Cardiology News and Research

Latest Cardiology News and Research

New device enable physicians to quickly join blood vessels during heart bypass surgery

Guidant Corporation has announced that the company has begun distribution of Cardica Inc.’s C-Port™ Distal Anastomosis System in Europe. Cardica’s C-Port System, which recently received approval, is designed to enable physicians to quickly and easily join blood vessels during heart bypass surgery.

2 Jun 2004

Pollution can contribute to the development of cardiovascular diseases

Journal of the American Heart Association reports that exposure to air pollution can contribute to the development of cardiovascular diseases.

2 Jun 2004

Pipe smoking as dangerous as cigar smoking

An American Cancer Society study finds pipe smoking confers a similar risk of cancer and other disease as cigar smoking. The study, the largest and most precise to date of the risks of pipe smoking, appears in the June 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

2 Jun 2004

FDA clears first computer-aided device to assist in the detection of heart murmurs

Zargis Medical Corp., a majority-owned subsidiary of Speedus Corp, announced today it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance to market Zargis Acoustic Cardioscan (Cardioscan), the first and only computer-aided medical device to support physicians in analyzing heart sounds for the identification of suspected murmurs, a potential sign of heart disease.

2 Jun 2004

Reiner Center for Behavioral and Psychosomatic Medicine

Columbia University Medical Center has received a $5 million gift from Edward S. Reiner to establish the Reiner Center for Behavioral and Psychosomatic Medicine, the only center of its kind in New York City.

2 Jun 2004

Prescribing ACE inhibitors to in-patients is important, but outpatients need ongoing support

Use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors by heart failure patients drops sharply within a month after they go home from the hospital and then continues to decline, according to a new study in the June 2, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

2 Jun 2004

Women with chest pain who have low hemoglobin levels are more likely to die or suffer a heart attack

Women with chest pain who have low hemoglobin levels are more likely to die or suffer a heart attack, heart failure, stroke or other cardiovascular event than women with normal hemoglobin levels, according to a new study in the June 2, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

2 Jun 2004

Patients prescribed medication for long term illness rapidly stop taking their medicines

Many patients prescribed a medicine for a long term condition, such as asthma or heart disease, rapidly stop taking their medicines as prescribed, reveals research in Quality and Safety in Health Care.

1 Jun 2004

Chronic diseases are the largest cause of death in the world

The rising global burden of chronic diseases needs a coordinated effort from policy makers, advocates and health professionals, according to a special communication in the June 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), a theme issue on Global Health.

1 Jun 2004

Chocolate is good for your heart

UCSF scientists are publishing sweet results of a study examining chocolate's effects on blood vessel function in healthy people. The team reports that small daily doses of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate consumed over a two-week period improved blood vessels' ability to dilate, or expand.

1 Jun 2004

Health Canada serious warning against use of Thermonex capsules

Health Canada is warning consumers not to use Thermonex capsules, which are being advertised for weight loss, water loss and to help boost thyroid output. This product could cause serious adverse effects, including death.

1 Jun 2004

Tobacco use and obesity more common among less educated and lowest income Americans

As America observed World No Tobacco Day today, the American Legacy Foundation released a new analysis showing America's most disadvantaged populations are carrying the burden of two major public health epidemics -- smoking and obesity.

1 Jun 2004

Daily reduction in the flexibility of blood vessels maybe why heart attacks occur in the early morning

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered a daily reduction in the flexibility of blood vessels, which may help explain why heart attacks and strokes occur most frequently in the early morning hours. The findings are published June 1 in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

1 Jun 2004

West Nile set to explode in summer 2004

Experts predict the continued spread of West Nile virus this summer, with the potential for serious outbreaks in numerous states, including California.

1 Jun 2004

Atkins high-fat-low-carbohydrate diet may have caused severe heart disease

A Florida businessman filed suit today against Atkins Nutritionals, Inc., and the Estate of Dr. Robert C. Atkins, claiming that the late diet author’s controversial high-fat, low-carbohydrate regimen caused severe heart disease, necessitating angioplasty and a stent. He is seeking a court injunction banning Atkins Nutritionals from marketing its products without a warning of potential health risks and asks for compensatory damages.

31 May 2004

Vermont announces free or discounted nicotine patches and gum

Free or discounted nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) - nicotine patches and gum - will be provided for a limited time to all adult Vermonters who want to quit smoking cigarettes, thanks to a significant expansion of the Vermont Department of Health's NRT program announced.

31 May 2004

There are still benefits from hormone therapy after menopause

Despite the highly publicized closing of the Women’s Health Initiative study, the scientific community should not rule out that women may benefit from hormone therapy after menopause, say researchers at UC Davis, Duke and Harvard Universities.

31 May 2004

Women who regularly take aspirin at lower risk of breast cancer

Women who regularly take aspirin seem to be at lower risk of the most common type of breast cancer than those who do not take aspirin, report researchers from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and College of Physicians & Surgeons, Weill Cornell Medical College , and New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

31 May 2004

Most Americans are not meeting their dietary needs for calcium

According to government surveys, 70 percent of girls and 60 percent of boys ages 6-11 do not meet current calcium recommendations.

31 May 2004

BMA calls for action to safeguard the health of air passengers

The British Medical Association is calling for national and international action to safeguard the health of air passengers, in a new report published on Monday (31st May). Despite numbering two billion a year, air travellers are not protected by regulated standards of healthcare or medical advice.

31 May 2004