The HCPLive conference coverage page features articles, videos, and expert-led live coverage from major medical meetings throughout the year.
Q&A With Thierry Gillebert From Ghent University: New Studies Look at Ways to Improve Cardiac Care
On a daily basis cardiologists face patients with a wide variety of conditions. A review of recent studies show just how far the treatment of many of these conditions have come.
If a patient requires bypass surgery one of the factors doctors will look at when considering the operation is the person's blood pressure. A recent study looked at whether it could be safe to operate when the patient's pressure is higher or lower than previously accepted.
When a patient checks into the emergency room, whether on their own or in an ambulance, time is of the essence to make the correct diagnosis. As technology improves so does the ability to make diagnoses in medicine that much faster. This way doctors can treat the patients that need the help the most while the others can be safely discharged and sent home.
While digoxin has been a popular medication in the past, particularly for patients with atrial fibrillation, a recent study looked at whether the medication was indeed beneficial for treatment when compared to placebo or no pharmaceutical therapy at all. Digoxin may be a popular treatment for some patients, but often doctors cannot look at just one condition when treating and have to consider multiple factors and issues.
Q&A With Kay-Tee Khaw From University of Cambridge: Finding New Results Through Population Medicine
Treating one patient for an illness can answer some questions for doctors. However, in many cases looking at the larger patient population can answer not only why the patients got sick, but what can be done to keep them healthy in the long run.
As technology improves telemedicine is becoming a more viable option to treat a wide variety of conditions. While the idea of telemedicine can be easily implemented into practice there are still concerns that need to be addressed for the field to progress. These issues can include liability and governance over doctors and where their patients are located.
Wire-Free Pacemaker Shows Promise
New York City-based researchers reported that a leadless cardiac pacemaker (Nanostim/St. Jude Medical) implanted non-surgically via a catheter through the femoral vein had a better safety record than conventional devices. But it has other limitations.
Atrial Fibrillation: Rivaroxaban Helps Prevent Stroke and Major Bleeding
September 1st 2015The first real-world study of its kind revealed that rivaroxaban, marketed as Xarelto, can reduce the risk of stroke and major bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) – a group that is five times more likely to suffer a stroke compared to the general population.
Heart Failure Patients: Gene Transfer Therapy Does Not Help
Barry Greenberg, MD, UCSD Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center, La Jolla, California, USA, presented results from the Calcium Up-Regulation by Percutaneous Administration of Gene Therapy in Cardiac Disease Phase 2b (CUPID 2) gene transfer study at the European Society of Cardiology 2015 Congress.
PCSK9 Inhibitor Dramatically Reduces Cholesterol in Patients with Familial Hypercholesterolemia
The Sanofi/Regeneron PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab (Praluent)- approved in July in the US - lowered cholesterol in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia to levels "unreachable with statins" researchers said at the European Society of Cardiology meeting in London, UK.
In the time since Florence Nightingale first developed the profession of nursing as it is known today a lot has changed for the men and women in the field. Even still the work they do has been a key part of the medical world as training has increased and improved as well.
Q&A With Kim Williams From Rush University: ACC and ESC Work Toward Common Goals in Cardiac Care
Representing two of the major conferences in the cardiac world the American College of Cardiology and the European Society of Cardiology have found ways to work together to help patients on both sides of the Atlantic.
Diabetes, Other Risk Factors Significantly Increase Heart Attack Risk in Young Women
August 31st 2015Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) cause more than 52% of all deaths in females, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and myocardial infarction (MI) incidence is increasing in the younger population.
Finerenone vs. Eplerenone: Trial Shows Mixed Results
In heart failure patients with diabetes and/or chronic kidney disease, a new, non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist called finerenone was no more effective than the currently approved MRA eplerenone in reducing the heart failure biomarker N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide. But it had other benefits.
The MANTRA-PAF trial, A study looking at a treatment for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation reached its five year follow-up mark and the results were shared at the recent European Society of Cardiology Congress to see whether surgical or pharmaceutical treatment was better for patients.
Study: NSAIDs, COX-2 inhibitors Have Equivalent Side Effects
Researchers in Scotland found that in a trial involving more tha n 7,000 patients, the rates of adverse cardiac and other negative outcomes were about the same whether these patients took NSAIDs or COX-2 inhibitors.