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.

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.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

MI-shock proposal is cold comfort: Hypothermia might boost survival

1 COMMENT - Feb 6, 2012 16:00 EST

Some data suggest therapeutic hypothermia might reduce the currently high mortality from cardiogenic shock; let's do the necessary clinical studies to see whether it might be true, urges a published viewpoint.

Lipid/Metabolic

Fitness and fatness independently linked with CVD risk factors

2 COMMENTS - Feb 6, 2012 16:00 EST

Individuals should be aware that exercising can have positive health effects, even if the weight doesn't necessarily come off, as can losing weight alone, researchers say, although the ideal combination is to improve fitness and lose fat.

Lipid/Metabolic

Lower mortality in NFL players—if weight is kept in check

2 COMMENTS - Feb 6, 2012 14:15 EST

The reduction in mortality and cardiovascular disease was observed in the smaller players—defensive backs, quarterbacks, and wide receivers, as well as fullbacks, halfbacks, and running backs, among others. For the true giants of the gridiron, the linemen, cardiovascular disease mortality was not significantly reduced compared with the US population.

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.

Prevention

Photos on school lunch trays boost veggie intake

Feb 3, 2012 15:45 EST

A simple intervention, whereby photographs of green beans and carrots were placed in lunch trays in a school cafeteria, has had some success in boosting consumption of these vegetables among elementary schoolchildren.

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?

Prevention

"Cardiovascular health," new focus of the AHA, linked with reduced mortality

2 COMMENTS - Feb 1, 2012 16:15 EST

Individuals meeting five of seven cardiovascular health metrics outlined by the American Heart Association had a significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality and deaths from diseases of the circulatory system when compared with unhealthy individuals who met none of the cardiovascular health criteria.

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.

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.

Hypertension

Black tea lowers blood pressure in small trial

Jan 24, 2012 15:15 EST

Three daily cups, which provided approximately 400 mg/day of polyphenols, reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure between 2 to 3 mm Hg, according to researchers.

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.

Heart failure

Mortality climbs with rising PA pressure in heart failure: Community-based study

Jan 18, 2012 09:45 EST

The finding in a broad community-based HF population confirms and extends what is recognized in the hospital setting.

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.

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.

Prevention

Inactivity is a universal risk factor for heart attack

Jan 11, 2012 12:40 EST

New findings from the INTERHEART study show that being physically active during leisure and work time protects against MI. The message is simple, say the authors: incorporate as much physical activity into daily life as is possible. Not surprisingly, those who own a TV and car have a higher risk of MI, they also show.

Hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension in kids differs from adult PAH

Jan 10, 2012 18:30 EST

A new registry of children with pulmonary hypertension is helping to differentiate the pediatric population with this disease from the adult one and should aid in better diagnosis and treatment of this condition in kids, say the authors.

Medscape Medical News

New guidelines suggest blood glucose testing for all inpatients

2 COMMENTS - Jan 10, 2012 09:30 EST

New clinical-practice guidelines from the Endocrine Society say all patients should have a glucose test on admission to the hospital and describe optimal management of hyperglycemia in patients who do not require intensive care.

Acute Coronary Syndromes

Aortic stenosis grading system misses rare, high-risk group

Jan 9, 2012 17:00 EST

A new study has examined the clinical outcomes of asymptomatic aortic-stenosis patients classified by valve area plus flow-gradient patterns instead of the older, inherently inconsistent system based on separate area, gradient, and flow measurements.