News Tips for Wednesday, Nov. 10
From the American Heart Association's 72nd Scientific Sessions
Nov. 7-10, 1999, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia
To complement our news releases, here are additional news tips reported by News Media Relations from more than 4,000 abstracts. Abstract numbers are listed for each tip. Note: Stories are embargoed until papers are presented or poster sessions begin. For more information, Nov. 7-10, call Carole Bullock, Darcy Spitz, Karen Hunter, Bruce Lewis (broadcast), or Berna Diehl in the News Media Center (room 256-257 W) of the Georgia World Congress Center: (404) 222-5002. Before or after those dates, call News Media Relations in Dallas: (214) 706-1279 or 706-1173.
8:45 a.m - 3454 - Sudden death and smoking. An analysis of 1,374 individuals in the ongoing Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD) Prevention and Treatment trials points to increased risk of sudden cardiac death in smokers. Researchers studied current smokers, ex-smokers and non-smokers. After adjusting for differences between the groups, the scientists found that even though all three had similar rates of cardiovascular disease, the smokers had "a significantly higher risk of sudden cardiac death or non-fatal cardiac arrest compared to ex-smokers and non-smokers." Derek Exner, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD, ph.: (301) 435-1290; fax: (301) 480-3667; [email protected].
9 a.m. - P3901 - Non-HDL cholesterol level easy to measure and accurate predictor of heart risk. Blood levels of non-high density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol were better for predicting a person's risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) than levels of the "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol according to a study. Measurements of LDL cholesterol is the preferred predictor of CVD death risk, but direct measurement of LDL is expensive. In contrast, measurement of non-HDL is inexpensive and patients measured this way do not need to fast before having the test. HDL measurement was the best cholesterol predictor of cardiovascular death for women and men, non-HDL measurement was second best and LDL measurement was the weakest predictor of CVD. Yadong Cui, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, ph.: (410) 706-2540; fax: (410) 706-1503; [email protected].
9 a.m. - P3596 - A new bedside test can monitor the clot-buster, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa therapy. Researchers have developed a device called a cone-and-platelet analyzer (CPA) that offers a rapid, bedside technique to monitor the bleeding risk of different "clot-busting" glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor drugs. Too high of a dose of these drugs can cause blood to become dangerously thin leading to internal bleeding. Ten patients diagnosed with unstable angina -- severe chest pain -- participated in the study. The technique can allow patients to be easily monitored for the risk of internal bleeding while receiving treatment with a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor. Julio Osende, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, NY, ph.: (212) 241-8484; fax: (212) 426-6962; [email protected].
9:15 a.m. - 3546 - Renal artery stent significantly lowers blood pressure, extends life. Individuals with renal artery stenosis (a narrowing of the arteries that lead to the kidneys) who have normal or mildly impaired kidney function, can greatly benefit from a renal artery stent. A stent is a small, mesh-like device used to hold open blood vessels that have been narrowed. Patients at the Arizona Heart Institute who received the stent had a higher survival rate, lower blood pressure, and lower blood levels of creatinine, a marker of heart damage. They were also taking fewer high blood pressure medications four years after receiving the stent. Scientists studied 1058 patients who received the PalmazTM renal artery stent. The average four-year survival rate was 74 percent. Patients who began the study with normal renal function had a better than expected survival rate of 85 percent. Of those who started out with mildly impaired renal function, 78 percent survived. However, the survival rate was a less favorable 49 percent for patients who had severely impaired renal function when they received a stent. The researchers say patient survival rates could improve if renal artery stenosis is diagnosed and treated in the earliest stages of the disease. Gerald Dorros, Arizona Heart Institute, Phoenix, Ariz., ph.: (602) 604-5110; fax: (602) 240-6169; [email protected].
10:45 a.m. - 3549 - Carotid artery stent has good long-term effectiveness. A study shows that a stent inserted into the carotid artery, the main blood vessel leading to the brain, is effective in long-term reduction of stroke risk. The stent, which is a small, mesh, cylindrical device, can help hold the artery open after the arterial blockage has been removed through surgery or clot-dissolving medication. Researchers followed 386 patients with carotid artery stents for four years. The first year of the study showed 1.2 percent of patients died around the time of the procedure, 1.2 percent suffered a major stroke, and 6.7 percent had a minor stroke. For the last year of the study, none of the patients died or had a major stroke and 2.2 percent had a minor stroke. The researchers conclude that the outcomes improve over the long-term and that carotid stenting is durable and effective in reducing the risk of stroke or neurological death. Gishel New, Lenox Hill Heart and Vascular Institute, NY (Note: New was also lead scientist on abstract 3093), ph.: (212) 434-2606; fax: (212) 434-2610; [email protected].
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