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Racial, Economic Disparities in Life Expectancy after Heart Attack
September 28, 2015
After a heart attack, black patients typically don't live as long as whites - a racial difference that is starkest among the affluent - according to a new U.S.
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CHADS2 Variant Calculates Stroke Risk in Heart Failure Patients
September 18, 2015
NEW YORK - A variant of the CHADS2 score that's used to estimate ischemic stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is also modestly accurate in heart failure patients, even in those without AF, researchers say. The variant, CHA2DS2-VASc, calculates stroke risk based on 10 possible point
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7 Hours of Sleep Can Reduce Heart Disease
September 15, 2015
Too little sleep, or poor-quality sleep, may be linked to early markers of heart disease in asymptomatic healthy adults, a new study from South Korea suggests. More than 47,000 men and women completed a sleep questionnaire and underwent assessments of coronary artery calcium and plaque as well as
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Mortality Risk in Patients Older than 75 Presenting with Non-ST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome
September 9, 2015
Clinical question: Is there a score that will predict the mortality rate in elderly patients presenting with a non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI)? Background: Although they represent only 9% of patients in clinical trials, patients over the age of 75 make up one third of patients wit
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Getting in Shape May Help Reduce Irregular Heart Rhythm
July 31, 2015
(Reuters Health) - For overweight and obese people with atrial fibrillation, improving cardiorespiratory fitness with exercise may help to reduce or eliminate symptoms, a recent Australian study found. Participants with the greatest improvements in their cardiorespiratory fitness we
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No Advantage to Routine Thrombectomy Prior to Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for STEMI
June 3, 2015
Clinical question: Does the use of routine thrombectomy for patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction improve outcomes? Bottom line: For patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), the rout
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Updated Guidelines for Management of Non-ST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome
March 3, 2015
Clinical question: What is the recommended approach for management of non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS)? Background: This is the first comprehensive update from the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) on NSTE-ACS since 2007 and follows a focused u
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Sleep Apnea Should Be Addressed in Heart Failure Population
January 7, 2015
Before you fall asleep at the thought, consider the fact that sleep apnea has been identified as a major contributing factor in new onset atrial fibrillation (Afib), acute ischemic stroke, and heart failure.
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Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy with Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Placement Decreases Heart Failure
October 29, 2014
Clinical question: Does cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) with biventricular pacing decrease cardiac events in patients with reduced ejection fraction (EF) and wide QRS complex but only mild cardiac symptoms? Background: In patients with severely reduced EF, implantable cardioverter defibri
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Neither Low-Dose Dopamine nor Low-Dose Nesiritide Improves Renal Dysfunction in Acute Heart Failure Patients
October 27, 2014
Clinical question: Does low-dose dopamine or low-dose nesiritide added to diuretic therapy enhance pulmonary volume reduction and preserve renal function in patients with acute heart failure and renal dysfunction, compared to placebo? Background: Small studies have suggested that low-dose dopamin