Latest cardiovascular disease articles and heart disease news

Friday 10 October, 2008
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10/10/2008 07:00 AM
  • JCI Online Early Table Of Contents: Oct. 9, 2008
  • VASCULAR BIOLOGY: A real-time view of blood flow through the pancreas A team of researchers at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, has developed a new microscopy approach that enabled them to image, in real time, the flow of blood in mouse pancreatic islets of Langerhans. The pancreatic islets of Langerhans have a central role in regulating the amount of glucose in the blood.
    10/10/2008 06:00 AM
  • Artificial Heart Technology Holds Promise For Alternatives
  • Patients on the waiting list for a heart transplant soon may have more options thanks to a new device being developed by the Texas Heart Institute in collaboration with two University of Houston professors.
    10/10/2008 05:00 AM
  • Mortara Receives Frost & Sullivan Award For DICOM ECG - Diagnostic Cardiovascular Monitoring Equipment Product Line Strategy
  • Today Mortara Instrument announced receipt of a Frost & Sullivan Award for its incorporation of DICOM ECG into the company's diagnostic ECG modalities.
    10/10/2008 05:00 AM
  • Initial Clinical Experience With A Novel Spectroscopy Catheter That Can Identify Lipid-core Coronary Plaques
  • There is an unmet need for a method to identify lipid-core coronary plaques, the structures associated with most heart attacks and not detectable by conventional coronary angiography. On April 25, 2008 the U. S. FDA granted clearance to InfraReDx, Inc. for marketing of its LipiScan(TM) System to identify lipid core containing coronary plaques. Dr.
    10/10/2008 05:00 AM
  • Study Shows Once-Daily Exjade Removes Iron From The Heart In Transfused Patients With Beta-thalassaemia
  • Interim study results show that once-daily Exjade® (deferasirox) reduces iron that can build up in key organs in patients who undergo repeated blood transfusions as part of their treatment for thalassaemia.
    10/10/2008 04:00 AM
  • New Tool From Anatomical Travelogue Offers Free Access To Stunning Graphic Renderings Of Disease States
  • People around the world will soon have access to a powerful new type of medical information - a 3-D visual exploration of the cardiovascular system created from the seamless integration of state-of-the-art medical imaging and computer-generate animations. TheVisualMD.com, the latest effort from Alexander Tsiaras' Anatomical Travelogue, will allow users to view the heart as it grows into a complex network of arteries and veins and as it becomes infected with disease. TheVisualMD.
    10/10/2008 02:00 AM
  • Prescient Medical, Inc. Presents Clinical And Preclinical Findings For VProtect(TM) Luminal Shield And VPredict(TM) Optical Catheter System
  • TCT 2008 attendees will be among the first to hear a report on initial clinical experiences with the vProtect(TM) Luminal Shield in patients with non-flow-limiting "vulnerable" plaques.
    10/09/2008 08:00 AM
  • Barriers To Angioplasty For Life-Threatening Heart Attacks In Florida: Women, The Elderly And Weekend Admissions Less Likely To Get The Treatment
  • Women, the elderly, and patients admitted to the emergency department on weekends are all less likely to receive same-day coronary angioplasty for a life-threatening heart attack in Florida, University of South Florida researchers found. Their study was published this month (Oct. 1) in the American Journal of Cardiology.
    10/09/2008 07:00 AM
  • Heart Transplant Patient Sets National Track Records
  • Anne Kirchmier of Fredericksburg says her life is an amazing experience that gets bigger and better every day. Hers is a story of passion, perseverance and triumph. Fourteen months ago, the former marathon runner received a heart transplant at the University of Virginia Health System. The surgery was the culmination of an 11-year progressive illness that confounded doctors at leading institutions around the country and brought Kirchmier to the brink of death.
    10/09/2008 07:00 AM
  • During These Times Of Economic Crisis A Cardiologist Warns Against Signs Of A Cardiac Crash
  • Rising unemployment rates, the worst Wall Street crises since the end of World War II, record home foreclosures. There is plenty of stress to go around. What effect is stress having on our health and what can we do about it? "Prolonged stress, both emotional and physical, impacts the overall cardiovascular status of our patients, particularly their blood pressure," said Keith Churchwell, M.D., executive medical director of the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute.
    10/09/2008 07:00 AM
  • Following A Heart Attack 1 Dose Of EPO May Halt Cell Suicide
  • Two things happen following a heart attack - necrosis (normal cell death) and apoptosis (programmed cell death) - and both are bad. Now researchers in Japan have found that a single intravenous dose of the hormone erythropoietin (EPO) immediately after myocardial infarction (heart attack) can drastically reduce or eliminate apoptosis and thereby limit the amount of damage to the heart, according to an article in the October issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
    10/09/2008 05:00 AM
  • "Grandma's Penicillin" Also May Help High Blood Pressure
  • Chicken soup, that popular home remedy for the common cold sometimes known as "Grandma's Penicillin," may have a new role alongside medication and other medical measures in fighting high blood pressure, scientists in Japan are reporting. Their research is scheduled for the October 22 issue of ACS' biweekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
    10/09/2008 04:00 AM
  • Trial Of Implantable Device To Manage Congestive Heart Failure Symptoms: Northwestern Memorial
  • Northwestern Memorial's Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute is one of seven programs in the country participating in new study aimed at improving the heart's pumping action and helping to manage congestive heart failure symptoms. The US PARACHUTE trial tests the effectiveness of placing a small device in the left ventricle, or main pumping chamber of the heart.
    10/09/2008 03:00 AM
  • FDA Approves Use Of Temporary Pump To Assist Heart's Right Side
  • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) for the first heart pump that provides certain critically ill patients with temporary support for the right side of their heart. Heart assist devices are mechanical pumps that aid in the pumping action of a weakened heart. Most heart assist devices support the heart's left ventricle, which pumps oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body.
    10/09/2008 02:00 AM
  • Boston Scientific Completes Clinical Trial Enrollment For Third-Generation Drug-Eluting Stent
  • Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) announced that it has completed enrollment in the PERSEUS trial, designed to evaluate the Company's third-generation TAXUS(R) Element(TM) paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent. The PERSEUS clinical program has enrolled nearly 1,500 patients at 100 U.S.
    10/09/2008 02:00 AM
  • Early Data Show Potential For Imatinib Mesylate Tablets To Treat Life-Threatening Form Of Pulmonary Artery Disease
  • An early proof-of-concept study presented shows promising results for imatinib mesylate in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a severe, incurable blood vessel disorder.
    10/09/2008 02:00 AM
  • WomenHeart Offers Free Guide To Help Women Reduce Their Risk Of Heart Disease
  • With six times more U.S. women dying each year from heart attacks than from breast cancer, WomenHeart has created a free brochure offering heart-healthy -- and potentially life-saving -- tips to help women reduce their risk of heart disease.
    10/09/2008 02:00 AM
  • Review: Anti-Clotting Drug Helps Patients With Immobilized Legs
  • A new meta-analysis of existing research finds that patients who have immobilized lower legs due to a plaster cast or brace can greatly reduce their risk of a dangerous blood clot if they take a common anticoagulant drug. In a new Cochrane Library review, the researchers suggest that adult patients whose upper or lower legs are in casts or braces should have routine treatment with the drug known as low-molecular-weight heparin.
    10/08/2008 11:00 AM
  • Predicting Success Of Treatment For Atrial Fibrillation Aided By Novel Imaging Approach
  • University of Utah researchers have developed a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based method for detecting and quantifying injury to the wall of the heart's left atrium in patients who have undergone a procedure to treat atrial fibrillation. The results of the study are published in the Oct. 7, 2008, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
    10/08/2008 11:00 AM
  • TOCCATA Clinical Study - Multi-Center European Safety Study On Groundbreaking Technology For The Treatment Of Atrial Arrhythmias
  • Endosense, a medical technology company focused on enabling the broad adoption of catheter ablation for the treatment of cardiac rhythm disorders, has launched the TOCCATA (TOuCh+ for CATheter Ablation) clinical study to evaluate the safety of the TactiCathâ„¢ system with enrollment gaining momentum. TOCCATA is a 70 patient European multi-center safety study.
    10/08/2008 11:00 AM
  • Hope That Stem Cells May Heal Damaged Hearts
  • Recent studies indicate that infusing hearts with stem cells taken from bone marrow could improve cardiac function after myocardial infarction (tissue damage that results from a heart attack). But in a recent systematic review, Cochrane Researchers concluded that more clinical trials are needed to assess the effectiveness of stem cell therapies for heart patients, as well as studies to establish how these treatments work.
    10/08/2008 10:00 AM
  • Lumen Biomedical Receives FDA Clearance Of Embolectomy System For Treatment Of Peripheral Artery Disease
  • Lumen Biomedical, Inc., a Minnesota-based medical device company, announced today receipt of FDA clearance for the LBI Embolectomy System for use in the removal of fresh, soft emboli and thrombi from vessels in the peripheral vasculature. The LBI Embolectomy System consists of a 0.014" guide wire containing a 3-dimensional fiber-based element used in combination with the previously cleared Xtract Aspiration Catheter.
    10/08/2008 09:00 AM
  • Even Occasional Smoking Can Impair Arteries
  • Even occasional cigarette smoking can impair the functioning of your arteries, according to a new University of Georgia study that used ultrasound to measure how the arteries of young, healthy adults respond to changes in blood flow.
    10/08/2008 09:00 AM
  • Identification Of Gene Variant That Causes Sinus Node Disease
  • University of Iowa researchers and colleagues in France have identified a gene variant that causes a potentially fatal human heart rhythm disorder called sinus node disease. Also known as "sick sinus syndrome," the disease affects approximately one in 600 heart patients older than 65 and is responsible for 50 percent or more of the permanent pacemaker placements in the United States.
    10/08/2008 07:00 AM
  • Speeding Up Cardiac Patients' Wait Times For Life-Saving Procedures - VHA's Cardiac Performance Dashboard
  • An analysis of clinical data from 90 hospitals across the nation showed that during certain parts of the day, wait times for cardiac catheterization procedures significantly exceed the recommended standard of 90 minutes. The data analysis research was performed by VHA Inc., the national health care alliance.


    10/11/2008 07:00 AM
  • Implantable Device May Help Manage Congestive Heart Failure Symptoms
  • A new study aims to improve the heart's pumping action and help to manage congestive heart failure symptoms. The US PARACHUTE trial tests the effectiveness of placing a small device in the left ventricle, or main pumping chamber of the heart. Physicians recently implanted the sixth person in the United States with the device.
    10/10/2008 04:00 PM
  • One Dose Of Hormone May Halt Cell Suicide Following A Heart Attack, Study Suggests
  • Two things happen following a heart attack--necrosis (normal cell death) and apoptosis (programmed cell death) -- and both are bad. Now researchers in Japan have found that a single intravenous dose of the hormone erythropoietin immediately after myocardial infarction (heart attack) can drastically reduce or eliminate apoptosis and thereby limit the amount of damage to the heart, according to an article in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
    10/09/2008 01:00 AM
  • Can Stem Cells Heal Damaged Hearts? No Easy Answers, But Some Signs Of Hope
  • Recent studies indicate that infusing hearts with stem cells taken from bone marrow could improve cardiac function after myocardial infarction (tissue damage that results from a heart attack). But in a recent systematic review researchers concluded that more clinical trials are needed to assess the effectiveness of stem cell therapies for heart patients, as well as studies to establish how these treatments work.
    10/08/2008 04:00 PM
  • Pneumococcal Vaccine Associated With 50 Percent Lower Risk Of Heart Attacks
  • Pneumococcal (pneumonia) vaccination was associated with a 50 percent lower risk of heart attacks two years after vaccination, suggests a large hospital-based case-control study.
    10/08/2008 10:00 AM
  • Even Occasional Smoking Can Impair Arteries
  • Even occasional cigarette smoking can impair the functioning of your arteries, according to a new University of Georgia study that used ultrasound to measure how the arteries of young, healthy adults respond to changes in blood flow.
    10/08/2008 10:00 AM
  • Anti-cancer Drug Prevents, Reverses Cardiovascular Damage In Mouse Model Of Premature Aging Disorder
  • An experimental anti-cancer drug can prevent -- and even reverse -- potentially fatal cardiovascular damage in a mouse model of progeria, a rare genetic disorder that causes the most dramatic form of human premature aging researchers have reported.
    10/08/2008 04:00 AM
  • Proteins Involved In Blood Vessel Dysfunction In Type 2 Diabetes Are Identified
  • Using precise microscopes, researchers are dissecting coronary microvessels and testing which proteins are responsible for inflammation that causes blood-vessel dysfunction. By identifying the proteins that play important roles in blood-vessel dysfunction, they hope to develop new treatments for blood-vessel dysfunction in people with type 2 diabetes.
    10/08/2008 01:00 AM
  • Racial Differences For Brain Bleeds Suggest Stroke Risk Greater Than Thought For Blacks
  • Small, clinically silent areas of bleeding in the brain appear to be more common in black versus white stroke patients hospitalized for new brain bleeds, say researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center. These findings may help explain the higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke among the black population, especially in those who are medically underserved.
    10/07/2008 11:00 PM
  • Barriers To Angioplasty For Life-threatening Heart Attacks Found
  • Women, the elderly and patients admitted to emergency rooms on weekends are all less likely to receive same-day coronary angioplasty for a life-threatening heart attack in Florida, researchers found.
    10/07/2008 01:00 PM
  • Metabolic Syndrome Ups Colorectal Cancer Risk
  • In a large US population-based study, metabolic syndrome patients had a 75 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer compared to those without metabolic syndrome.
    10/07/2008 10:00 AM
  • Receptor Could Halt Blinding Diseases, Stop Tumor Growth, Preserve Neurons After Trauma
  • Researchers have discovered what promises to be the on-off switch behind several major diseases. They report how the GPR91 receptor contributes to activate unchecked vascular growth that causes vision loss in common blinding diseases. These findings could also have wide-ranging and positive implications for brain tissue regeneration.
    10/06/2008 11:00 PM
  • Novel Imaging Approach May Assist In Predicting Success Of Treatment For Atrial Fibrillation
  • Researchers have developed a magnetic resonance imaging-based method for detecting and quantifying injury to the wall of the heart's left atrium in patients who have undergone a procedure to treat atrial fibrillation.
    10/06/2008 11:00 PM
  • Insight On Common Heart Rhythm Disorder
  • Researchers have identified a gene variant that causes a potentially fatal human heart rhythm disorder called sinus node disease. While the newly discovered gene variant is rare, the study provides insight into cellular mechanisms that regulate sinus node function and identifies an unanticipated new pathway for developing future therapies to regulate more common forms of sinus node disease.
    10/06/2008 01:00 AM
  • New Device Aims To Give Sleep Apnea Sufferers Relief And Rest
  • Having a good night's sleep is proving elusive for six percent of the population. They have sleep apnea, which causes them to stop breathing in bouts throughout the night. Now, a researcher at Temple University School of Medicine is studying an experimental device to treat people with positional sleep apnea.
    10/06/2008 01:00 AM
  • Mental Health Intervention Urged For Heart Patients
  • Heart patients are particularly vulnerable to depression and should be screened, and if necessary treated, to improve their recovery and overall health, according to a scientific advisory.
    10/04/2008 07:00 PM
  • Where You Live Matters When You're Seriously Ill: Three U.S. States Earn 'A' Grade, Three An 'F'
  • America does a mediocre job caring for its sickest people. The nation, says a new report, gets a C. Only Vermont, Montana and New Hampshire earned an A, according to America's Care of Serious Illness: A State-by-State Report Card on Access to Palliative Care in Our Nation's Hospitals, a report based on a study in the October issue of the Journal of Palliative Medicine.
    10/03/2008 04:00 PM
  • Beta-blockers Reduce Mortality In Patients With COPD After Vascular Surgery
  • In the first study to directly examine the effects of beta-blockers on surgical patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), researchers have found that, contrary to previous thought, beta-blockers significantly reduce mortality in COPD patients.
    10/03/2008 01:00 AM
  • Loss Of The Protein Target Of Lithium Disrupts Normal Mouse Embryonic Heart Development
  • One drug used to treat bipolar disorder is lithium, an inhibitor of GSK-3 proteins controversially linked to congenital heart defects. However, new data indicate that mice lacking GSK-3-beta die before birth, mostly at the late stage of embryonic development because of numerous defects in the heart. It is therefore suggested that it might be wise to exercise caution when considering whether to treat women of childbearing age with newer, more powerful GSK-3 inhibitors.
    10/02/2008 07:00 AM
  • New Genes Linked To Gout
  • Researchers have identified two new genes -- and confirmed the role of a third gene -- associated with increased risk of higher levels of uric acid in the blood, which can lead to gout, a common, painful form of arthritis. Combined, the three genetic variations were associated with up to a 40-fold increased risk in developing gout.
    10/02/2008 01:00 AM
  • Hormone Replacement Therapy And Heart Attack Risk: Danish Study Provides New Information
  • The largest study to look at the effects of hormone replacement therapy after the Women's Health Initiative was stopped early, has shown there is no overall increased risk of heart attacks for women taking HRT. However, the risk varies depending on the age of the women and the method used for taking HRT.
    10/01/2008 01:00 PM
  • Why A Mother's High-fat Diet Contributes To Obesity In Her Children
  • Pregnant women should think twice about high-fat foods. Scientists found that female mice fed high-fat diets were more likely to have oversized offspring (a risk factor for overweight and obesity) because fat causes the placenta to go into "overdrive" by providing too many nutrients to the fetus. This also suggests the reverse may be true -- high fat diets may help prevent undersized babies.
    10/01/2008 10:00 AM
  • Blood Thinning Drug Linked To Increased Bleeding In Brain
  • A new study shows that people who take the commonly used blood thinning drug warfarin may have larger amounts of bleeding in the brain and increased risk of death if they suffer a hemorrhagic stroke.
    10/01/2008 01:00 AM
  • Stroke Treatment Window Of Opportunity May Be Longer Than Previously Believed
  • Patients can still benefit up to 4.5 hours after a stroke if a drug that dissolves blood clots in the brain is administered, according to new research. Thus far, three hours had been considered the useful limit for administering thrombolytic drugs.
    09/29/2008 11:00 PM
  • Novel Approaches To Heart Disease And Inflammation
  • While cholesterol-lowering drugs and new technologies have significantly advanced the nation's battle against heart disease, it continues to rank as the No. 1 killer of US men and women. But new research shows that the body's immune system could become an important player in reducing heart disease.
    09/29/2008 10:00 PM
  • Popular COPD Treatment Increases Risk For Cardiac Events, Cardiac Death
  • The use of the most commonly prescribed once-a-day treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for longer than one month increases the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke by more than 50 percent, according to new research.
    09/29/2008 07:00 AM
  • Pistachio Nuts May Improve Heart Health
  • Going green may be heart healthy if the green you choose is pistachio nuts, according to researchers who conducted the first study to investigate the way pistachios lower cholesterol.
    09/29/2008 01:00 AM
  • Impact Of Stress On Police Officers' Physical And Mental Health
  • Policing is dangerous work, and the danger lurks not on the streets alone. The pressures of law enforcement put officers at risk for high blood pressure, insomnia, increased levels of destructive stress hormones, heart problems, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide, researchers have found through a decade of studies of police officers.
    09/28/2008 07:00 PM
  • Inhibiting Cholesterol-associated Protein Reduces High-risk Blockages In Arteries
  • Using the drug darapladib, researchers have inhibited a cholesterol-and immune system-associated protein, thereby reducing the development of heart-disease plaques that may cause death, heart attacks, and strokes in a pig model of atherosclerosis and diabetes.
    09/27/2008 01:00 PM
  • Gene Variant Boosts Risk Of Fatty Liver Disease
  • Researchers have found that individuals who carry a specific form of the gene PNPLA3 have more fat in their livers and a greater risk of developing liver inflammation.
    09/26/2008 01:00 AM
  • Antioxidant Deficiency Linked To Pulmonary Hypertension
  • A recent study shows that a loss of antioxidants in the endothelial cells that line blood vessels in the lungs contributes to the loss of vasodilator effects and, ultimately, to the development of pulmonary hypertension. The findings appear in Clinical and Translational Science.
    09/26/2008 01:00 AM
  • Better Understanding Of Blood Vessel Constrictor Needed To Harness Its Power For Patients
  • To harness endothelin-1's power to constrict blood vessels and help patients manage high blood pressure or heart failure, scientists must learn more about how endothelin functions naturally and in disease states, says a Medical College of Georgia researcher.
    09/26/2008 01:00 AM
  • Increasing General Practice Opening Hours Could Prevent Recurrent Strokes
  • Increasing general practice opening hours would improve the opportunity for assessment and urgent referral to specialist care of patients with a transient ischaemic attack or minor stroke, which could prevent over 500 recurrent strokes a year in England alone, concludes a new study.
    09/25/2008 07:00 PM
  • Aspirin And Atherosclerosis: Mechanism Uncovered
  • Researchers have uncovered the mechanism that may explain aspirin's ability to prevent arterial plaque buildup and atherosclerosis.
    09/25/2008 01:00 AM
  • Isoflavone Dietary Supplement Improves Functioning Of Arteries In Stroke Patients
  • A dietary supplement containing isoflavone -- a chemical found in soybeans, chickpeas, legumes and clovers -- can improve artery function in stroke patients according to new research.
    09/24/2008 11:00 PM
  • Surgery Unnecessary For 95 Percent Of Those With Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis, Study Suggests
  • New research shows that with more intensive medical therapy, the risk of stroke has become so low that at least 95 percent of patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis would be better off with medical therapy than with surgery or stenting. In the United States, one-half to two-thirds of the patients being subjected to surgery for revascularization are asymptomatic.
    09/24/2008 01:00 PM
  • Honeybee Venom Toxin Used To Develop New Tool For Studying Hypertension
  • Researchers have modified a honeybee venom toxin so that it can be used as a tool to study the inner workings of ion channels that control heart rate and the recycling of salt in kidneys.
    09/24/2008 07:00 AM
  • People With Type 2 Diabetes Can Put Fatty Livers On A Diet With Moderate Exercise
  • Weekly bouts of moderate aerobic exercise on a bike or treadmill, or a brisk walk, combined with some weightlifting, may cut down levels of fat in the liver by up to 40 percent in people with type 2 diabetes, a study by physical fitness experts.
    09/24/2008 01:00 AM
  • Stroke Incidence May Be Higher And Deadlier In American Indians
  • American Indians have a higher incidence of strokes than white or black Americans. Higher rates of hypertension, diabetes and cigarette smoking may account for the higher risk. The findings come from the largest population study of cardiovascular disease and risk factors in American Indians.
    09/24/2008 01:00 AM
  • Minimally-invasive Aortic Valve Bypass Benefits High-risk Elderly Patients
  • A study conducted at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore concludes that an uncommonly used surgical procedure that bypasses a narrowed aortic valve, rather than replacing it, effectively restores blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body and gives high-risk patients a safe alternative to conventional valve surgery. Aortic valve bypass is an important treatment option for high-risk elderly patients with a narrowed aortic valve, a condition called aortic stenosis.
    09/23/2008 11:00 PM
  • American Heart Association Calls On Presidential Candidates
  • The American Heart Association has unveiled six principles on health care reform as the presidential candidates begin a series of debates, the first scheduled for Friday, Sep. 26, at the University of Mississippi. With a vision of a stronger health care system, the association's 2008 Statement of Principles on Health Care Reform outlines critical issues that must be addressed to ensure high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.
    09/23/2008 11:00 PM
  • Not A Moment To Lose In Therapy For Acute Stroke, Editorial Argues
  • In an editorial response to a report in the Sep. 25 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine on the efficacy of intravenous thrombolysis treatment in the hours after acute ischemic stroke, Patrick Lyden, M.D., professor of neurosciences and director of the UC San Diego Stroke Center, cautions that the study should not be interpreted to mean that such therapy can be withheld for hours or even minutes.
    09/23/2008 04:00 PM
  • Secondhand Smoke Linked To Peripheral Artery Disease In Women
  • This is the first study to link secondhand smoke to increased risk of peripheral artery disease in women. Researchers found an increased risk of stroke and coronary heart disease in older Chinese women who were exposed to secondhand smoke compared to those who were not exposed. Researchers said passive smoking is an important health hazard and should be discouraged by public health policy.
    09/23/2008 01:00 AM
  • Heart Bypass Surgery: Deadly Delays
  • Delaying elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery may be a significant risk factor for post-operative death. Research published in the open access journal BMC Health Services Research reveals that when patients received timely surgery, the risk of death was reduced by a third.
    09/22/2008 11:00 PM
  • Saving Lives More Efficiently: Cardiac Arrest Study May Help EMS And ERs
  • A new study shows that a single standard guideline could help emergency medical crews and ER teams determine which cardiac arrest victims might benefit from a trip to the hospital, while at the same time reducing futile efforts on patients who have no chance of surviving a cardiac arrest.
    09/22/2008 11:00 PM
  • Wide Variability In Survival After Emergency Treatment For Cardiac Arrest Found
  • An analysis of emergency medical services -- treated cardiac arrest outcomes in 10 areas in North America finds a five-fold difference in survival rates, according to a new study.
    09/22/2008 10:00 PM
  • Protein Identified That Plays Role In Blood Flow
  • Using atomic force microscopy -- a microscope with very high resolution -- and isolating blood vessels outside the body, researchers have identified a protein that plays an important role in the control of tissue blood flow and vascular resistance. This new knowledge brings researchers one step closer to understanding vascular diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and other vascular problems.
    09/22/2008 10:00 AM
  • Audio Relaxation Program May Help Lower Blood Pressure In Elderly
  • Study highlights an audio-guided relaxation CD with background sounds of ocean waves and a calming voice may lower blood pressure in elderly people. Listening to Mozart also significantly lowered blood pressure in the study, but to a lesser degree. The technique has been used for chronic pain, but had never been tested in the hypertensive elderly.
    09/22/2008 10:00 AM
  • Why Heart Attack Victims Do Better With Social Support
  • Researchers have identified specific damages to the brain that may occur when heart attack victims are socially isolated from others. The study in mice found that those animals that lived alone before undergoing a heart attack showed five to eight times more damage to neurons in one part of the brain than did similar animals that lived with others.


    09/29/2008 03:00 PM
  • Heart patients need depression screenings
  • Heart patients should be regularly screened for signs of depression, the American Heart Association recommended Monday.
    09/25/2008 06:00 PM
  • Feds probe chelation-heart disease study
  • Federal officials have halted enrollment in the government's largest-ever alternative medicine study to investigate whether participants were fully informed of the risks and are being adequately protected.
    09/24/2008 04:32 PM
  • Stroke treatment still helps even after 3 hours
  • Stroke sufferers can still benefit from clot-busting medicine even if they receive it an hour or so beyond the current three-hour window after symptoms start, an important new study suggests.
    09/23/2008 03:11 PM
  • Newsweek: Where not to have a heart attack
  • A new study finds dramatic regional differences in cardiac-arrest survival rates. Why some places are better than others when it comes to saving lives.
    09/03/2008 10:59 AM
  • Study: New heart drug can cut stroke risk
  • An experimental drug to treat irregular heart rhythm reduced the risk of stroke by one-third, according to data presented at the European Society of Cardiology conference Wednesday.
    09/02/2008 12:59 PM
  • Bypass may be better than stents long-term
  • For heart patients with clogged arteries, the choice between bypass surgery or an angioplasty may come down to one question: How many procedures would you like to have?
    09/02/2008 11:04 AM
  • Smoking riskier for women's hearts than men's
  • Women who smoke may develop heart disease at almost the same age as male smokers, wiping out the natural difference between the sexes, doctors said Tuesday.
    08/31/2008 01:12 PM
  • Fish oil helps patients with chronic heart failure
  • Fish oil supplements may work slightly better than a popular cholesterol-reducing drug to help patients with chronic heart failure, according to new research released Sunday.
    08/21/2008 03:52 PM
  • U.S. probes possible Vytorin link to cancer
  • U.S. government drug safety regulators said Thursday they are investigating whether the cholesterol-lowering drug Vytorin can increase patients' risk of developing cancer.
    08/18/2008 05:11 PM
  • Sleepless nights can hike teens’ blood pressure
  • Poor sleep habits can do more than annoy parents and make teenagers drowsy in school — they can lead to high blood pressure, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
    08/18/2008 04:58 PM
  • Best way to a clogged heart? Through the wrist
  • The best path to a clogged heart may be through the wrist. About a million artery-clearing angioplasties are performed in the United States each year, and the usual route is to thread a tube to the heart through an artery in the groin.
    08/13/2008 04:25 PM
  • Drugs as good as stents for many heart patients
  • People with chronic chest pain who are not in big danger of a heart attack now may have even less reason to rush into an artery-opening angioplasty:  New evidence drugs should be tried first.
    08/12/2008 02:27 PM
  • Looking for heart disease? The eyes have it
  • The eyes may carry important early clues to heart disease, signaling damage to tiny blood vessels long before symptoms start to show elsewhere, a study finds.
    08/11/2008 03:43 PM
  • Being skinny is no guarantee of a healthy heart
  • Even thin people may have hidden risks for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other ailments typically associated with obesity. By the same token, some overweight people may be healthy even if they're hefty.About half of overweight people have normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while an equal number of trim people suffer from some of the ills associated with obesity, research shows.



    08/08/2008 11:22 AM
  • FDA: Heart drug combo may harm muscles
  • U.S. health officials warned the public on Friday about the risk of a rare type of muscle injury seen when the cholesterol drug simvastatin is combined with the anti-arrhythmia medicine amiodarone.
    07/23/2008 04:02 PM
  • Gene variant linked to statin side effect
  • Scientists may have found a way to test for and possibly avoid the most serious side effect of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, one of the top-selling medicines in the world.
    07/21/2008 03:44 PM
  • Implanted pumps may help heal ravaged hearts
  • Taneal Wilson's damaged heart repaired itself after having a period to rest due to a heart implant.A lucky few patients' own hearts start working normally again after being weaned off implanted pumps. How to duplicate those successes is one of cardiology's biggest questions.



    07/21/2008 04:25 PM
  • Too much sleep can hike stroke risk in women
  • Sleep patterns in middle-aged women can increase their risk for stroke, researchers in the United States have found.
    07/21/2008 02:21 PM
  • Vytorin fails to meet main goal of heart study
  • The cholesterol fighter Vytorin sold by Merck & Co Inc and Schering-Plough Corp failed to meet the main goal of improving cardiovascular outcomes in a closely-watched heart study.
    07/17/2008 03:35 PM
  • Red yeast rice, fish oil fight high cholesterol
  • A regimen of supplements and lifestyle coaching is just as effective as statin medication for reducing levels of  "bad" cholesterol.
    07/12/2008 05:12 AM
  • Pioneering heart surgeon DeBakey dead at 99
  • American heart surgeon Dr. Michael DeBakey speaks to a reporter in his office conference room at Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, in 1995. DeBakey died Friday.Dr. Michael DeBakey, the world-famous cardiovascular surgeon who pioneered such now-common procedures as bypass surgery and invented a host of devices to help heart patients, has died. He was 99.



    07/08/2008 09:59 AM
  • Treating blood pressure may ward off dementia
  • Treating high blood pressure in the very elderly may help reduce their risk of developing dementia, researchers said.
    06/29/2008 01:34 PM
  • Transplant recipient completes Yosemite ascent
  • Heart transplant survivor Kelly Perkins climbs Half Dome, Yosemite National Park's famed granite monolith in California. Perkins, 46, and her husband Craig began the climb on Thursday and reached the top of the 8,842-foot-high dome on Saturday. A heart transplant survivor has added another first to her long string of mountaineering feats since getting a new heart 13 years ago — a dangerous 2 1/2-day climb up the sheer, 2,000-foot face of Half Dome, Yosemite National Park's famed granite monolith.



    06/27/2008 07:58 AM
  • One in 10 had 'silent strokes'
  • Routine brain scans in a group of middle-aged people showed that 10 percent of them had suffered a stroke without knowing it, raising their risk for further strokes and memory loss, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.
    06/24/2008 08:03 AM
  • Simple doctor's exam may predict stroke risk
  • A simple doctor's examination for subtle problems such as reduced reflexes or unstable posture could help predict which healthy elderly people are at the highest risk of death or stroke, researchers said.
    06/23/2008 03:01 PM
  • Those with low vitamin D twice as likely to die
  • New research linking low vitamin D levels with deaths from heart disease and other causes bolsters mounting evidence about the "sunshine" vitamin's role in good health.
    06/23/2008 05:23 PM
  • Chest pain often lingers a year after heart attack
  • People who are depressed or who continue smoking after a heart attack often have chest pain a year later and are more likely to have another heart attack or die, researchers found.
    06/17/2008 08:29 AM
  • Coffee habit may be good for your heart
  • June 17: A new study shows two to six cups of coffee a day could benefit women’s heart health. TODAY’s Meredith Vieira talks to Dr. Steven Lamm about the findings.  (Today Show)Long-term coffee drinking does not appear to increase a person's risk of early death and may cut a person's chances of dying from heart disease, according to a study published on Monday.



    06/16/2008 05:31 PM
  • Sunny outlook may speed stroke recovery
  • Stroke patients who have a positive outlook function better on their own three months after leaving the hospital than stroke survivors with a gloomier attitude, new research shows.
    06/03/2008 07:30 PM
  • Red wine may protect heart from aging’s toll
  • A natural compound found in red wine may protect the heart against the effects of the aging process, researchers said.
    05/19/2008 04:00 PM
  • Erectile dysfunction warns of worse problems
  • May 19: A new report from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found erectile dysfunction can be a predictor of Heart Disease among men with Type 2 diabetes. NBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman reports.  (Nightly News)Diabetic men who struggle with erectile dysfunction are twice as likely to face potentially deadly heart problems and strokes as men who don't,  according to new research.




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