Myocardial Infarction News and Research

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Black Medicare patients less likely to receive angioplasty following a heart attack

A large study has found that black Medicare patients are less likely than white patients to receive blood vessel opening procedures such as angioplasty following a heart attack, whether they are admitted to hospitals that provide or do not provide these procedures, but also experience higher mortality rates at 1 year, according to a study in the June 13 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

14 Jun 2007

GSK strongly disagrees with conclusions reached in NEJM article on Avandia

GlaxoSmithKline has issued the following response to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on Avandia (rosiglitazone maleate), a widely used and highly effective treatment for type 2 diabetes.

22 May 2007

Off-label and untested use of drug-coated stents is common in U.S. practice

The off-label and untested use of drug-coated stents in the treatment of coronary artery blockage is common in U.S. practice, and ischemic complication rates are higher among patients receiving drug-coated stents for off-label indications, according to two studies in the May 9 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.

9 May 2007

Ischemic-targeted approach to angioplasty among asymptomatic survivors of heart attack

When compared with intensive drug therapy, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI, angioplasty) was more beneficial in reducing the long-term risk of major cardiac events among heart attack survivors with "silent ischemia", according to a study in the May 9 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.

9 May 2007

FDA approves new indication for FRAGMIN for the extended treatment of symptomatic venous thromboembolism

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new indication for FRAGMIN (dalteparin sodium injection), for the extended treatment of symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) to reduce the recurrence of VTE in patients with cancer.

4 May 2007

Improving outcomes for patients with acute coronary syndrome

Recent changes in the recommended treatments used for patients hospitalized for acute coronary syndromes, such as a heart attack, are associated with reductions in the rates of heart failure, stroke, heart attack and death, according to a study in the May 2 issue of JAMA .

2 May 2007

Efforts to standardize heart care are working

People who suffer a heart attack or severe chest pain today are much less likely to die, or to experience long-lasting effects, than their counterparts even a few years ago, according to a new international study in the May 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

2 May 2007

Caution against over-aggressive use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents for cancer-related anemia

Echoing recent FDA warnings, a research group from Northern Ireland cautions against over-aggressive use of a group of drugs called "erythropoiesis-stimulating agents" (ESAs) to treat anemia in some cancer patients, according to a commentary in the April issue of The Oncologist, published by AlphaMed Press.

1 May 2007

Ranbaxy receives approval to manufacture Pravastatin Sodium tablets in U.S.

Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals has announced that RLL has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to manufacture and market Pravastatin Sodium Tablets (Pravastatin), 10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg and 80 mg, with 180-day market exclusivity in the U.S. healthcare system for the 80 mg strength.

27 Apr 2007

HIV linked to increased risk of heart attack

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have found that infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is also associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction or heart attack.

25 Apr 2007

Sticking with guidelines for acute coronary syndromes benefits even very elderly patients

Some say age 90 is the new age 70. If so, there's never been a better time for elderly patients to discuss with family and physicians just how aggressive medical care should be in case of a threatened or definite heart attack.

24 Apr 2007

Migraine associated with increased risk of subsequent major cardiovascular disease in men

Men with migraine headaches may be at an increased risk for major cardiovascular disease and especially heart attacks, according to a report in the April 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

24 Apr 2007

Schering-Plough plans phase III trials for novel selective antiplatelet therapy

Schering-Plough Corporation has announced plans to initiate two global Phase III large-scale clinical outcomes trials for its novel selective oral antiplatelet therapy, the thrombin receptor antagonist (TRA) SCH 530348.

20 Apr 2007

Flu can actually trigger heart attacks

Doctors need to take concerted action to ensure that people who are at risk of heart disease receive the influenza vaccine every autumn, according to the authors of a new report published in the European Heart Journal.

19 Apr 2007

Alteon expands agreement with Biorap Technologies

Alteon has announced that it has entered into an expanded licensing agreement with BioRap Technologies, the commercialization arm of the Rappaport Family Institute for Research, Technion University, Israel, for all diagnostic devices or products for predictive purposes in vascular or cardiac diseases, including diagnostic assays for the measurement of the haptoglobin protein (Hp).

7 Apr 2007

People without health insurance more likely to forego routine physical exams

The lack of health insurance prompts people to forego routine physical exams and have a reduced awareness of cardiovascular risk factors and is associated with increased rates of stroke and death, researchers have concluded.

4 Apr 2007

Advances in clinical cardiology

Three studies being presented at the American College of Cardiology's Innovation in Intervention: i2 Summit 2007 in New Orleans, La., highlight the breadth of research propelling advances in clinical cardiology.

3 Apr 2007

Tilarginine does not reduce risk of death after heart attack

The medication tilarginine, a drug that was believed could be beneficial for patients who develop cardiogenic shock (low blood pressure due to impaired cardiac function) after a heart attack, did not reduce the risk of death up to six months after a heart attack, according to a JAMA study published online March 26.

2 Apr 2007

Adding estradiol to a polymer-free rapamycin-eluting stent is not associated with any measurable benefit

Patients admitted to the hospital with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are often treated with a catheter-based procedure known as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), during which a stent is inserted into an occluded or narrowed coronary artery to restore blood flow to and from the heart.

2 Apr 2007

New system to speed critical care to acute heart attack patients

Mayo Clinic has designed a new system to speed critical care to acute heart attack patients that dramatically reduces the time that elapses before patients undergo a life-saving procedure -- by as much as 45 percent in some cases.

2 Apr 2007