Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Fondaparinux significantly reduces risk of death for heart attack patients

Heart attack patients who have a certain pattern on an electrocardiogram significantly reduced their risk of death and having another heart attack at 30 days with the medication fondaparinux, without an increased risk of bleeding and strokes

15 Mar 2006

Use of high humidity does not improve symptoms of croup

For children with moderate to severe croup treated in the emergency department, use of high humidity did not improve symptoms more than low humidity or mist therapy, according to an article in the March 15 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

15 Mar 2006

Coronary artery heart disease in Ireland halved since the mid 80s

Deaths from coronary artery heart disease in Ireland have halved since the mid 1980s, finds research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

15 Mar 2006

Intensive statin therapy shows promise for inducing regression of coronary atherosclerosis

Patients treated with very intensive statin therapy lowered LDL-C levels on average by about 50 percent, increased HDL-C levels by 15 percent, and showed regression of coronary atherosclerosis

15 Mar 2006

Taking medications to lower blood pressure may be associated with a lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease

Taking medications to lower blood pressure, particularly those known as diuretics, may be associated with a lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study in the May 2006 print issue of Archives of Neurology.

15 Mar 2006

Association between levels of fine particulate matter pollution and mortality risk

Investigators who extended the Harvard Six Cities fine particulate air pollution study by eight years found that reduced levels of tiny particle pollution during this period lowered mortality risk for participants.

15 Mar 2006

Therapy for slightly raised blood pressure delays hypertension

A new study shows by giving a blood pressure drug to people with measurements above normal but not yet considered too high, the development of hypertension might be delayed.

15 Mar 2006

Statin drug reverses heart disease

Researchers say a high dose of a cholesterol-lowering statin drug can reverse the build-up of plaque in coronary arteries.

15 Mar 2006

Salt substitution in rural China would cut hypertension rates

A salt substitute specially formulated to be flavourful and effective has significantly reduced blood pressure among high-risk residents of northern, rural China, where home-pickled foods are a dietary mainstay and hypertension is rampant.

15 Mar 2006

Researchers evaluate efficacy, safety of anti-clotting drugs

Patients admitted to the hospital with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are often treated with a catheter-based procedure known as percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI.

15 Mar 2006

One stent may be as good as two

Cardiologists increasingly use non-invasive methods to treat patients with diseased arteries that previously required open-heart surgery.

15 Mar 2006

Wearing a special mask to bed helps children with sleep apnea breathe and sleep better

Wearing a special mask to bed helps children with sleep apnea breathe and sleep better, but a small, six-month study at Johns Hopkins Children's Center and two other pediatric hospitals suggests children aren't always using them consistently enough to reap the maximum benefits.

15 Mar 2006

New procedure for treating esophageal perforations

A new procedure can now treat esophageal perforations (holes in the esophagus) when caught early, therefore greatly reducing mortality rates.

15 Mar 2006

The safety and effectiveness of fondaparinux for heart attacks

The results of a large international cardiovascular trial will shed light on whether the addition of a new drug that prevents blood clotting, or thrombosis, can improve the treatment of the most serious form of heart attacks.

15 Mar 2006

Driving times and distances to hospitals with percutaneous coronary intervention in the United States

Diverting ambulances with patients suffering a heart to a hospital providing emergency angioplasty rather than a closer hospital with no ability to provide this specialized care, may be feasible for the majority of Americans

15 Mar 2006

Wireless transmission of eletrocardiograms to a cardiologist's hand-held device from ambulance cuts time to direct clot removal

When emergency medical technicians (EMTs) wirelessly transmit eletrocardiograms (ECG) directly to a cardiologist's hand-held device, heart attack patients can potentially receive direct clot removal in half the usual time, according to cardiologists at Duke University Medical Center and NorthEast Medical Center, Concord, N.C.

14 Mar 2006

Researchers to investigate links between asthma and genes

Professor Bill Cookson and Dr Miriam Moffatt, formerly at the University of Oxford, have joined Imperial's National Heart and Lung Institute to further develop the genetic research there, particularly focusing on how genes influence the development of asthma.

14 Mar 2006

Bariatric procedure offers long-term reduction in heart risk factors

As rates of obesity in America continue to soar, surgery has become an increasingly popular solution when diet and exercise regimens fail.

14 Mar 2006

Cardiac resynchronization therapy devices during hospital stays linked to better outcomes

Placement of devices that synchronize the pumping chambers of the heart in patients while they're hospitalized for a congestive heart failure episode appears to lower patients' risk of death or rehospitalization during at least the next two to three months, new research suggests.

14 Mar 2006

Innovative treatment for critical limb ischemia

A new randomized study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 55th Annual Scientific Session investigates an innovative treatment for critical limb ischemia, or lack of arterial blood supply and oxygen to the legs, using a therapeutic approach to generate new blood vessels.

14 Mar 2006