Cardiology

This brief presentation (roughly 25 minutes)—part of the “Groundbreaking Studies in the Practice of Cardiovascular Medicine: Circulation Editors’ Choices” session—featured Stefan H. Hohnloser, MD, who presented the results of a study that were published in the February 12, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The pundits are going to have their field day with this one. "The danger [with this Bill] is that as costs continue to rise and coverage becomes less comprehensive, people will conclude that we've tried health reform and it didn't work. But the real problem will be that we didn't really try it.

New research presented at CHEST 2009 shows that statins may have negative effects in some cardiac patients.

The Institute of Medicine released its "To Err is Human" report in 2000. Now that we're nearing the end of 2009, safety experts are examining the extent to which the IOM's recommendations have been implemented.

We rank 19th among industrialized countries in preventable deaths in such conditions as diabetes, epilepsy, stroke, influenza, ulcers, pneumonia, infant mortality, and appendicitis.

When a patient is diagnosed with heart disease, cardiologists typically focus on treating him or her for obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). However, an article published in the October 20 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology explains that “up to half of women may not have” CAD.

On Monday, the ACC and AHA released the 2009 ACCF/AHA Focused Update on Perioperative Beta Blockade, an addendum to the ACC/AHA 2007 Guidelines on Perioperative Cardiovascular Evaluation and Care for Noncardiac Surgery.

The new health Internet being designed by federal officials will hopefully be up and running by next year, a move that will allow physicians and patients to more easily exchange health information.

A new study by researchers in Canada shows that a majority of high school freshmen have at least one major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. These factors include obesity and elevated cholesterol levels, two problems that are also common in America. Results of the study may serve as a guide for US physicians to monitor and work to change heart disease and stroke risk in teenagers.

The answer may surprise you.

The weight gain that is often seen in children taking antipsychotic medications can also have a negative impact on metabolic factors in those children.

Cardiologists will find that these online resources will be beneficial for themselves and their patients.

A recent study from Kaiser Permanente shows that women with diabetes face a 26% greater risk of also developing atrial fibrillation.

Remember, we have essentially 2 options; All we can do is pick the lesser of the evils. Example: Federal control is bad; corporate control is worse.

Great for healthcare providers, but bad for patients?

Researchers have developed the first mathematical model in cardiology and emergency medicine that enables clinicians to more quickly and reliably diagnose acute heart failure (AHF) in emergency room patients.

I was out of town on business and had a 'slip & fall.' After many tries and many hours on the phone, Oxford could not direct us to a plan orthopedist—hand surgeon? Yes; Foot and ankle? Didn't happen. Ironically (or was it?), that bureaucratic hurdle saved them a bundle.

Researchers have used mouse embryonic stem cells to create a patch made of cardiomyocytes and cardiac fibroblasts that may one day be used to repair tissue damaged by heart disease.

Certain common herbicides and lipid-lowering fibrate drugs act in humans to block a nutrient-sensing taste receptor also present in intestine and pancreas.

At a healthcare forum hosted by Politics magazine, current and former members of Congress said they believed President Obama would sign some sort of a healthcare reform package, most likely later this year. “There would be too much political damage done if something doesn’t pass, so Congress will find a way,” said Congressman Michael Burgess, MD (R-TX).

As the media continues to ruminate on the tragic results of violence among youth in Chicago’s south side, I think it might be worth looking at violence in our society as a whole. A new study from the University of New Hampshire suggests that we have yet to really appreciate the amount of violence many children are exposed to.

What is the best way to draw an activated partial thromboplastin time when a patient is receiving heparin therapy and has a central venous catheter?

Results from the PROSPECT trial "shed new light on the types of vulnerable plaque that are most likely to cause sudden, unexpected adverse cardiac events, and on the ability to identify them through imaging techniques before they occur."

I say we should let those who are screaming against the health insurance reform bills because they're "Socialist" opt out - not just from the bills, but also from ALL of "Socialism."

A study presented at the 14th International Headache Congress found that patients who get migraines with aura are at an increased risk for ischemic stroke when compared to patients who do not get migraines.

A study on the prevalence of angina among outpatients with coronary artery disease published recently in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that nearly one-third of patients with stable CAD experienced angina at least once a week.

A case report notes that several studies have linked preinfarction angina with a lower incidence of complications in hospitalized patients, particularly in older patients and in patients with diabetes.

Prasugrel was recently approved by the FDA for a very narrow indication: Percutaneous coronary intervention patients with unstable angina, or MI with or without ST segment elevation.

Patients who suffer from depression in the first several weeks after being hospitalized for a coronary event and those patients whose depression does not improve over six months are at an increased risk of death compared to coronary patients who are not depressed.