http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (HealthDay)—A large and unselected community-based study has confirmed the results of randomized controlled trials that have found persistent statin use to be beneficial for the primary prevention of acute cardiac events; the study was published online Sept. 27 in The American Journal of Cardiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-larger-statins-role-cardiac-events.html Cardiology Fri, 05 Oct 2012 14:10:01 EST news268660433 An answer to the simple question—"Have you recently taken a fall?"—can tell a surgeon how well an older adult may recover from a major operation according to researchers from the University of Colorado, Denver. New study findings, reported today at the 2012 Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), indicate that preopera-tive falls in older surgical patients are a powerful predictor of complications, prolonged hospital stays, and higher rates of disability. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-surgeons-associate-preoperative-falls-worse.html Surgery Mon, 01 Oct 2012 18:30:01 EST news268330025 (HealthDay)—In patients receiving drug-eluting stents, dual antiplatelet therapy can be safely discontinued during the first year, according to two studies published online Sept. 19 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-duration-antiplatelet-drugs-drug-eluting-stents.html Cardiology Thu, 20 Sep 2012 20:30:02 EST news267382961 (Medical Xpress)—Cardiac patients suffering from depression are at greater risk for new cardiac events or cardiac death than patients without depression. It is still unclear which underlying mechanisms play a role in this adverse relationship. Researchers from Tilburg University, the Veterans Affair Hospital in San Francisco, and VU University Medical Center in the Netherlands suggest that inflammatory processes could be involved (Psychoneuroendocrinology, August 2012). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-white-blood-cells-cardiac-patients.html Cardiology Thu, 06 Sep 2012 08:50:32 EST news266140206 For the first time ever, researchers have determined the metabolic equivalent for hula in a study that shows the Native Hawaiian dance form can be an effective and engaging cardiac rehabilitation therapy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-hula-cardiac-therapy.html Cardiology Fri, 31 Aug 2012 10:11:11 EST news265626633 Doctors who believe that women have "atypical" coronary heart disease symptoms are less certain when diagnosing heart disease in women.  As a result, women are less likely than men to receive treatments for an urgent cardiac event, finds a new study in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-diagnostic-confidence-key-prompt-treatment.html Cardiology Wed, 29 Aug 2012 08:30:03 EST news265447116 Up to 400 cardiac events and 200 deaths in Swedish PCI patients could be avoided by following a heart healthy lifestyle, according to research from the SPICI study presented at ESC Congress 2012. The results were presented at ESC press conference by Professor Joep Perk from Linnaeus University and at the scientific session by Dr Roland CARLSSON. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-lifestyle-cardiac-events-deaths-swedish.html Cardiology Tue, 28 Aug 2012 12:10:01 EST news265371108 People who have a cardiac arrest during or shortly after exercise are three times more likely to survive than those who have a cardiac arrest that is not exercise related, according to research presented at the ESC Congress 2012 today, August 26. The findings from the Amsterdam Resuscitation Study (ARREST) were presented by Dr Arend Mosterd from the Netherlands. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-sudden-death-cardiac.html Cardiology Mon, 27 Aug 2012 10:39:49 EST news265282783 Compared with a bare-metal stent, the use of a stent with a biodegradable polymer that releases the drug biolimus resulted in a lower rate of major adverse cardiac events at 1 year among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI; a certain pattern on an electrocardiogram following a heart attack) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI; procedures such as balloon angioplasty or stent placement used to open narrowed coronary arteries), according to a study in the August 22/29 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-newer-generation-drug-releasing-stent-results-adverse.html Cardiology Tue, 21 Aug 2012 16:00:01 EST news264782719 Insurance status is a better predictor of survival after a serious cardiac event than race, and may help explain racial disparities in health outcomes for cardiovascular disease. A new study by Derek Ng, from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US, and his team shows that race is not linked to an increased risk of death but being underinsured is a strong predictor of death among those admitted into hospital with a serious cardiac event. Their work appears online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-recover.html Health Mon, 06 Aug 2012 13:08:17 EST news263477219 Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a link between patients who undergo total nephrectomy - complete kidney removal - and erectile dysfunction. Results from the multi-center study were recently published online in the British Journal of Urology International. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-link-kidney-erectile-dysfunction.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 30 Jul 2012 16:27:46 EST news262884458 Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), a tear of the layers of the artery wall that can block normal blood flow into and around the heart, is a relatively rare and poorly understood condition. It often strikes young, otherwise healthy people -- mostly women -- and can lead to significant heart damage, even sudden death. Now, in the first study of its kind of such patients, Mayo Clinic researchers have started to uncover important clues about SCAD, including its potential risk factors, optimal treatment approaches and short- and long-term cardiovascular outcomes, including a higher-than-expected rate of recurrence. They also found a surprising link to fibromuscular dysplasia, another rare condition that causes a narrowing in some arteries. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-reveals-important-clues-rare-heart.html Cardiology Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:00:12 EST news261672796 One in eight people who suffer a heart attack or other acute coronary event experience clinically significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a meta-analysis of 24 studies led by Columbia University Medical Center researchers. The study also shows that heart patients who suffer PTSD face twice the risk of having another cardiac event or of dying within one to three years, compared with those without PTSD. The findings were published today in the online edition of PLoS ONE. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-heart-patients-post-traumatic-stress-disorder.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 20 Jun 2012 17:00:14 EST news259418133 Researchers at the University of Missouri have demonstrated the effectiveness of a potential new therapy for stroke patients in an article published in the journal Molecular Neurodegeneration. Created to target a specific enzyme known to affect important brain functions, the new compound being studied at MU is designed to stop the spread of brain bleeds and protect brain cells from further damage in the crucial hours after a stroke. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-treatment-brain.html Neuroscience Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:42:58 EST news258637296 Air pollution, a serious danger to the environment, is also a major health risk, associated with respiratory infections, lung cancer and heart disease. Now a Tel Aviv University researcher has concluded that not only does air pollution impact cardiac events such as heart attack and stroke, but it also causes repeated episodes over the long term. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-high-air-pollution-heart-percent.html Cardiology Tue, 05 Jun 2012 11:47:04 EST news258115615 (Medical Xpress) -- Every single town in Australia has been rated on its proximity to cardiac care, before and after a heart attack, in a new report published in Circulation and headed by Queensland University of Technology (QUT). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-heart-australia.html Cardiology Wed, 30 May 2012 06:47:21 EST news257579204 Coronary artery disease continues to be a major cause of death in the U.S., killing hundreds of thousands of people per year. However, this disease burden isn't evenly divided between the sexes; significantly more men than women are diagnosed with coronary artery disease each year. The reasons behind this difference aren't well defined. Though some studies have shown that men's hearts become more constricted than women's during exercise, letting less blood flow through, women are more likely than men to have symptoms of heart trouble after emotional upsets. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-mental-stress-harder-women-hearts.html Cardiology Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:38:28 EST news254505606 (HealthDay) -- Meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) suggests that drug-eluting stents (DESs) significantly reduce repeat revascularizations, with no increase in stent thrombosis (ST), mortality, or recurrent myocardial infarction, but data from observational studies indicate an increased risk of ST with DES use, according to research published in the April 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-good-long-term-outcomes-drug-eluting-stents.html Cardiology Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:46:11 EST news252762346 (HealthDay) -- Childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) treated with anthracyclines and/or cardiac irradiation have a higher risk of developing symptomatic cardiac events (CEs) in the long term, according to a study published online April 2 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-childhood-cancer-survivors-cardiac-events.html Cardiology Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:43:56 EST news252762205 AABB (formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks) recommends a restrictive red blood cell transfusion strategy for stable adults and children, according to new guidelines being published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Physicians should consider transfusing at a hemoglobin threshold of 7 to 8 g/dL, as the evidence shows no difference in mortality, ability to walk independently, or length of hospital stay between patients on a liberal transfusion strategy or a restrictive strategy. Wide variability in the use of transfusions in the United States indicates that in many settings patients are receiving unnecessary transfusions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-aabb-guidelines-red-blood-cell.html Other Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:35:46 EST news252002132 The under-reporting of the possible side effects of heart damage from cancer drugs puts patients at an increased risk for heart failure, according to two researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-heart-damaging-side-effects-cancer-drugs.html Cancer Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:00:07 EST news251985910 Ticagrelor, a potent anti-platelet medication, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the summer of 2011 and is known to significantly reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack, vascular death and death overall in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), which are characterized by symptoms related to obstruction in coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart. Now, new research from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) shows that the use of ticagrelor not only reduces the time to a first cardiovascular event (the metric used in most trials) but also significantly reduces the time to a second cardiovascular event or death, and reduces total events including cardiovascular death, heart attack, stroke, ischemic events and urgent revascularization. These findings will be presented at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions on March 25, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-ticagrelor-effective-recurrent-cardiovascular-events.html Cardiology Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:10:01 EST news251980805 Rhode Island Hospital physicians report that managing chest pain patients within an emergency department chest pain unit by both emergency medicine staff and cardiologists is safe and effective and may lower the use of stress testing. A new study indicates that when patients were jointly managed and when stress testing was largely at the discretion of a cardiologist, stress testing use was lower and there was a low rate of 30-day major cardiac events. The study is published online in advance of print in Clinical Pathways in Cardiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-ed-chest-pain-physician-discretion.html Cardiology Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:46:01 EST news251981155 Use of a new, simple and inexpensive checklist appears to drastically lower the likelihood of heart failure patient readmission and improve quality of care when used before patients leave the hospital, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 61st Annual Scientific Session. The Scientific Session, the premier cardiovascular medical meeting, brings cardiovascular professionals together to further advances in the field. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-simple-heart-failure-checklist-readmission.html Cardiology Mon, 26 Mar 2012 10:40:03 EST news251973200 A new study by Dr. Andrew Krahn shows that over a quarter of unexplained cardiac arrests occurred after the patient had an event of fainting, known as syncope. According to Dr. Krahn, a Cardiologist at London Health Sciences Centre and a Scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute, more than half of the fainting episodes had characteristics that would point to a serious heart rhythm problem, based on a simple fainting questionnaire that can be administered in a doctor's office or emergency room. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-fainting-factor-cardiac.html Cardiology Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:54:59 EST news248014486 A new study published Wednesday cast doubt on the usefulness of a genetic test for patients taking the anti-coagulant drug Plavix, calling into question last year's FDA warning about the blood thinner. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-genetic-plavix-unneeded.html Medications Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:00:56 EST news244357237 Findings on coronary CT angiography (CTA), a noninvasive test to assess the coronary arteries for blockages, show different risk scenarios for men and women, according to a study presented today at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-heart-differs-men-women.html Cardiology Wed, 30 Nov 2011 02:40:49 EST news241843235 A clinical trial that compared the use of drug-eluting balloons (DEB) and bare metal stents (BMS) to both bare metal stents alone and drug-eluting stents (DES) found that the drug-eluting balloon group did not meet the primary endpoint of reduced late lumen loss. Results of the DEB-AMI (Drug Eluting Balloon in Acute Myocardial Infarction) trial were presented today at the 23rd annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-results-deb-ami-trial-tct.html Cardiology Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:08:28 EST news240167282 Over time, epileptic seizures can lead to major health issues, including significant cognitive decline and even death, warns Orrin Devinsky, MD, professor, Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry at NYU Langone Medical Center. In a review article in the Nov. 10, 2011 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Devinsky addresses the magnitude of sudden, unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) and offers guidance to patients, physicians and families of those with epilepsy about the risk factors, possible causes and interventional measures. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-expert-awareness-sudden-death-patients.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 10 Nov 2011 12:35:19 EST news240150913 Patients treated by physicians who billed for both technical (practice/equipment) and professional (supervision/ interpretation) components of nuclear and echocardiographic stress imaging tests were more likely to undergo such tests after coronary revascularization compared with patients of physicians who did not bill for these services, according to a study in the Nov. 9 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-financial-reimbursement-cardiac-stress.html Cardiology Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:29:23 EST news239992157