Cardiology

In an effort to fight obesity and diabetes and promote healthier diet and lifestyle choices through targeted interventions, public health officials determined which regions of the US have the highest levels of soda and other sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.

Study results show that treating community-dwelling elders too zealously for elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone levels is a leading cause of thyrotoxicosis.

A large retrospective analysis from Canada suggests that dabigatran is about as safe and effective as warfarin in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation.

Patients discharged from the hospital often rely on a family member to perform complex nursing tasks at home. These caregivers are critical, but too often physicians do not acknowledge these family members' role or help them with care instructions, says Carol Levine of the United Hospital Fund.

It may be the European Society of Cardiology's annual congress, but with abstract submissions from North America and Asia the recent event was further proof that the field is becoming more globalized while still holding to its Localized roots.

A study analyzing sputum suggests that there may be a framework for changes in the proteins of smokers' lungs, which in turn lead to changes in transcription factors, and eventually to inflammatory mechanisms.

Obesity is a growing problem around the world and new research has shown that even small amounts of physical exercise can make a big difference in keeping people from gaining too much weight.

As the European Society of Cardiology wraps up another successful congress in London there remains a buzz about the work being done by doctors around the world to help patients with a variety of conditions.

Patients in the emergency room for a recent heart attack may be prescribed ticagrelor by the attending physician. A recent study showed getting patients the treatment as early as in the ambulance can provide additional benefits.

Study results show that health care practitioners who treat psoriasis patients often miss important opportunities to communicate the cardiovascular risks those patients are likely to face.

As oral anticoagulants become more popular and a new generation of the drugs is introduced there are still some questions about the potential risks of taking the medication and whether they outweigh the benefits.

The use of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) has been rising steadily. But they can cause complications. In an article in Annals of Internal Medicine a multispecialty panel reports on the Michigan Appropriateness Guide for Intravenous Catheters (MAGIC). The panel came up with new PICC criteria.

PCSK9 inhibitors have been the focus of the cardiology community and with the approval of two medications in the past few months these drugs could soon make their way to a large number of patients needing help managing their cholesterol levels using more than just statins.

The cost critics at the non-profit Institute for Clincial and Economic Review today charged that a heart monitoring device is too expensive by 60% and a new cardiac drug costs 17% more than it should. It's the same group that attacked the cost of PCSK9 inhibitors and predicted hepatitis C antivirals would be pricey.

Congestive heart failure is a serious condition facing people around the world. Early trials of a gene therapy have showed promise to not only help these patients with the condition but also make their hearts healthier.

Just because researchers go into a study with a hypothesis they hope to prove, it does not mean the results will be what they were hoping for.

Researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle reported that the use of avatars (digital representations of a coach, buddy, or teacher) improved user satisfaction in interactive, online weight management programs for obese teens.

Study results show patients who took statins following ischemic stroke were significantly less likely to have post-stroke early-onset seizures.

Middle-aged men with prediabetes are more likely than healthy peers to suffer from depressive symptoms and signs of andropausal syndrome.

There is an ever growing list of tests doctors can order for their patients, particularly when it comes to cardiac conditions. Choosing the right test is a very important skill for practitioners to use in their daily practice.

With the introduction of two new medications cardiologists have powerful new tools to use in order to help heart failure become an even more manageable condition.

On a daily basis cardiologists face patients with a wide variety of conditions. A review of recent studies show just how far the treatment of many of these conditions have come.

Left atrial appendage obliteration reduces stroke risk in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, but a new study suggests that the procedure does not reduce stroke risk in atrial fibrillation patients after bioprosthetic mitral valve replacement.

California researchers report good results in a phase II study of a gene therapy for congestive heart failure. The news comes five months after Celladon's Mydicar gene therapy for CHF failed to meet its trial's endpoints.

Cardiovascular patients are the focus of the recent drug approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Branded under the name Durlaza, the 24-hour extended-release aspirin is the first of its kind and is expected to become available before the end of the year.

A study published in Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders indicates that sodium glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2 inhibitors, which affect both supply and demand pathways in the heart) may be the preferred treatment for diabetics with heart failure.

If a patient requires bypass surgery one of the factors doctors will look at when considering the operation is the person's blood pressure. A recent study looked at whether it could be safe to operate when the patient's pressure is higher or lower than previously accepted.

A general practitioner can gain a better understanding of a patient’s underlying cardiac ailments by focusing on the fundamentals of pacemakers and automated implantable cardioverter defibrillators (AICDs).In the first part of this 3-part article (“Pacemakers and AICDs: The ABCs”), we discussed distinguishing between pacemakers and AICDs. The second part (“Pacemakers and AICDs: Nomenclature and Malfunction”) addressed pacemaker nomenclature and device function, malfunction, and pseudomalfunction. Here we cover interrogation reports and interpretation of EKGs.

Secondhand smoke exposure in utero and in childhood puts people at higher risk of having atrial fibrillation later in life, San Francisco researchers found.

When a patient checks into the emergency room, whether on their own or in an ambulance, time is of the essence to make the correct diagnosis. As technology improves so does the ability to make diagnoses in medicine that much faster. This way doctors can treat the patients that need the help the most while the others can be safely discharged and sent home.