LATEST NEWS ON CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Recent media reports based on a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (27 November 2008 issue) have announced that "noninvasive CT scans cannot replace imaging of coronary artery blockages by conventional invasive angiography". In response, imaging specialist Professor Juhani Knuuti, spokesperson for the European Society of Cardiology and Past-Chair of the ESC Working Group on Nuclear Cardiology and Cardiac CT, emphasizes the following points.
12/04/2008

A new release of HeartScore® the interactive tool designed to predict and help manage the risk of heart attack and stroke in Europe created by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) was launched on Tuesday 18 November 2008 at http://www.HeartScore.org. This revised version includes relative risk for younger patients, in addition to patient data history and progress monitoring.
12/04/2008

BIOTRONIK announced that the first European patients have been enrolled into the EchoCRT (Echocardiography guided Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy) trial by the team of physicians at Hospital Clínic in Barcelona, Spain, led by Professor Dr. Josep Brugada, Director of the Thorax Institute, Chairman of the Cardiology Department, EchoCRT Executive Committee Member and President of the European Heart Rhythm Association.
12/04/2008

The highest designation given to hospitals by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), a three-star rating for quality of heart surgery, has been awarded to Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills, N.J. Only ten percent of heart centers throughout the nation attain this level. "We are extremely proud of our entire cardiac team for demonstrating the hard work and dedication that warrants a three-star rating," said Lynn B. McGrath, M.D.
12/04/2008

Expanding its angioplasty product portfolio, Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), announced today the U.S. market launch of the Sprinter Legend (semicompliant) and the NC Sprinter (noncompliant) balloon dilatation catheters on a rapid exchange delivery system. Recently approved by the U.S.
12/04/2008

While doctors are urged to start with a diuretic-based strategy to control patients' high blood pressure, an international blood pressure study shows a different single-pill drug combination is more effective at preventing heart-related events such as heart attacks and strokes. The findings challenge the way blood pressure is usually treated worldwide. The randomized study led by a University of Michigan Health System researcher compared two drug combinations.
12/04/2008

Researchers have discovered one potential mechanism by which briefly cutting off, then restoring, blood flow to arteries prior to a heart attack lessens the damage caused, according to a study published in the journal Cardiovascular Research. The new mechanism points to how future drugs could provide protection ahead of heart attacks and strokes for those at highest risk. In the nearer term, the work may help to prevent damage caused as U.S.
12/03/2008

An innovative scheme using mobile technology to identify patients 'at risk' of developing CVD by effectively establishing smoking status has recently proved a great success for NHS Hammersmith and Fulham, London, England.
12/03/2008

Women who have up to two alcoholic drinks per day do not appear to be at increased risk of atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beat), but drinking more than that amount is associated with a higher risk, according to a study in the December 3 issue of JAMA.
12/03/2008

Researchers have new evidence to show that the heart beats to its own drummer, according to a report in the December issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication. They've uncovered some of the molecular circuitry within the cardiovascular system itself that controls the daily rise and fall of blood pressure and heart rate. The findings might also explain why commonly used diabetes drugs come with cardiovascular benefits, according to the researchers.
12/03/2008

Although there is an effort to implement rapid response teams in hospitals throughout the country, new research suggests that they do not result in a reduced rate of cardiopulmonary arrests or deaths, according to a study in the December 3 issue of JAMA. Previous studies have found that patients often exhibit physiological deterioration hours before cardiopulmonary arrest.
12/03/2008

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT), the formation of blood clots in the lower limbs, is the third-most common vascular disease in North America after heart attack and stroke, and is a frequent complication in hospitalized patients. DVT is a potentially serious condition that can lead to rapid death from pulmonary embolism if untreated, and has become such a serious health concern that the U.S.
12/03/2008

Some cardiologists are questioning the findings of a new study published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine that compared the effectiveness of high-resolution CT scans at detecting blockages in patient arteries with conventional angiograms, the New York Times reports.
12/03/2008

Scientists and engineers from two of the nation's largest industries - medicine and energy - will come together Dec. 8, along with academicians from the University of Houston, to explore synergies in moving oil and pumping blood. Much like moving oil through a pipeline, the heart must pump blood through the body. Both systems need clean, well-functioning pipes (or blood vessels), free of blockages or corrosion, to function with incredible efficiency.
12/03/2008

Vitamin D deficiency - which is traditionally associated with bone and muscle weakness - may also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). A growing body of evidence links low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels to common CVD risk factors such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes, as well as major cardiovascular events including stroke and congestive heart failure.
12/03/2008