Cardiology

The FDA approved label warning changes for two Gilead Sciences hepatitis C drugs after one person died and nine others had serious reactions when the drugs were coadministered with amiodarone, a drug used to treat irregular heartbeat.

Working in an emergency room setting in the United States, in almost all circumstances provides doctors with at least most of the major needs they require to do their jobs on a daily basis. One organization is working to bring those basic needs to hospitals throughout Latin America.

The field of medical technology is constantly expanding and changing requiring new equipment to be used in a variety of ways. That effort has been brought under one roof at Massachusetts General Hospital thanks in part to the efforts of one generous and appreciative patient.

Women who have 4 or more children have a higher risk of developing atherosclerosis, a Texas study found. Researchers who analyzed data on coronary artery calcium and aortic wall thickness found these 2 cardiac risk factors were most pronounced in that high-birth group and far lower in women who had 2 or 3 children. Curiously, women who had 1 or no children also showed they had the risk factors similar to the high-birth group.

Approximately 14% of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) also have type 2 diabetes mellitus. That number is expected to rise as the population of HIV-infected patients ages and develop associated chronic comorbidities.

The relationship between a blood thinner and the body's natural defense against HIV was discussed in new research published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Pressure on US hospitals to cut costs is fueling a new trend, sending patients home as little as 2 days after primary percutaneous coronary intervention after a serious heart attack. Most US patients go home in 4 to 5 days. A new study finds the short stay is usually safe and the research will likely add momentum to the trend.

Analysis indicates that updates to atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment guidelines will encourage American doctors to prescribe oral anticoagulants to almost 1 million more patients.

A 46-year-old man with a history of anxiety and chest pain and a family history of hyperlipidemia drives himself to Figure 1. ECG tracing obtained on admission to emergency department.the emergency department after experiencing non-pleuritic, non-radiating chest pain and dyspnea while playing basketball about 30 minutes earlier.

A 46-year-old man with a history of anxiety and chest pain and a family history of hyperlipidemia drives himself to the emergency department after experiencing non-pleuritic, non-radiating chest pain and dyspnea while playing basketball about 30 minutes earlier.

Preventive angioplasty may be the next big thing. In a study presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting in San Diego, CA, researchers recommended complete revascularization of constricted arteries in patients who had a STEMI heart attack.

Patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing angioplasty who got the anticoagulant bivalirudin (Angiomax/Medicines Company) had significantly lower rates of bleeding complications and death than controls, according to a Dutch study.

The reporting of PCI results is not a common practice for many reasons, and while some states require it of their doctors, there could be both medical and political barriers standing in the way of it becoming a nationwide program.

With New York and Massachusetts leading the way laws requiring public reporting of PCI results were recently expanded to Washington State as well. A recent study looked at the risks and benefits of other states starting similar programs.

The use of dual anti platelet therapy is popular among cardio patients but questions remain of how long that therapy should continue after a cardiac event.

As technology improves, so does the ability for doctors to better view their patients from a variety of angles as part of their overall care. This is also true in cardiology when treating patients with myocardial diseases.

As with any new class of medications there are many questions that will need to be answered by and for healthcare professionals.

If the new class of drugs are as effective as they appear to be in early studies, it could have a drastic affect on how patients with cardiac issues are treated in the future.

One of the hot topics at the American College of Cardiology's annual meeting in San Diego was a new class of drugs being developed that could revolutionize the field of cardiac care.

About two-thirds of surgeons performing mitral valve surgery on patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) do ablation procedures at the same time. There are no official guidelines on when to do both. Trying to provide more information to guide such decisions, a US-Canada team randomized a group of these patients to either valve repair alone, or valve repair with ablation. The dual approach seems better.

Evaluating the status of lipoprotein may be able to predict a patient's risk for cardiovascular disease for up to 15 years, according to findings in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Obesity is associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) but the heart condition can be reduced if these patients shed pounds.

A high-salt diet is widely associated with heart disease and stroke. However, a study published on March 3 in Cell Metabolism suggests the diet boosts the immune system which protects against infections.

The landscape of cardiac care has changed dramatically over the past few years and will continue to well into the future. What it will look like exactly remains to be determined based on a number of factors.

With a new class of drugs on the horizon questions remain about what PCSK9 inhibitors will mean to the future of cardiac care. Doctors are slowly learning the answers to those questions as possible approval draws closer.

Interventional cardiologists would do better to access heart arteries through a patient's arm than groin, a Dutch study found. Though the radial approach is technically more difficult, it is safer with a lower risk of severe bleeding.

As Doctors become more familiar with the new cholesterol guidelines it will be up to them to carry the message to the patients about ways they can improve their overall health.

Physicians may think patients over 80 are too old to benefit from agressive care to treat unstable angina or clogged arteries that caused a heart attack. Think again, a Norwegian researcher said at the American College of Cardiology meeting in San Diego, CA. These patients were 47% more likely to survive and healthier after invasive procedures than a group that got non-invasive care.

It has been many years since guidelines looking at cholesterol control were revised. Now the question is how to keep the new guidelines current even in the future.

An analysis of more than 20,000 records indicates that patients who choose catheter ablation rather than cardioversion for atrial fibrillation face an elevated stroke risk immediately after the procedure but a lower stroke risk thereafter.