News Tips for Tuesday, Nov. 11
>From the American Heart Association's 70th Scientific Sessions Nov. 9-12, 1997, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida
8:45 a.m. -- #1688 -- In rare, tragic instances, vigorous exertion triggers cardiac arrest. But the benefits of regular exercise are well established, and a study suggests it may also diminish the risk of sudden death during workouts. Studying men in the Physicians Health Study, Boston researchers found risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) was highest in those who had exercised vigorously less than one week, compared to those who work out more regularly. The researchers conclude that habitual exercise not only reduces the excess risk of SCD during exertion but it also decreases overall risk of death from heart disease. Christine Albert, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston: 617-732-8784.
9 a.m. -- #1731 -- Estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) appears to fend off further heart damage in women who already have diseased arteries, British scientists find. In a small study, postmenopausal women with heart disease received either estrogen (estradiol) or a dummy (placebo) pill for eight weeks. The women receiving ERT were able to exercise for up 141 seconds longer than those in the placebo group before signs on an electrocardiogram that the exertion had begun to cause damaging loss of blood flow to the heart muscle. Carolyn Webb, Royal Brompton Hospital, London: 44-171-823-3392.
9-10:30 a.m. -- #1956 (poster) -- Fine-tuning diet/lifestyle management programs such as that developed by California's Dean Ornish, M.D., could make such efforts more effective, a new study suggests. Boston researchers found features of an intervention plan called Heart & Sole achieved results similar to Ornish's but with fewer sessions, a more flexible 18 percent-fat diet and lower cost -- changes that may help attract and retain patients. Eileen M. Stuart, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston: 617-632-9533. See #2677 (3:45 p.m.) for report on a 10 percent-fat diet that kept calories at the same level, which dramatically lowered "bad" LDL while only modestly affecting HDL and triglycerides. P. Barton Duell, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland: 503-494-2007.
9:15 a.m. -- #1690 -- How effective are nicotine skin patches at helping smokers kick the habit? In a "double-blind" study, 305 Australian smokers were assigned to either active or inert patch groups. After three years, 13.8 percent of the group that received the real stuff (both groups also got behavioral therapy) were able to stay off tobacco compared to 5.2 percent of the placebo group. Unfortunately, that abstinence rate for those on the nicotine patch was still low, a measure of quitting's difficulty. Robyn Richmond, Univ. of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia: 61-2-9313-6185.
10:30- noon -- #2232 (poster) -- Angioplasty is three times safer than medical therapy for some people with acute heart attack who are ruled ineligible for clot-busting therapy, a large study suggests. In an evaluation of 11,277 people, the death rate after the operation among the group receiving angioplasty was 2.4 percent, compared to 6.6 percent in the group that received only medication. Mark J. Sada, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, Calif.: 562-222-2415. See #2975 (poster, 3:15-5 p.m.) for report that patients transferred to another center for angioplasty are treated much later than non-transferred patients and have a significantly higher death rate. Alan J. Tiefenbrunn, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis: 314-362-3794.
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