Cardiology

Results from the Oregon Sudden Unexpected Death Study indicate that women who suffer sudden cardiac arrest are significantly less likely than men to exhibit common symptoms and have an established diagnosis of coronary artery disease.

A study from Johns Hopkins has found that "routine prescription of extended-release niacin, a B vitamin (1,500 milligrams daily), in combination with traditional cholesterol-lowering therapy offers no extra benefit in correcting arterial narrowing and diminishing plaque buildup in seniors who already have coronary artery disease."

Collaboration is important in healthcare, as evidenced by the growing number of "learning communities" and grassroots efforts that are bringing people and organizations together to work on the issue of eliminating disparities in health and healthcare.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recently updated its guidelines on fluid intake for runners during a race, citing new research on hyponatremia from the University of South Africa in Capetown.

As of December 2000, 21 of 30 randomized, placebo-controlled trials had been completed and the risk of a cardiovascular thromboembolic adverse event or death was greater among subjects assigned to the rofecoxib group, raising concerns from a safety standpoint.

A national health information technology infrastructure (NHITI) is not only necessary, but it is cardinal to improving delivery and reducing costs of healthcare in the United States.

The powerful vendor-lobbying group, HIMSS, has been extremely successful over the last 8 years lobbying our elected political leaders about HIT.

In his July 2009 editorial, Dr. Robert C. Like, MD, MS, wrote about the importance of creating "communities of practice" and the increasing role of the Web and collaboration in facilitating the development of learning networks. Here, he continues this discussion by sharing some perspectives from the field of library science about the impact of the Internet on clinical practice and public health.

The challenge of eliminating disparities in clinical trials is being addressed by the Eliminating Disparities in Clinical Trials (EDICT) project, which recognizes that broadening diversity in clinical trials will result in improved effectiveness and safety of future medicines, improved trial quality, and reduced discrepancies in health equity.

Here are the results from three presentations on the use of computed tomography and other advanced cardiac imaging in angina and chest pain at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009.

Here are the results from two presentations on outcomes in the management of stable and unstable angina and chest pain at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009.

Wednesday at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009, the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines announced the release of the long-awaited update to the guidelines for management of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction and the management of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

Nearly a dozen posters were presented during this final-day poster session, featuring results of studies looking at such topics as postmenopausal hormone therapy, pericardial fat, birth weight in women, chronic kidney disease, metabolic syndrome, pulmonary toxicity associated with amiodarone, and risk stratification schemes. The results of these studies are highlighted.

This plenary session featured several distinguished speakers from across Europe and North America who reviewed the latest information in the area of atrial fibrillation.

I have been following with interest all the discussions about the new Medical Home (aka, the Patient Centered Medical Home) concept. This is our silver bullet that will improve patient access, raise quality levels, increase overall satisfaction and save billions of healthcare dollars - all at the same time!

This abstract poster session featured the topics of left atrial scar remodeling, closure of gap lesions, incidence of complete circumferential scar of the pulmonary vein antra, contact force mapping and ultrasound, antral isolation of pulmonary veins, radiofrequency ablation versus visutally guided laser balloon ablation, regional differences in left atrial wall thickness, and more. Highlights of these research posters are offered below.

Study results from the MERLIN-TIMI 36 Trial looking at the risk of ischemia and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) alone or combined in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) were presented during an abstract oral session at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009.

A study presented Tuesday at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009 looked at the relationship between coronary micro-vessel spasm, epicardial coronary artery spastic angina, and non-obstructive coronary artery disease.

This session focused on the current state of practice for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation; the pathophysiology of AF, including genetics, atrial structure, and neurologic input; and clinical and epidemiological insights into imaging AF substrate.

Results from several interesting studies that looked at efforts to decrease door-to-balloon time in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and whether time reductions had any effect on mortality rates were presented during abstract poster sessions and abstract oral sessions Monday and Tuesday at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009.

This abstract oral session, featuring presenters who were given 15 minutes to review their research, provided attendees with information on the E/e’ ratio as a prognostic predictor in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), the association between atrial and ventricular ECG findings and cardiac circulating biomarkers, stiffness of the left atrium, left atrial function as a predictor of first AF in older adults, and the mechanism of improvement of cardiac function in patients with AF. The studies are reviewed here.

This abstract session featured presenters for studies that focused on the importance of atrial surface area and refractory period in sustaining atrial fibrillation (AF), mechanisms of CFAE formation in the posterior left atrium during induced AF, the left atrial ganlionated plexus, and complex fractionated atrial electrogramm versus liner ablation for persistent AF.

Research indicates that patients with CVA were more likely to be older, female, have moderate-to-severe renal disease, and have a history of stroke unrelated to prior angioplasty.

The results of a study that looked at the competing effects on left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) of hypokalemia and treatment with hydrochlorothiazides (HCTZ) in hypertensive patients were presented Monday, November 15 at the American Heart Association Scientitifc Sessions 2009.

This all-day abstract poster session featured researchers presenting results of studies focused on such topics as atrial fibrillation following pulmonary transplantation, use of Digoxin in atrial fibrillation, supplementation of Omega 3 PUFA plus antioxidante vitamins to prevent postoperative atrial fibrillation, and the impact of hypothyroidism on atrial fibrillation treatment strategy outcomes. The results are highlighted here.

Research shows that early-stage CKD is related to atherosclerosis; therefore, management of CKD might lower the incidence of coronary spastic angina

Although treatment with low-dose aspirin is standard care for secondary prevention of cardiovascular (CV) events, some studies have shown that up to half of all patients stop taking aspirin. Other studies have shown that discontinuation of aspirin in these patients is linked to an increased risk of MI and other ischemic events.

Does adherence to ACC/AHA guideline therapies in patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) result in reductions in one-year post-discharge mortality rates?

Although previous studies have shown that women are less likely to receive acute reperfusion treatment for ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in clinical practice, there is comparatively little data on "gender differences in adjunctive treatment and outcome in the setting of primary PCI." Given this lack of data, what is the impact of female gender on hospital outcome of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with STEMI in clinical practice?

Does the evidence support the guidelines that recommend immediate reperfusion therapy for patients presenting with a new or presumed new left bundle branch block (LBBB)? A study presented during the "Women, STEMI, and PCI Trials" Abstract Oral Session Tuesday morning at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009 provided a surprising answer to that question.