Cardiology news: award winning coverage by heartwire

Prevention

More doctors advising patients to exercise

1 COMMENT - Feb 10, 2012 14:45 EST

In 2010, one in three patients who visited a physician or other health professional had been told to start or maintain physical activity or exercise.

Features

The doctor will see you now (from the other side of the world)

5 COMMENTS - Feb 10, 2012 12:30 EST

A unique "medical mission" using handheld echo in a remote rural population in India is being hailed as a success after cardiologists around the globe logged on over a two-day period to read the echocardiograms of unseen patients half a world away.

Lipid/Metabolic

Over 1300 deaths in Mediator scandal in France

Feb 9, 2012 14:15 EST

The number of deaths attributable to heart-valve insufficiency as a result of the use of benfluorex in France is likely more than double that previously thought, a new investigation finds.

Arrhythmia/EP

Referring MDs fall short on ICD-indication guidelines

Feb 9, 2012 12:15 EST

A lot of generalists and some cardiologists apparently don't know some of the fundamental criteria for indication of a primary-prevention device and so may not be referring all patients who might benefit, a survey suggests.

Hypertension

Ten foods provide half of sodium eaten in US

Feb 9, 2012 10:00 EST

New estimates of salt consumption from a recent US survey show that 10 food groups provide almost half of the dietary sodium consumed in the country and that 90% of individuals eat more than the recommended daily amount of sodium.

Prevention

Like father, like son: Y-chromosome variant may explain CAD

Feb 8, 2012 18:30 EST

New genetic work has unveiled an association between some lineages of the relatively empty male Y chromosome and coronary artery disease. The hypothesis, while "intriguing," requires more research to confirm, says one expert.

Heart failure

Generalists need education on HF treatment

3 COMMENTS - Feb 7, 2012 14:00 EST

A unique study trying to drill down into why cardiologists seem to gain better outcomes than generalists when treating heart failure has identified a number of reasons that this is the case. But generalists—who treat the majority of HF—have to deal with older and sicker patients, confounding the issue. The authors hope the work will act as a catalyst to improve HF care.

Brain/Kidney/Peripheral

KEEP: Focus on CKD patients with highest SBP

Feb 6, 2012 12:30 EST

A new, contemporary study in real-world patients with chronic kidney disease finds that those with systolic BPs of 140 mm Hg and higher are at the greatest risk of developing end-stage renal disease. Hence the current "goal" in CKD patients of 130 mm Hg should be revised upward, say the authors, making the target easier to achieve and allowing physicians to focus on other aspects of care.

Features

The flap over flavonoids

7 COMMENTS - Feb 2, 2012 15:15 EST

The field of flavonoids and polyphenols continues to attract a massive amount of interest, from researchers and the public alike. But can health really be improved by eating chocolate and drinking red wine?

Imaging

New data will shed light on cancer risk from imaging

Jan 31, 2012 13:00 EST

Ongoing epidemiological studies in children who have undergone CT scans should help provide a better understanding of radiation-associated cancer risks from cardiac imaging over the next few years.

Hypertension

Interarm BP differences increase CVD risk

Jan 30, 2012 13:15 EST

New research indicates that large differences in systolic blood pressure between the right and left arm of 15 mm Hg or more point to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death. The findings should add weight to guidelines, which already encourage doctors to measure BP in both arms, say the authors and editorialists.

Heart failure

Don't routinely replace spent ICDs: Proposal

1 COMMENT - Jan 27, 2012 17:00 EST

It may have little to offer and it might not be what the patient wants, argues a perspective in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Clinical cardiology

Contaminated cardiac drugs kill more than 100 in Pakistan

8 COMMENTS - Jan 27, 2012 10:45 EST

More than 100 people have died in Pakistan and hundreds more have been hospitalized after having received contaminated cardiac drugs.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

Heart attack deaths plummet in three EU nations

36 COMMENTS - Jan 26, 2012 12:15 EST

New statistics from Denmark, England, and Poland show a roughly 50% drop in deaths due to acute AMI in recent decades.

Murmurs

Cardiologists flagging woeful patient care say they paid with their jobs

8 COMMENTS - Jan 25, 2012 15:30 EST

An echocardiographer and cardiac surgeon who say their jobs were axed in retaliation after they lodged numerous complaints of substandard patient care at a county hospital in Santa Clara are suing some of their former bosses, including two other cardiologists. The plaintiffs also claim they suffered severe harassment as a result of expressing their concerns. The defendants' attorney says the case "is hotly disputed."

Medscape Medical News

Pay for SGR repeal with war savings, say medical groups

3 COMMENTS - Jan 24, 2012 15:45 EST

A letter to Rep Dave Camp from 110 medical societies admits that war savings from military pullbacks are a "budget gimmick" but says they could retire SGR debt, another budget gimmick.

Thrombosis

PLATO: PPI analysis "raises flag" but should not change practice

7 COMMENTS - Jan 24, 2012 13:00 EST

A new analysis of the PLATO study has found that use of a proton-pump inhibitor was independently associated with a higher rate of cardiovascular events but that this was apparent in both the ticagrelor and clopidogrel arms. The finding is likely due to confounding and should not precipitate any change in advice on this subject, says the lead author.

Imaging

Carotid images don't boost quit rates or cut CV risk factors in smokers

8 COMMENTS - Jan 23, 2012 17:00 EST

A new randomized controlled trial is the latest addition to a contentious field of research trying to establish whether "seeing is believing" when it comes to motivating cardiovascular risk reduction.

Clinical cardiology

Gifts, pep talks have some success post-PCI and in hypertension

Jan 23, 2012 16:00 EST

Some of the first research showing that positive affect interventions—including phone calls to bolster self-affirming thoughts and small gifts—generate some success in post-PCI and hypertensive patients has been published. An editorialist describes the work as "innovative" and calls for many more studies of this kind.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

Pillow talk: First AHA advice on sex and CVD

Jan 19, 2012 16:00 EST

The first-ever guidance on sexual activity and cardiovascular disease from the AHA encourages doctors, patients, and their partners to discuss the subject during consultations. The majority of those with heart disease can safely engage in sex, which is important to quality of life, it concludes.

Hypertension

"High-normal" blood pressure linked to AF

Jan 18, 2012 17:15 EST

Upper-normal levels of blood pressure in otherwise-healthy middle-aged men appear to predict a higher risk for the development of atrial fibrillation in older age, a new study suggests.

Thrombosis

Contemporary look at VTE after joint surgery

Jan 17, 2012 16:00 EST

One in 100 patients who have knee-replacement surgery and one in 200 who undergo hip replacement will have a venous thromboembolic event in the hospital, despite receiving modern anticoagulant prophylaxis, a new review shows. These numbers will help inform patients and clinicians, say the authors, but an editorialist notes that to get a better picture, it will be necessary to look at a longer postsurgery time frame.

News

Resveratrol scientists react to Das fraud scandal: "Research will continue"

4 COMMENTS - Jan 13, 2012 17:20 EST

As the controversy over the research fraud allegations against Dr Dipak Das enters its third day, researchers told heartwire what the news means for the field of resveratrol research and, more pressingly, an upcoming scientific meeting.

Imaging

FDA: CardioGen-82 problems site-specific

Jan 13, 2012 10:15 EST

The generators, used in cardiac nuclear scans, were recalled by the manufacturer last summer, and the FDA previously found fault with manufacturing processes. Now the FDA says the excessive radiation cases appear to have occurred only at specific clinical sites and were unrelated to any manufacturing deficiencies.

Medscape Medical News

Red-wine researcher charged with photo-editing fraud

6 COMMENTS - Jan 13, 2012 09:30 EST

A University of Connecticut investigation found Dr Dipak K Das guilty of falsifying and fabricating images that appeared in published research.