Cardiology

The SORT OUT II trial showed that the first generation of drug-eluting stents, Cypher® and Taxus®, exhibit similar efficacy and safety when used for percutaneous coronary intervention in everyday practice, including in a high proportion of off-label situations.

Atrial fibrillation affects over 2.2 million Americans and is estimated to affect up to 10 million by 2050.

The following questions can assist candidates prepare for the Maintenance of Certification Exam in Peripheral Arterial Disease.

We have seen a dramatic increase in use of ICDs along with expanded indications for these devices.

The benefits of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) have been shown in randomized clinical trials. The factors that affect the risk–benefit ratio in a community setting, however, have not been evaluated.

According to the World Health Organization,about 30% of deaths worldwide result from cardiovascular diseases, many of which may be preventable by modifying or treating risk factors, such as unhealthy diet, smoking, and diabetes.

Cardiovascular risk factors vary somewhat for each specific atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease event; however, there is sufficient commonality to enable crafting of a global CVD risk-assessment instrument that accurately predicts total CVD risk and the risk of its individual components.

While most patients are concerned about their risk for myocardial infarction, it is important to remember that the risk factors for death from all cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, peripheral arterial disease, and coronary artery disease, are similar.

An article published by the New England Journal of Medicine questions the length of time that should elapse between cardiocirculatory death and organ retrieval.

According to a VentureBeat article, the world�s largest hacker convention, have �figured out how to turn off someone�s pacemaker via remote control.�

A recently launched study will examine the effects of obesity and explore methods for teaching participants about prevention.

A consensus statement published in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism indicates that the HbA1c test could be used to identify millions of people with undiagnosed diabetes.

Staying heart-healthy is a partnership between your cardiologist and yourself. Patients should follow the guidelines given to them and listen to the advice dispensed.

California has passed a law banning trans fats in restaurants, bakeries, delicatessens, cafeterias, and other businesses classified as “food facilities.”

Among patients with atrial fibrillation, amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone) is the most useful drug for the preservation of sinus rhythm.1-3 Although amiodarone carries a well-known risk of potentially serious noncardiac toxicities, perhaps less well recognized is its major cardiovascular side effect of bradycardia.

This issue of Cardiology Review includes an article in the Hypertension section by Dr. Robert H. Fagard, who evaluates the effect of low diastolic blood pressure (BP) on prognosis in older patients with systolic hypertension.

Methadone HCI (Diskets, Dolophine, Methadose) is a synthetic opioid that has been used widely in the United States for the management of heroin addiction Treatment of opioid dependence has been shifting gradually from the older US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection program, ...

There is some debate about whether the risk of cardiovascular events associated with low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels is attenuated by very low low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels (< 60 mg/dL), which can be obtained with statins and combination therapy.

Dr. Fagard from Belgium addresses an interesting conundrum in the treatment of high blood pressure (BP): can there be too much of a good thing?

DeBakey was best-known for his trailblazing efforts in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

From the Hypertension and Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Unit, Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

With all the content aggregators and other resources online that point users toward useful websites, it's hard to fathom how a site as well conceived and valuable as dave.md could remain so relatively unknown.

An 89-year-old woman with a history of hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and a transient ischemic attack 7 years earlier ...

This propensity-matched study, in which patients with and without diabetes were well balanced in all measured baseline characteristics, including traditional risk factors and comorbidities, found that diabetes was associated with increased mortality and hospitalization in ambulatory patients who had chronic, mild-to-moderate heart failure and were receiving angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. These findings also highlight the sex- and age-related variations in the effect of diabetes in these patients.

Early detection of cardiovascular disease can reduce the huge human and economic impact of this group of diseases.

The AAPS said that many physicians have decided not to use EHRs because they fear the data will be used to control what they do and how they do it.

Doctors in Great Britain have already prescribed statins to children with the FH gene, which predicts early heart attacks.