Cardiology

Hopes that losmapimod would benefit patients after a STEMI heart attack were not borne out by a study reported today at the American College of Cardiology's meeting in Chicago, IL.

The search for a drug to prevent kidney injuries from contrast media used in coronary angiography goes on. Trials of a new drug were disappointing.

Treating atrial fibrillation by ablation is equally effective whether done by freezing or burning small parts of the heart.

In the real world, which patients get P2Y inhibitors? A Mount Sinai team investigated.

A newer version of a valve system used in transcatheter aortic valve replacement has proved superior to surgery in elderly patients. The study was released a day after a report on the older device showed it was as good as surgery.

A large genetic analysis showed that the incidence of a single genetic mutation in familial hypercholesterolemia patients is smaller than thought--but that those who do have the mutation face a far higher risk of heart disease.

Reportingg on a trial known as ACCELERATE, researchers said a powerful CETP inhibitor did not reduce cardiovascular events, despite having “Profound HDL-C raising and LDL-C lowering propertie

There were hundreds of presentations on high-tech innovations and the latest drugs for heart disease. But unless cardiologists find better ways to prevent cardiovascular illness, deaths will keep rising, the ACC's Kim Williams, MD said in his welcome speech.

When patients are statin-intolerant but have high cholesterol, physicians have other options, a Cleveland Clinic study finds.

An Italian team looked at using novel oral anticoagulants (NOAC) as an alternative to warfarin. The NOAC drugs are safer, they reported.

Trans Aortic Valve Replacement, a less invasive procedure than open heart surgery, offers about the same benefits but slightly different risks, researchers reported today.

Stress directly impacts the arteries. Imaging studies enable physicians to actually see the proof, a Boston, MA team reports.

Despite demographic shifts that are steadily increasing how long people are living,most medical research lumps everyone over 65 (or even over 60) into the same group. That's about to change, say's NYU's John A. Dodson, MD, MPH.

The MD Magazine editors rounded up the 10 best stories from the past month – did you read them all?

In findings that shocked the Cleveland Clinic researchers who compiled them, heart attack patients are getting younger and have more comorbidities than expected.

A retrospective analysis of transesophageal echocardiography from 388 patients undergoing catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation has found no significant evidence that novel oral anticoagulants reduce the incidence of left atrial thrombus or eliminate the need for transesophageal echocardiography before ablation.

Most patients with coronary artery disease receive aspirin for primary or secondary prevention of myocardial infarction, stroke, and death.

Anticoagulants have been used for many years in the medical community, and now with the development of new agents patients can see better results without the risk of as many adverse events.

Heart disease is already the number one cause of death in women in the United States, and now a recent study has found that endometriosis is linked to a higher risk of coronary heart disease.

For patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation the prospects of treatment can be scary and intimidating. With a team based approach that care can help them live normal lives while safely managing their condition.

There have been promising results in a Phase II trial showing that gene transfer treatment of patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction was safe and successful in over 90% of patients.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy, a dangerous heart condition that can present in the last month of pregnancy, can lead to major cardiac events. Researchers have found a way to evaluate risk using a biomarker, galectin-3.

Although antiviral medications help control the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), treatment can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. A new study identifies a strategy to reduce that risk.

Conduction abnormalities in patients who undergo transcatheter aortic valve replacement and then need a pacemaker can be worrisome. A Pittsburghm PA team looked at how these patients fared.

In systolic heart failure, a fixed dose combinatin of isosorbide dinitrate and hydralazine is more effective in black patients. Building on that information, researchers in Pittsburgh looked at ways to use a genomic score to predict which patients would benefit most.

In hospitalized patients with left main acute coronary symptom (LM-ACS), electrocardiographic characteristics can predict prognosis.

What do you see on the CXR that makes you hesitate to initiate heparin?

Treating diabetes in the frail elderly may require different treatment goals.

Microcalcifications that can show up on mammograms can also predict a woman's risk of heart disease. MD Magazine spoke to Khurram Nasir, MD, co-author of an editorial urging physicians and their specialty societies to put this finding into practice.