Heart Failure

As part of a new pilot program, more than 300 US hospitals have begun to voluntarily report 30-day all-cause risk standardized readmission rates after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

The US Food and Drug Administration has awarded "breakthrough therapy" status to a synthetic copy of a naturally occurring human hormone for the treatment of acute heart failure (AHF), drug developer Novartis announced today.

Patients with decompensated heart failure and hyponatremia treated with standard management experienced worse outcomes than non-hyponatremic patients. Treatment with tolvaptan was associated with more favorable outcomes.

Study finds hyponatremia is an independent predictor of increased mortality, length of hospital stay, and postoperative complications in patients who undergo cardiac surgery.

Researchers recommended long-term surveillance of patients with hyponatremia on discharge.

Many accepted practices in hospital medicine, ranging from electrolyte management to the components of a syncope workup, may have scant or equivocal evidence to support their use.

Both corrected and persistent hyponatremia are predictors of all-cause mortality in patients presenting with myocardial infarction.

Results from a small retrospective study indicate that treatment with tolvaptan increases sodium concentrations and excretion rhythm without significantly affecting kidney function in patients with refractory hyponatremia and dcompensated heart failure.

Approved by the FDA nearly four years ago, Otsuka Group's once-daily Samsca (tolvaptan tablets) is indicated to raise serum sodium levels in nonurgent patients with hyponatremia.

Approved by the FDA in July 2011, AstraZeneca's Brilinta (ticagrelor tablets) is a twice-daily treatment to reduce the rate of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular death in adult patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Jeffrey S. Borer, MD, of the Howard Gilman Institute for Heart Valve Disease, discusses the SHIFT study's value for cardiologists over various recent heart failure trials.

Jeffrey S. Borer, MD, of the Howard Gilman Institute for Heart Valve Disease, discusses the factors cardiologists consider in selecting specific beta blockers for heart failure patients.

Results from the ASTRONAUT trial show that adding aliskiren to standard therapy for chronic heart failure does not improve mortality or rehospitalization rates.

Jeffrey S. Borer, MD, of the Howard Gilman Institute for Heart Valve Disease, discusses treating patients with heart failure with beta-blockers and whether there are any patients in this group who are not good candidates for this treatment.

Study results presented at ACC.13, the 62nd Annual Scientific Session & Expo of the American College of Cardiology, reveal that in selected STEMI patients, deferred stenting may reduce no-reflow and thrombotic events compared with immediate stenting.

Bioengineers at the University of California, San Diego have deemed a new injectable hydrogel safe and effective for repairing tissue damage caused by myocardial infarction, providing a platform to bring the gel to clinical trials within the next year.

After finding abnormal elevations of cardiac inflammation in patients with depressive illness (DI), a psychiatrist at Loyola University Medical Center, in Maywood, Ill., has proposed a new subspecialty to diagnose and treat patients with both depression and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

A roundup of recently published articles on the assessment, diagnosis, and management of hyponatremia in a variety of patient populations and clinical settings.

Annual list highlights key studies and research that contribute to the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

Here you will find a brief roundup of useful online resources for clinicians who treat patients with hyponatremia.

New research shows that arginase may contribute to angina in patients with type 2 diabetes. Suppressing the enzyme may help improve blood flow.

Recently released guidelines for the diagnosis and management of stable ischemic heart disease focus on evaluation and testing, risk factor modification, medical therapy and other therapeutic options, and follow-up.

A substudy of the PLATO trial reveals that treatment with ticagrelor reduces cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke in some patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome.

Results from the RELAX-AHF show serelaxin reduces cardiovascular deaths and improves symptoms in patients with heart failure.

Results from a substudy of the PLATO trial show that patients with extensive CAD and high rates of recurrent cardiovascular events, death, and bleeding may benefit from treatment with ticagrelor.

Study results presented at the American Heart Association 2012 Scientific Sessions show that visible signs of aging such as baldness and yellow fatty deposits around the eye are predictors for heart attack and heart disease risk.

New research presented at the American Heart Association 2012 Scientific Sessions reveals that although the number of cardiovascular-related deaths increases during the winter months in the US, the rate increase is consistent across climates.

M. Amin Karami, PhD, discusses study results presented at AHA 2012 that demonstrated the technical feasibility of using a piezoelectric energy-harvesting device to power a pacemaker.

Results from the OPERA trial presented at AHA 2012 show that short-term use of fish oil supplements does not decrease post-operative atrial fibrillation.

A new experimental device may be able to use converted energy from a patient's heart to generate enough electricity to fully power a pacemaker.