Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Cardiology for March 2012. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Swimming Improves Vascular Function, BP in Older Adults
FRIDAY, March 30 (HealthDay News) -- Swimming exercise is associated with a decrease in blood pressure (BP) and improvements in vascular function in older adults with early hypertension, according to a study published in the April 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
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Nanobodies Noninvasively Detect Atherosclerosis in Mice
FRIDAY, March 30 (HealthDay News) -- A radiolabeled antibody fragment targeting vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM1) can noninvasively and specifically detect atherosclerotic plaques in mice, according to an experimental study published in the March 30 issue of Circulation Research.
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Cardiac Shock Wave Therapy Improves Angina Symptoms
FRIDAY, March 30 (HealthDay News) -- Cardiac shock wave therapy (CSWT) can significantly improve symptoms, ischemic threshold during exercise, and specific quality-of-life parameters for patients with chronic refractory angina pectoris, according to a study published online March 23 in Cardiovascular Therapeutics.
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Poor Health-Related Function, Diabetes Combo Ups Death Risk
FRIDAY, March 30 (HealthDay News) -- The combination of type 2 diabetes and impaired health-related functioning (HRF) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, according to a study published online March 23 in Diabetes Care.
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Statin Discontinuation Linked to Mortality in RA Patients
THURSDAY, March 29 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with rheumatoid arthritis are at higher risk of death from cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular causes if they discontinue statin treatment, according to a study published online March 29 in Arthritis Care & Research.
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Point-of-Care Genetic Testing Feasible After PCI
THURSDAY, March 29 (HealthDay News) -- For patients who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), point-of-care genetic testing is feasible and identifies carriers of a CYP2C19*2 allele with high sensitivity and specificity, according to a proof-of-concept study published online March 29 in The Lancet.
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Pay for Performance Does Not Improve Mortality Rates
WEDNESDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- Participation in the Medicare Premier Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration (Premier HQID) program does not lead to lower 30-day mortality rates, according to a study published online March 28 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Antipsychotic Medications Increase Risk of Heart Attack
WEDNESDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- For older patients treated with cholinesterase inhibitors, taking antipsychotic agents (APs) for dementia is associated with a modest and time-limited increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI), according to a study published online March 26 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Moderate Drinking Cuts Mortality in MI Survivors
WEDNESDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- Men who have survived a myocardial infarction (MI) benefit from moderate alcohol consumption, with long-term consumption inversely associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, according to a study published online March 27 in the European Heart Journal.
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Invasive Strategy Ups Survival in Myotonic Dystrophy 1
WEDNESDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- An invasive strategy, based on prophylactic permanent pacing, is associated with longer survival for patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1, according to a study published in the March 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Extended-Release Niacin Raises Fasting Glucose Levels
WEDNESDAY, March 28 (HealthDay News) -- The combination of extended-release niacin (N) with ezetimibe plus simvastatin (E/S) to treat hyperlipidemia is associated with increased fasting glucose (FG) levels compared with E/S alone, but these cases tend to be transient and remit without intervention, according to research published in the April issue of Diabetes Care.
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Non-HDL Cholesterol Tied to Risk of Cardiovascular Event
TUESDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- On-treatment levels of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) and, to a lesser extent, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and apolipoprotein B (apoB) are each associated with risk of future major cardiovascular events for patients on statin therapy, according to a study published in the March 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Chocolate Consumption Tied to Lower Body Mass Index
TUESDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- More frequent chocolate intake is linked to a lower body mass index (BMI), according to a research letter published in the March 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Prolonged Sitting Increases All-Cause Mortality Risk
TUESDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- People over the age of 45 years who sit for prolonged periods of time each day are at an increased risk of death due to all causes, compared with those who sit for less than four hours/day, according to research published in the March 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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New Guidelines Issued for Red Blood Cell Transfusions
MONDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- A restrictive red blood cell transfusion strategy should be employed for hemodynamically stable adults and children, according to a clinical practice guideline issued by the AABB (formerly the American Association of Blood Banks) and published online March 26 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Policy Statement Issued on Pediatric Sudden Cardiac Arrest
MONDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- Pediatricians need to recognize the warning signs and appropriately manage patients with sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), according to a policy statement issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and published online March 26 in Pediatrics.
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Common Blood Pressure Drugs Help Prevent Diabetes
FRIDAY, March 23 (HealthDay News) -- A common class of oral high blood pressure drugs is associated with improved survival of insulin-producing pancreatic β-cells and improved glucose homeostasis, according to a study published in the April issue of Diabetes.
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Drug-Eluting Stents Reduce Risk of Thrombosis
FRIDAY, March 23 (HealthDay News) -- Cobalt-chromium everolimus eluting stents (CoCr-EES) are associated with a significantly lower rate of stent thrombosis within two years of implantation, compared with other bare-metal and drug-eluting stents, according to a meta-analysis published online March 23 in The Lancet.
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Aspirin Enhances Platelet Isoprostanes in Type 2 Diabetes
FRIDAY, March 23 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who are treated with aspirin, isoprostanes are overproduced, which is linked with enhanced platelet recruitment, according to a study published online March 16 in Diabetes.
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State Wealth Linked to Markers of Cardiac Health in Women
THURSDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- State-level macro socioeconomic conditions are associated with biomarkers of inflammation, particularly high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), among healthy women, according to a study published online March 20 in BMC Public Health.
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Circulating Endothelial Cells Potential Biomarker for MI
THURSDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Circulating endothelial cell (CEC) counts are elevated among patients with myocardial infarction (MI), and the cells have distinct morphological features, according to a study published in the March 21 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
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Health Care Team Members Key for Antimicrobial Stewardship
THURSDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) that use health care epidemiologists (HEs) and infection preventionists (IPs) have a crucial role to play in the effort to combat health care-associated infections (HAIs), including those caused by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), according to the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America position paper published in the March issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.
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REGN727 Monoclonal Antibody Lowers LDL Cholesterol
WEDNESDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) -- Administration of REGN727, a monoclonal antibody to proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9), significantly reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, according to the results of three phase 1 studies published in the March 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Differences in Interarm BP Linked to Increased Mortality
WEDNESDAY, March 21 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with hypertension, an interarm difference in systolic blood pressure of 10 mm Hg or more or 15 mm Hg or more is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality over 10 years, according to a study published online March 20 in BMJ.
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In Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest, Epi Use Linked to Outcomes
TUESDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- Use of epinephrine for resuscitation in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is associated with increased odds of return of spontaneous circulation, but does not improve patient outcomes, according to a study published in the March 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Survey Describes Docs' Online Professionalism Violations
TUESDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- Most medical licensing authorities receive and act upon reports of physicians' online professionalism violations, according to a research letter published in the March 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Vitamin E Does Not Reduce Risk of Heart Failure in Women
TUESDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- In a population of healthy women, long-term treatment with vitamin E is not associated with the risk of developing heart failure, according to a study published in the March issue of Circulation: Heart Failure.
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Orthostatic Hypotension Linked to Incident Heart Failure
MONDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- Orthostatic hypotension is associated with incident heart failure, and the association is stronger for those aged 55 years or younger and is slightly reduced by exclusion of individuals with hypertension, according to a study published online March 19 in Hypertension.
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Statin Use May Reduce Pneumonia Incidence
MONDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- Treatment with statins, such as rosuvastatin, is associated with a modest reduction in the incidence of pneumonia, according to a study published online March 19 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
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Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Higher After Birth of Small Baby
MONDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- Women who deliver a smaller than expected infant have a nearly two-fold higher risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD), according to a study published online March 14 in PLoS One.
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Cardiovascular Health Metrics Reduce Total, Cardio Mortality
MONDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- Meeting a greater number of the seven cardiovascular health metrics from the American Heart Association is associated with a lower risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, according to a study published online March 16 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Vets With MS Have Higher Prevalence of Chronic Diseases
FRIDAY, March 16 (HealthDay News) -- Male veterans with multiple sclerosis (MS) have an increased prevalence of chronic diseases compared with the general population and with veterans without MS, according to a study published online Feb. 9 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Preventing Chronic Disease.
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Exercise Training Ups Post-Transplant Functional Recovery
FRIDAY, March 16 (HealthDay News) -- Participation in supervised exercise training for three months following hospital discharge for lung transplantation significantly improves physical functions and cardiovascular morbidity for patients during the first year of recovery, according to a study published online March 5 in the American Journal of Transplantation.
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Poorer Health Literacy Linked to Increased Mortality
FRIDAY, March 16 (HealthDay News) -- A considerable proportion of older adults in England have medium or low health literacy, which is associated with increased mortality, according to a study published online March 15 in BMJ.
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Repair of Patent Foramen Ovale Does Not Reduce Stroke Risk
THURSDAY, March 15 (HealthDay News) -- Closure of a patent foramen ovale does not reduce the risk of recurrent stroke compared with antiplatelet treatment alone in patients who present with a cryptogenic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), according to a study published in the March 15 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Causal Link for IL-6 Receptor, Coronary Heart Disease
WEDNESDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) -- Genetic data indicate that the interleukin-6 receptor (IL6R) has a causal link with coronary heart disease, according to two studies published online March 14 in The Lancet.
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Personal Mobile Computers Improve Resident Efficiency
WEDNESDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) -- The use of personal mobile computers (Apple iPads) by internal medicine residents improves efficiency, according to a research letter published in the March 12 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Left Ventricular Changes Seen in Obstructive Sleep Apnea
WEDNESDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have structural and functional changes in left ventricular (LV) function similar to those seen in patients with hypertension, which are resolved following continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, according to a study published online March 13 in Circulation: Heart Failure.
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Survival Up for Hispanics With Preserved Ejection Fraction
TUESDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- Hispanic heart failure patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) have better survival than non-Hispanic whites, according to a study published online March 13 in Circulation: Heart Failure.
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Higher Spending by Hospitals Improves Outcomes
TUESDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- Hospitals that are part of the universal health care system in Canada that spend more on inpatient care have lower rates of deaths and hospital readmissions, according to a study published in the March 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Higher Red Meat Consumption Linked to Risk of Death
TUESDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- Eating more red meat appears to be associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality and death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer specifically, according to research published online March 12 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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U.S. Mortality Rates Dropped 60 Percent From 1935 to 2010
TUESDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- From 1935 to 2010, the death rate in the United States decreased considerably, although the single-year improvements in mortality were often small, according to a March data brief issued by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
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Improved Prognosis for Women With Heart Failure
MONDAY, March 12 (HealthDay News) -- Women with heart failure have a better prognosis than men, with the benefit more pronounced in non-ischemic heart failure and reduced by diabetes, according to a meta-analysis published online March 8 in the European Journal of Heart Failure.
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Sugary Beverages Linked to Higher Heart Disease Risk
MONDAY, March 12 (HealthDay News) -- For men, increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease, while artificially-sweetened beverages do not increase heart disease risk, according to a study published online March 13 in Circulation.
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Flu Vaccine Up Among Medical Staff When They Believe It Works
FRIDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- Hospital health care workers (HCWs) are more likely to receive the seasonal influenza vaccination if they believe it works and are committed to preventing this highly contagious virus, according to research published in the April issue of Occupational & Environmental Medicine.
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Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Guidelines Updated
FRIDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- The Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) guidelines have been updated to reflect the latest evidence in support of the expanded use of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) for patients with mild heart failure symptoms; the updated guidelines have been published in the February issue of the Journal of Cardiac Failure.
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Coronary Artery Spasms Rare During Dobutamine Stress Echo
FRIDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- The occurrence of coronary artery spasm (CAS) during dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) is rare, with a prevalence of 0.4 percent, according to a study published in the March 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
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Surrogates Tend to Misinterpret Poor Prognosis Information
FRIDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- Surrogate decision makers for critically ill patients interpret prognostic statements expressing a low risk of death accurately, but interpret statements conveying poor prognosis optimistically, according to a study published in the March 6 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Rheumatoid Arthritis Linked to Increased Risk of A-Fib, Stroke
FRIDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a significantly increased risk of atrial fibrillation and stroke, according to a study published online March 8 in BMJ.
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Buprenorphine Maintenance Therapy Not Recommended
THURSDAY, March 8 (HealthDay News) -- Opioid substitution therapy with buprenorphine is not recommended for opioid-addicted health care professionals (HCPs), according to research published in the March issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
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Economic Stagnation May Have Increased Mortality Rate
WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- From the late 1990s through 2005, mortality rates for Japanese men who worked as professionals or managers began to increase, coinciding with the country's period of economic stagnation, according to research published online March 6 in BMJ.
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In Suspected PE, A-fib Doesn't Raise Odds of the Diagnosis
WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- In general, the presence of atrial fibrillation (AF) does not increase the likelihood of pulmonary embolism (PE), according to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
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Long-Term Cardiac Effects for Childhood Cancer Survivors
WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Regardless of exposure to cardiotoxic cancer therapies, survivors of childhood cancers display cardiovascular abnormalities and have markers of increased systemic inflammation and atherosclerotic disease, according to research published online March 5 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Financial Burden of Medical Care Affects One in Three
WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- In the first half of 2011, one in three individuals was in a family that experienced the financial burden of medical care in the United States, according to the results of the National Health Interview Survey published March 7 by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
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Bevacizumab Tied to Improved Telangiectasia Cardiac Output
WEDNESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Bevacizumab is associated with improved cardiac output and reduced duration and number of nose bleeds in patients with severe hepatic forms of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), according to a phase 2 study published in the March 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Software Monitoring System Could Warn of ICD Malfunction
TUESDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- A software monitoring program that tracks implantable cardioverter-defibrillator lead function could detect problems with the devices earlier than current monitoring processes, according to a study published online March 6 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
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Depression, Cognitive Decline Linked in Elderly With CAD
TUESDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- Older patients with coronary artery disease who have persistent depression have a significantly increased risk of cognitive decline, according to a study published in the March issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Electronic Test Result Access Does Not Reduce Test Ordering
TUESDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- For office-based physicians, electronic access to patient imaging and laboratory test results does not decrease -- and may actually increase -- the number of diagnostic tests ordered, according to research published in the March issue of Health Affairs.
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Negative Prediction for Sudden Cardiac Death High With ECG
TUESDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- Electrocardiogram (ECG), with or without echocardiogram (ECHO), may have potential value as a mass screening tool to identify the most common causes of pediatric sudden cardiac death (SCD), according to a meta-analysis published online March 5 in Pediatrics.
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AHA Supports Shared Decision Making in Heart Failure
MONDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- Shared decision making in advanced heart failure has become more challenging and more important, with increased disease duration and available treatment options, according to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) published online March 5 in Circulation.
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Enhancing Cardiac FAK Reduces Ischemia/Reperfusion Damage
FRIDAY, March 2 (HealthDay News) -- Mice that overproduce focal adhesion kinase (FAK) experience less ischemia/reperfusion-induced apoptosis, according to a study published online March 1 in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.
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Biomarkers Gauge Kidney Injury After Heart Surgery
FRIDAY, March 2 (HealthDay News) -- Measuring biomarkers found in blood and urine after heart surgery can help predict which patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) will experience AKI progression, according to a study published online March 1 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Cardiovascular Event Risk Not Up for Living Kidney Donors
FRIDAY, March 2 (HealthDay News) -- For living kidney donors, there is no increase in the risk of major cardiovascular events or death in the first decade following donation, compared with a representative sample of the healthiest segment of the general population, according to a study published online March 1 in BMJ.
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Reduced Lung Function Linked to Heart Failure Risk
THURSDAY, March 1 (HealthDay News) -- Lung function and obstructive airway diseases are strongly and independently associated with an increased risk of heart failure, according to a study published online Feb. 25 in the European Journal of Heart Failure.
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No Benefit for Stent Versus Medical Therapy in Stable CAD
THURSDAY, March 1 (HealthDay News) -- A meta-analysis of more than 7,000 patients suggests that there is no benefit to initial stent implantation over medical therapy in the treatment of patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD), according to research published in the Feb. 27 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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