despite changes in standard treatment practice guidelines issued by the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association and the European Society of Cardiology several years ago, there has been no meaningful change in the nation’s practice of opening completely blocked coronary arteries with balloons and stents in the days after a heart attack, according to a new study published in the July 11, 2011, issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

• share
• favorite_border

An estimated two billion people in the developing world heat and cook with a biomass fuel such as wood, but the practice exposes people – especially women – to large doses of small-particle air pollution, which can cause premature death and lung disease.

• share
• favorite_border

Lisa Lewis, PhD, RN, assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, is conducting research on how spiritual vignettes might increase medication adherence among hypertensive black church members."

• share
• favorite_border

In an examination of the appropriateness of the widespread use of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs), researchers found that of more than 500,000 PCIs included in the study, nearly all for acute indications were classified as appropriate, whereas only about half of PCIs performed for nonacute indications could be classified as appropriate, according to a study in the July 6 issue of JAMA.

• share
• favorite_border

Smoking cigarettes is a dangerous habit that many are struggling to break, but for the smokers who choose to use one of the most popular smoking cessation drugs on the market, new warnings about the risk of serious cardiovascular events are on their way.

• share
• favorite_border

Healthy, middle-aged smokers who take the most popular smoking cessation drug on the market have a 72 percent increased risk of being hospitalized with a heart attack or other serious heart problems compared to those taking a placebo, a Johns Hopkins-led study suggests.

• share
• favorite_border

A study by a global consortium of physician-scientists has identified a genetic variation that may predispose people to double the risk of having a sudden cardiac arrest, a disorder that gives little warning and is fatal in about 95 percent of cases. Although previous, smaller studies have identified some genes with a potential association with sudden cardiac arrest, this is the first study large enough to enable scientists to apply results to the general population.

• share
• favorite_border

Doctors at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are performing a new procedure to treat atrial fibrillation, a common irregular heartbeat. Available at only a handful of U.S. medical centers, this “hybrid” procedure combines minimally invasive surgical techniques with the latest advances in catheter ablation. The two-pronged approach gives doctors access to both the inside and outside of the heart at the same time, helping to more completely block the erratic electrical signals that cause atrial fibrillation.

• share
• favorite_border

Heart bypass surgery is considered the gold standard for most patients with left main coronary artery disease, one of the most serious types of heart disease and one that affects thousands. But a new UCLA study reports favorable long-term outcomes for lower-risk patients with this condition who underwent angioplasty with medication-coated stents, rather than bypass surgery.

• share
• favorite_border

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one killer of women in the United States. Although scientists have discovered demonstrable sex differences, treatment options remain the same. In response to this important issue, the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) and WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease released the long awaited 2011 10Q Report: Advancing Women’s Heart Health through Improved Research, Diagnosis and Treatment on June 21 to a captivated audience on Capitol Hill.

• share
• favorite_border

University of Michigan Health System study reveals why black heart attack patients wait longer for advanced treatment after arriving at some hospital emergency rooms. The differences in care may be explained by hospital quality, rather than the race of individual patients. Black patients were much more likely to go to slow hospitals than were whites, and as a result waited six hours longer to get life-saving procedures.

• share
• favorite_border

National reegistry results from 11-year study presented at Vascular Annual Meeting.

• share
• favorite_border

At the 65th Vascular Annual Meeting of the Society for Vascular Surgery®, Gilbert R. Upchurch, Jr., MD from the division of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, spoke about gender differences in abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA’s).

• share
• favorite_border

Postmenopausal women, including those with atherosclerotic risk factors may see most benefit.

• share
• favorite_border

Loyola University Medical Center is enrolling patients in a major clinical trial of treatments for a common heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation. The study is comparing drug therapy with a newer treatment called catheter ablation.

• share
• favorite_border

Among Medicare patients with heart attack in 4 California counties, diversion of ambulance traffic by the nearest emergency department for 12 hours or more was associated with an increased risk of death for up to one year, according to a study in the June 15 issue of JAMA. This study is being released early online to coincide with its presentation at the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting.

• share
• favorite_border

Blood viscosity can be reduced 20-30 percent by subjecting it to a small magnetic field, lowering potential damage to blood vessels and the risk of heart attack.

• share
• favorite_border

A national study has found that nearly 68,000 deaths potentially could be prevented each year by optimally implementing key national guideline–recommended therapies, including critical medications and cardiac devices, for all eligible heart failure patients.

• share
• favorite_border

A White Paper released today by the Centre for Innovation in Complex Care (CICC), of the University Health Network (UHN), has identified significant care gaps of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients in Ontario, which contribute to debilitating strokes that could be prevented. As a result, the burden of AF-related stroke on patients, families and the healthcare system is significant.

• share
• favorite_border

A promising cancer treatment drug can restore function of a heart en route to failure from high blood pressure, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

• share
• favorite_border

The number of young adults in the U.S. with high blood pressure may be much higher than previously reported. A new study analyzed data on more than 14,000 people between 24 and 32 years old. Nineteen percent had elevated blood pressure. The findings illustrate how the processes that trigger serious chronic illnesses in older adults may begin early in life.

• share
• favorite_border

Data presented at ASH 2011 evaluate a genetic marker that may help identify high-risk patients and potential therapeutic targets for cardiovascular disease prevention.

• share
• favorite_border

Data presented at ASH 2011 press briefing showcases evidence that low fitness levels and the consumption of coffee and alcohol impact blood pressure.

• share
• favorite_border

Data presented at ASH 2011 press briefing.

• share
• favorite_border

President of ASH and President of ASH Specialist Program Announce New Code and other Key Initiatives at Launch of 2011 Annual Scientific Meeting and Exposition in New York City.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study by University of Virginia Health System researchers adds to mounting evidence that ezetimibe may not halt significant artery wall thickening, or atherosclerosis, in some patients. Despite the medication’s proven effectiveness in lowering LDL cholesterol, UVA researchers found a notable progression of atherosclerosis in patients who added ezetimibe to their pre-existing cholesterol-lowering statin medication therapy.

• share
• favorite_border

Despite their beneficial effects in treating heart disease, neither aspirin nor simvastatin appear to offer benefit to patients suffering from pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH), according to a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study conducted at four U.S. medical centers. This was the first NIH-funded randomized clinical trial (RCT) in PAH.

• share
• favorite_border

Despite their beneficial effects in heart disease, neither aspirin nor simvastatin appear to offer benefit to patients suffering from pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), according to research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

• share
• favorite_border

In two separate studies, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found that how fast a middle-age person can run a mile can help predict the risk of dying of heart attack or stroke decades later for men and could be an early indicator of cardiovascular disease for women.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study by the VA and University of Michigan suggests that mobile phones could help low-income patients across the globe manage diabetes and other chronic diseases.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center attempting to identify the vital signs that best predict those hospitalized patients at greatest risk for cardiac arrest found that a composite index used in some hospitals to activate a rapid response team and by emergency room physicians to assess the likelihood of a patient dying was a better predictor of cardiac arrest than any single vital sign.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of a novel treatment that stimulates the nerve that controls the diaphragm to normalize the breathing of patients who suffer from both heart failure and central sleep apnea.

• share
• favorite_border

Although so-called clot-busting drugs are commonly used in the treatment of some patients with blood clots in the lungs, a new study conducted by researchers in Spain and the U.S. indicates the agents do not appear to be any more effective than traditional blood thinners for the majority of these patients. Clot-busters, or thrombolytic agents, also appear to increase the risk of death in patients with normal blood pressure.

• share
• favorite_border

The most lethal and sudden heart event can be the toughest for doctors to diagnose. But a study by the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center shows a simple, new bedside test is effective for determining who’s most likely suffering from acute aortic dissection, a painful tearing in the lining of the body’s largest blood vessel. Aortic dissection lead to the sudden death of award-winning TV actor John Ritter in 2003.

• share
• favorite_border

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) effectively decreases the risk of cardiovascular death in elderly patients who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to a study conducted by researchers in Spain. The study is the first large-scale study to assess the impact of OSA and the effectiveness of CPAP treatment in cardiovascular mortality in the elderly.

• share
• favorite_border

People who suffer sudden cardiac arrest at District libraries now have access to Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) at all locations thanks to a partnership between the Federation of Friends of DC Public Library, Mended Hearts, Inc. and The George Washington University Cheney Cardiovascular Institute.

• share
• favorite_border

University of Maryland-led team’s study of calcium release events in heart cells that are smaller than well-known sparks may lead to new cardiovascular therapies.

• share
• favorite_border

A NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center review of almost 500,000 cardiac cases nationally shows that the clinically indicated medical therapy reported in a widely publicized study was lost in translation to real-world heart care after its publication.

• share
• favorite_border

Approximately 14 percent of all strokes occur during sleep, preventing many from getting clot-busting treatment, according to a study published in the May 10, 2011, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

• share
• favorite_border

Gender may play an important role when choosing treatment options for clearing dangerously clogged arteries, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health.

• share
• favorite_border

Cardiologists from the Cardiac & Vascular Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center presented new research at The Heart Rhythm Society’s 32nd Annual Scientific Sessions, May 4 -7 in San Francisco, California. Researchers presented recent findings about the value of expanding genetic screening for life threatening arrhythmia, advanced risk stratification for genetic conditions like Brugada Syndrome and the promise of novel spinal cord stimulation technology to treat atrial fibrillation.

• share
• favorite_border

While children of all ethnicities can contract Kawasaki disease, a study led by researchers at the Kawasaki Disease Research Center at the University of California, San Diego and Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego finds that Filipino children with KD are at a higher risk for inflammation of the blood vessels of the heart than those of other Asian and non-Asian backgrounds.

• share
• favorite_border

An international panel of experts from The Heart Rhythm Society and the European Heart Rhythm Association issued new guideline recommendations for all health care professionals about cardiovascular genetic testing at the Heart Rhythm Society’s 32nd Annual Scientific Sessions.

• share
• favorite_border

Arsenic exposure and smoking each elevate the risk of disease. But when combined together, the danger of dying from cardiovascular disease is magnified, a new study finds.

• share
• favorite_border

Contrary to what we’ve been told, eliminating or severely limiting fats from the diet may not be beneficial to cardiac function in patients suffering from heart failure, a study at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine reports.

• share
• favorite_border

One of the largest studies of its kind has found that people with coronary artery disease who have even a modest beer belly or muffin top are at higher risk for death than people whose fat collects elsewhere. The effect was observed even in patients with a normal Body Mass Index (BMI).

• share
• favorite_border

Contrary to some earlier studies, a Loyola University Health System study has found that religious activity does not help protect against high blood pressure.

• share
• favorite_border

An examination of health literacy (such as understanding basic health information) among managed care patients with heart failure, a condition that requires self-management, found that nearly one in five have low health literacy, which was associated with a higher all-cause risk of death, according to a study in the April 27 issue of JAMA.

• share
• favorite_border

In an analysis of data from a coronary care registry in Sweden, between 1996-2007 there was an increase in the prevalence of use of evidence-based invasive procedures and pharmacological therapies for treatment of a certain type of heart attack, and a decrease in the rate of death at 30 days and one year after a heart attack for these patients, according to a study in the April 27 issue of JAMA.