theheart.org: Latest Clinical Cardiology medical news

heartbriefs

Medicaid access to smoking cessation falls short

Nov 5, 2009 17:30 EST

A national survey shows that although the majority of state Medicaid programs offer coverage for some form of tobacco-dependence treatment, most fall far short of a stated mandate to provide unrestricted access to approved therapies.

Medscape Medical News

Low-cholesterol/cancer studies should "dispel lingering doubts" of causal link

Nov 5, 2009 14:15 EST

Two new papers should help put to rest concerns that low serum cholesterol levels may increase cancer risk.

Lipid/Metabolic

Not all metabolic syndrome is created equal: Framingham Offspring analysis

Nov 5, 2009 11:45 EST

The syndrome (defined by ATP III criteria) can predict increased cardiovascular and mortality risk or not, depending on which three of five risk factors contributed to the diagnosis, a cohort study suggests; its investigators caution that their observations are only preliminary.

heartbriefs

Better survival in hospitalized flu patients on statins

Nov 4, 2009 17:30 EST

Statin users hospitalized for influenza experienced a 54% lower risk of death compared with patients not taking statins.

Hypertension

Adding fuel to the J-curve fire; debate is reignited

2 COMMENTS - Nov 4, 2009 14:30 EST

More discussion about the J-curve in hypertension is published this week; one expert believes the undue attention being paid to this subject might discourage doctors from treating high blood pressure aggressively.

heartbriefs

No CV risk reduction with B vitamins posttransplant

Nov 4, 2009 13:15 EST

In keeping with all the other evidence showing no effects of homocysteine-lowering with B vitamins, the FAVORIT study now confirms that this lack of benefit is also seen in renal-transplant recipients.

Prevention

Another in-hospital CV risk marker: 24-hour shifts with overnight on-call duty

1 COMMENT - Nov 4, 2009 09:45 EST

Long work shifts with nighttime on-call duty, with the inevitable interruptions of sleep, are associated with ECG, blood-pressure, and biochemical changes associated with increased cardiovascular risk, suggests a randomized crossover study that hints at a sustained effect on the risk markers if the 24-hour shifts happen too frequently.

Interventional/Surgery

US updates advice on perioperative beta-blocker use in noncardiac surgery

5 COMMENTS - Nov 3, 2009 14:30 EST

A US update on the perioperative use of beta blockers for noncardiac surgery is, says the lead author, "similar" to recent European guidance on this issue.

Imaging

CMS set to cut Medicare physician fees for cardiovascular imaging

5 COMMENTS - Nov 3, 2009 11:45 EST

The 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule released by the CMS makes major cuts to several cardiovascular imaging services.

Hypertension

Combined home/GP hypertension control program successful in Pakistan

3 COMMENTS - Nov 2, 2009 17:00 EST

A synergistic approach of educating general practitioners about hypertension control together with a program to send lay workers into people's homes to educate them about the management of high blood pressure has proven successful in low- to middle-income households in Pakistan.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

Sex differences in changing MI prevalence, mortality challenge conventional wisdom

Oct 29, 2009 10:30 EDT

Two well-known observational registries highlight such changes in women and men over a decade or more: Do women younger than 55 still have an advantage over men in the same age group?

Interventional/Surgery

Underutilization of ICDs in CABG patients is worst in women and elderly, Halifax study shows

1 COMMENT - Oct 28, 2009 16:45 EDT

Only 101 of 1169 post-bypass-surgery patients eligible for an ICD got one over a 13-year period in Nova Scotia.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

Contrary to common belief, women feel same heart-attack symptoms as men

4 COMMENTS - Oct 27, 2009 14:30 EDT

Women and men have the same rates of chest pain and other classic symptoms during ACS, although women are more likely to experience some other symptoms such as jaw and neck pain.

Interventional/Surgery

Blood products should be used conservatively in heart-surgery patients, trial shows

2 COMMENTS - Oct 27, 2009 12:15 EDT

Administration of blood products to stable patients post-cardiac surgery increases their risk of death, renal failure, and sepsis, according to new research.

Lipid/Metabolic

ACCORD update: "One size fits all" may not be best glucose-lowering strategy

1 COMMENT - Oct 27, 2009 10:00 EDT

While post hoc analyses of ACCORD data suggest there are subgroups of diabetic patients who may not benefit from an aggressive glucose-lowering approach, similar analyses with ADVANCE data did not identify subgroup differences.

heartbriefs

Distribution of body fat important in VTE

Oct 26, 2009 16:00 EDT

The distribution of body fat, as well as the amount, is important when it comes to the risk of venous thromboembolism, Danish researchers have discovered.

Interventional/Surgery

NRMI data raise more questions about PCI in nonsurgery centers

4 COMMENTS - Oct 26, 2009 13:00 EDT

A new analysis of national registry data suggests that the superior outcomes of NSTEMI patients in hospitals with open-heart-surgery capabilities vs those without it are due to their size, procedure volume, and adherence to medication guidelines.

Lipid/Metabolic

Less exposure to cardiovascular risk factors with intensive diabetes intervention: Look AHEAD

1 COMMENT - Oct 26, 2009 10:00 EDT

Intensive lifestyle intervention in the management of diabetes produces sustained weight loss and improvements in fitness, as well as improvements in glycemic control, systolic blood pressure, and HDL-cholesterol levels.

Arrhythmia/EP

NT-proBNP "remarkable predictor" of incident atrial fibrillation

1 COMMENT - Oct 23, 2009 16:30 EDT

The fact that elevated baseline NT-proBNP levels predict a diagnosis of AF even 16 years later suggests that peptide elevations precede the onset of arrhythmia, according to the researchers.

heartbriefs

New model connects low-dose radiation to CVD risk

Oct 23, 2009 15:30 EDT

Data from Japanese atomic-bomb survivors and people exposed to radiation in their jobs show that even low doses of ionizing radiation may contribute to cardiovascular disease risk. British researchers have created a complex mathematical model to better understand the relationship between radiation exposure and heart disease.

Lipid/Metabolic

Look at absolute event rates when interpreting trial results

Oct 23, 2009 13:30 EDT

The low event rate in the RECORD trial of rosiglitazone has led some to question the validity of the results.

Lipid/Metabolic

GLP-1 analog liraglutide promising in obesity

Oct 22, 2009 18:30 EDT

A drug originally developed to treat diabetes may have promise as an obesity therapy, a new study shows. Those taking liraglutide, a GLP-1 analog, lost more weight than those on an established obesity medication, orlistat.

Clinical cardiology

Simple cooling methods improve neurologic outcomes after cardiac arrest, new review confirms

Oct 22, 2009 11:00 EDT

A new literature review confirms that conventional cooling methods work safely to improve survival and reduce brain damage after cardiac arrest.

Brain/Kidney/Peripheral

New analyses from ECASS 3 support use of tPA up to 4.5 hours after stroke

Oct 22, 2009 08:30 EDT

Investigators show benefits of thrombolysis after stroke across a variety of subgroups; although not all end points reached statistical significance, trends favored treatment with tPA. The message, though, remains to treat as soon as possible, they say.

Brain/Kidney/Peripheral

Iloprost prevents contrast-induced nephropathy in high-risk patients undergoing coronary intervention

Oct 21, 2009 13:00 EDT

Intravenously administered iloprost, a prostacyclin analog, may help prevent contrast-induced nephropathy in patients with renal dysfunction undergoing coronary procedures, a new pilot study suggests.

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