Cardiology

The American College of Cardiology 2015 Annual Scientific Session and Expo is set to begin March 14 in San Diego, CA. MD Magazine's editorial and video team will be there to provide breaking news, physician interviews, and analysis of the 3-day event. Some of the studies presented will likely change the practice of cardiology. Here's a preview.

A simple CHADS2 score, along with records about ongoing use of certain medications, may help physicians predict the risk that individual patients will develop atrial fibrillation after thoracic or vascular surgery.

Study results indicate that the extent of a patient's physical recovery from celiac disease does not affect that patient's long-term risk of developing atrial fibrillation or ischemic heart disease.

Study results show that men with stable coronary heart disease or acute coronary syndrome who received testosterone replacement therapy did not experience higher rates of major adverse cardiovascular events than men who did not receive testosterone replacement therapy.

The National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention is rolling out a free 24/7 information hotline called Stronger Hearts where callers can get referrals to care and information about heart failure. The program, which has funding from Novartis, began in February, 2015 as a pilot in San Bernardino County, CA. Its backers hope to expand the concept to other markets where demographics indicate a high prevalence of heart failure patients.

Researchers reported no association between endogenous testosterone and incident stroke and ischemic changes in men evaluated via brain MRI imaging.

Study results presented at ENDO 2015 suggest that some risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease are regulated by testosterone and estradiol, others (such as changes in LDL cholesterol and blood pressure) are not.

One of the major concerns of people considering quitting smoking is whether they will gain weight. A new study has shown that may not need to be a concern and that the overall benefits to their health can outweigh the risks.

In overweight and obese individuals without diabetes, liraglutide 3.0 mg as an adjunct to diet and exercise was associated with greater reductions in fasting and postprandial glucose compared with diet and exercise alone.

People with more exposure to air pollution are more likely to have carotid artery stenosis, researchers from NYU School of Medicine's Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease have found.

Being Greek does not necessarily mean eating healthy. A new study showed that adults in Greece who ate a traditional Mediterranean style diet-one that stresses eating fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, fish, olive oil and moderate consumption of red wine-were 47% less likely to develop heart disease than peers who were eating Western-style. A related study, however, showed that physicians often do not know enough about the diet to counsel patients.

It's no secret that behavior can alter a person's likelihood of developing heart failure. In a new set of metrics, Faraz Ahmad, MD and colleagues at Northwestern University offer physicians a tool to show how many healthy heart-failure free years patients can gain by avoiding risky behaviors.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) has tracked changes in dyslipidemia and blood pressure in children since 1988. A new report in JAMA Pediatrics indicated that serum lipid concentrations improved in American children and adolescents since 1988.

Cardiac arrests often occur at home. The American Heart Association estimated that roughly one million Americans suffer heart attacks annually; 88% occur at home, and patients have a 50-50 chance of reaching the hospital alive.

Cardiac biomarker testing is often used in emergency department visits even when there is no suspected symptom of acute coronary syndrome, according to research from UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Elderly and frail patients whose blood pressure is also being treated need to be carefully treated, suggest findings published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

A veteran in the field of medicine gets a bird's eye view of life from the patient's perspective

Two days after the US Food and Drug Administration announced that testosterone replacement products must now carry warning labels on the risks of heart attack and stroke, 2 researchers presented abstracts of studies indicating that there is no such danger. The studies were publicized by the American College of Cardiology and will be presented in detail at the group's upcoming meeting in San Diego, CA.

A 73 year-old man presents to the emergency department from his internist's office where he had complained of palpitations and light-headedness that began 4 hours earlier after his daily exercise regimen. He did not appear distressed, but his heart rate was 160 beats per minute. Blood pressure was 140/90. He had no light-headedness at the time, but continued to report palpitations. An ECG was performed.

In many states the sale of electronic cigarettes is not as regulated as the more traditional method making it an option for many young potential users.

A new blood test can determine what type of stroke a patient is having and the length of the stroke.

Manufacturers of prescription testosterone products must change their drug labels to include a warning about increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. The labeling change, announced today by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) addresses the use of testosterone by men whose decreased level of the hormone is due to aging.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appears to be fighting a losing battle with manufacturers of sexual aids marketed as "natural" products and sold over the counter. It's not a question of whether they work. The issue is that they contain sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, which requires a prescription.

Study results show that treatment with atorvastatin lowers LDL-cholesterol levels and reduces the volume of noncalcified and high-risk plaques in HIV-infected patients with subclinical atherosclerosis.

Sanofi's Toujeo (insulin glargine [rDNA origin] injection, 300 U/mL) is a once-daily, long-acting basal insulin product designed to improve glycemic control in adults with type 1 and/or type 2 diabetes.

Among the approximately 382 million people who have type 2 diabetes (T2DM) worldwide, approximately 20% live in South-East Asia and 65.1 million live in India. Asian populations are racially, demographically, culturally and socioeconomically heterogeneous. Researchers have identified unique trends in Asians diagnosed with T2DM.

The most common causes of lipodystrophy are insulin injection, antiretroviral drugs, and hereditary disorders. Some patients with insulin-related lipodystrophy also develop metabolic dysfunction, including insulin resistance, elevated free fatty acids level, abnormal adipocytokine secretion, and ectopic fat deposition.

Study results show that continuous cardiac monitoring is an effective (and cost-effective) option for detecting atrial fibrillation in stroke patients.

The best method for smoking cessation can be determined by a blood test, according to findings published in Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

The Department of Defense spent more than $84 million on erectile dysfunction medications in 2014, according to a report in Military Times. Nearly half of that, $41.6 million, was spent on Viagra, with military doctors writing nearly a million prescriptions for that drug alone last year.