Mental stress can potentially trigger an episode of myocardial ischemia, a decrease in the flow of oxygen-enriched blood to the heart muscle caused by the narrowing of coronary arteries, resulting in chest pain and more serious events such as heart… Read More ›
Sometimes, more is not better, as researchers report in a new study of implantable defibrillators, devices that use electrical shocks to prevent sudden cardiac arrest in people with potentially life-threatening heart arrhythmias. In research published today in JAMA, investigators found… Read More ›
Over the last decade, most acute care hospitals have been able to reduce 30-day mortality rates for patients with myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and pneumonia. But small rural hospitals participating in a federal program to increase rural access have… Read More ›
San Francisco—When a cardiologist uses percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to implant a stent to restore blood flow to the heart, having on-site cardiac surgery available if an emergency arises has been considered preferable, even required in some states. But data… Read More ›
Mom’s admonishment to “Eat your veggies” appears to be sound advice, at least with respect to reducing risk of heart disease. Researchers from the University of Oxford in England found that compared with people who eat meat and fish, vegetarians… Read More ›
Using aspirin regularly in hope of preventing recurrent cardiovascular problems may increase an individual’s risk of developing macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss, according to a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Many individuals who have had… Read More ›
For patients having a heart attack outside the hospital, advanced techniques (such as inserting a tube into the trachea or a “supraglottis airway device” into the throat above the larynx) are considered the gold standard for providing an open airway… Read More ›
Some patients with high blood pressure require as many as 3 antihypertensive drugs to bring their condition under control. For patients receiving such triple therapy, research appearing today in BMJ suggests taking certain commonly used painkillers such as ibuprofen or… Read More ›
Current guidelines for testing blood lipid levels to assess cardiovascular health recommend that patients fast at least 9 hours before having their blood drawn, to ensure an accurate result. But a study appearing today in the Archives of Internal Medicine… Read More ›
About half of high-risk cardiac devices approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were approved without comparative data on whether they provide better outcomes than other treatment options, found an analysis published online in JAMA. Advances in medical… Read More ›
