Cardiology

Making the transition from transfemoral to transradial access may provide longterm benefits for acute coronary syndrome patients, but changing years of training to the newer method also figures to be a longterm project for the cardiac community.

For patients with acute coronary syndrome there has been one longstanding treatment method which doctors have used for many years. In recent years interventional cardiologists have been looking at whether a fresh approach might be best for this patient group.

Though current cell phones are not up to par, soon, mobile devices like smart phones can serve as cardiac monitors, according to a clinical review published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Click here to review the CME questions for this month's issue.

The pain that typically accompanies osteoarthritis may be associated with excess mortality among middle-aged women, British scientists reported.

The American Heart Association was one of the first organizations to advocate dietary changes to decrease the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). The organization's first recommendation appeared in 1957 advising a decrease in the amount of fat intake to decrease atherosclerosis risk. Today, a different approach is recommended, which considers the diet as a whole, with recommendations of what to both include and avoid. Among other nutritional and lifestyle recommendations, the AHA advises the consumption of 2 servings of fish weekly for both men and women.

Click here to read the statement of need, learning objectives, instructions on how to obtain CME credit, faculty list and disclosures, and other information for this activity.

Obstructive peripheral artery disease (PAD) manifests itself with intermittent claudication (affecting 20 to 40 million individuals worldwide), which is described as exertional lower extremity pains, and in more advanced stages with critical limb ischemia and acute or chronic limb ischemia. Irrespective of presentation, patients with PAD are at increased risk for adverse cardiovascular (CV) events. Therefore, risk factor modification is the cornerstone of the management of PAD.

Studies have identified lower-than-normal BMIs to be associated with higher mortality in comparison with normal body weight and overweight individuals in patients with coronary artery disease. This has given rise to the term "obesity paradox" in which being overweight/obese confers a survival advantage in individuals that have been diagnosed with a medical condition. Against this backdrop, this study attempted to evaluate whether there is an association between BMI and death risk among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

It is well established that among patients with the clinical syndrome of heart failure, approximately half have preserved systolic function, known commonly as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Although originally considered to be a syndrome that pathophysiologically involves diastolic dysfunction, ongoing investigation suggests that although diastolic abnormalities may be present in many patients, other aspects of pathophysiology likely also contribute to symptoms. This study examined the association of beta-blockers with mortality in patients with HFpEF.

It is widely accepted that sexual activity is an important component of quality of life for men and women with cardiovascular disease (CVD), as well as for their partners, and is a safe activity, in general. Yet, older studies show that most CVD patients do not believe they have been educated by health care providers on when to resume sexual activity or any necessary restrictions following acute myocardial infarction.