Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction) News and Research

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A Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction) occurs when blood flow to a section of heart muscle becomes blocked. If the flow of blood isn’t restored quickly, the section of heart muscle becomes damaged from lack of oxygen and begins to die.

Heart attack is a leading killer of both men and women in the United States. But fortunately, today there are excellent treatments for heart attack that can save lives and prevent disabilities. Treatment is most effective when started within 1 hour of the beginning of symptoms. Heart attacks occur most often as a result of a condition called coronary artery disease (CAD). In CAD, a fatty material called plaque (plak) builds up over many years on the inside walls of the coronary arteries (the arteries that supply blood and oxygen to your heart). Eventually, an area of plaque can rupture, causing a blood clot to form on the surface of the plaque. If the clot becomes large enough, it can mostly or completely block the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the part of the heart muscle fed by the artery.

Scottish hospitalisation for angina and chest pain has risen dramatically in the last decade

A new paper, led by Dr Niamh Murphy at the Department of Cardiology at the University of Glasgow, reveals how hospitalisation for angina and chest pain has risen dramatically in the last decade. The paper, launched today on the British Medical Journal website, explores the enormous financial and service implications of this rise.

21 May 2004

Hospitalisation for angina and chest pain has risen dramatically in the last decade

Researchers analysed hospital discharge records for Scottish residents aged at least 18 years with a first emergency hospitalisation for heart attack, angina, or other chest pain between 1990 and 2000.

20 May 2004

Study has important implications for African Americans who suffer from high blood pressure

A new study has important implications for the millions of African Americans who suffer from high blood pressure. The study, AADVANCE, shows Diovan HCT(R) (valsartan and hydrochlorothiazide) lowers blood pressure in African Americans to aggressive recommended target blood pressure goals as effectively as amlodipine.

20 May 2004

Financially burdened patients more likely to die after coronary revascularization

Heart patients who had angioplasty or bypass surgery and felt burdened by medical costs were more than twice as likely to die within a year of their procedure as patients who didn’t have trouble paying for healthcare, according to a study presented today at the American Heart Association’s 5th annual Scientific Forum on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke.

19 May 2004

Anti-clotting treatment underused at many hospitals

Academic hospitals are more likely than community or Veteran’s Administration (VA) hospitals to follow national guidelines for treating patients at risk for blood clots with aspirin or warfarin.

19 May 2004

About one in 35 adult Americans is at high risk of coronary heart disease

About one in 35 adult Americans is at high risk of coronary heart disease, meaning they have a greater than 20 percent chance of developing heart disease within 10 years, and about one in six has a 10-year risk that is greater than 10 percent, according to a new study in the May 19, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

19 May 2004

Variability in weight and drug content of split tablet may put patients at risk of receiving wrong dosage

Back and neck pain sufferers who divide the most frequently prescribed muscle relaxant may be getting anywhere from half to one-and-a-half times the amount of medicine they believe they are taking, suggests a new study examining the practice of tablet splitting.

19 May 2004

Microwaving the heart may soon become a routine procedure for the treatment of heart rhythm disorders

Microwaving the heart may soon become a routine procedure for the treatment of heart rhythm disorders, a common cause of heart attack and stroke, reports Marina Murphy in Chemistry & Industry magazine.

18 May 2004

Mechanism that prevents kidney damage in the early stages of diabetes associated with obesity

Northwestern University researchers has identified what they believe is a built-in biological mechanism that prevents kidney damage in the early stages of diabetes associated with obesity.

14 May 2004

Breastfeeding decreases risk of heart disease later in life

A recent UK study of 216 teenagers, published in the Lancet, found that breastfeeding in infancy is likely to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease in later life.

14 May 2004

Cardiovascular disease in parents is a major predictor of offspring having a heart attack or stroke

A study published in the May 12 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association provides the strongest evidence yet that cardiovascular disease in parents -- particularly at an early age -- is a major predictor of their children having a heart attack or stroke in middle age.

12 May 2004

Britain debates whether to create DNA registry of newborn babies

In a White Paper published last year the Government asked the Human Genetics Commission and the National Screening Committee to consider the case for screening every baby at birth and storing their genetic profile for future use.

7 May 2004

Afro-Americans with high blood pressure have double the risk of enlarged heart

American blacks with high blood pressure have nearly double the risk for left ventricular hypertrophy (enlarged heart) compared to hypertensive whites, researchers report in today’s rapid access issue of Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

6 May 2004

New stent appears safe and effective for preventing arteries from reclosing in coronary heart disease patients

A new stent appears safe and effective for preventing arteries from reclosing in coronary heart disease patients, based on one-year results of the first human trial using this stent reported in today’s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

6 May 2004

Despite spending more for health care, Americans do not have the best medical care in the world

Despite spending more for health care, Americans do not have the best medical care in the world, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and other institutions.

6 May 2004

Vaccines show link between periodontal and heart disease

Strengthening the link between periodontal and heart disease, researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) found they can prevent mice from developing P. gingivalis-accelerated heart disease by immunizing the mice with a vaccine that protects against periodontal disease.

6 May 2004

Genetic flaw that may put some people at far greater risk of heart attacks

One of the significant players in this event is the molecule cytokine lymphotoxin-alpha (LTA), which helps to regulate inflammation, a result of the emergency call upon the body's immune system.

6 May 2004

Researchers show link between periodontal and heart disease

3 May 2004

Increased blood levels of a heart cell “stress” protein called ST2 were linked to a higher risk of death

Increased blood levels of a heart cell “stress” protein called ST2 were linked to a higher risk of death and congestive heart failure in the 30 days after a heart attack, researchers report in today’s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

29 Apr 2004

How flexing of blood vessels during a heartbeat might contribute to heart disease

Duke biomedical engineers have received more than $2.2 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue their explorations of how the complex moving and flexing of blood vessels during a heartbeat might contribute to heart disease.

28 Apr 2004

Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction) News and Research

Further Reading

Scottish hospitalisation for angina and chest pain has risen dramatically in the last decade

Hospitalisation for angina and chest pain has risen dramatically in the last decade

Study has important implications for African Americans who suffer from high blood pressure

Financially burdened patients more likely to die after coronary revascularization

Anti-clotting treatment underused at many hospitals

About one in 35 adult Americans is at high risk of coronary heart disease

Variability in weight and drug content of split tablet may put patients at risk of receiving wrong dosage

Microwaving the heart may soon become a routine procedure for the treatment of heart rhythm disorders

Mechanism that prevents kidney damage in the early stages of diabetes associated with obesity

Breastfeeding decreases risk of heart disease later in life

Cardiovascular disease in parents is a major predictor of offspring having a heart attack or stroke

Britain debates whether to create DNA registry of newborn babies

Afro-Americans with high blood pressure have double the risk of enlarged heart

New stent appears safe and effective for preventing arteries from reclosing in coronary heart disease patients

Despite spending more for health care, Americans do not have the best medical care in the world

Vaccines show link between periodontal and heart disease

Genetic flaw that may put some people at far greater risk of heart attacks

Researchers show link between periodontal and heart disease

Increased blood levels of a heart cell “stress” protein called ST2 were linked to a higher risk of death

How flexing of blood vessels during a heartbeat might contribute to heart disease

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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