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.

Link between widely used osteoporosis drugs and heart problems probed

New research at Wake Forest University School of Medicine evaluated the link between a common class of drugs used to prevent bone fractures in osteoporosis patients and the development of irregular heartbeat.

6 Apr 2009

Moderate kidney disease associated with cardiovascular events

Chronic kidney disease patients face a greater risk of cardiovascular events such as stent thrombosis after being treated for heart attacks, even if their kidney disease is moderate, according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

6 Apr 2009

Breakthrough for hypertension treatment

A world-first breakthrough to treat high blood pressure has been successfully trialled in Melbourne.

6 Apr 2009

Certain combined medications following heart attack may increase risk of death

Following an acute coronary syndrome such as a heart attack or unstable angina, patients who receive a medication to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding that may be associated with the use of the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel and aspirin have an increased risk of subsequent hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome or death, according to a study in the March 4 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

2 Apr 2009

Two pathogens in the mouth associated with increased risk of heart disease

Several studies have suggested there is a connection between organisms that cause gum disease, known scientifically as periodontal disease, and the development of heart disease, but few studies have tested this theory.

1 Apr 2009

What makes olive oil so healthy?

Scientists have pinned down the constituent of olive oil that gives greatest protection from heart attack and stroke.

1 Apr 2009

New streamlined triage system for "brain attack"

Taking a page out of the playbook developed by cardiologists nearly two decades ago to promote the warning signs and swift treatment for heart attacks, a multidisciplinary team of stroke experts at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) have created a new streamlined triage system at Strong Memorial Hospital's Emergency Department (ED) to provide rapid evaluation and specialized treatments to "brain attack," or stroke, patients.

1 Apr 2009

Accurate assessment of heart disease leads to earlier, more aggressive therapy

In a study comparing the ability of various medical techniques to accurately determine the extent of heart disease and stratify patients according to disease severity, researchers found that myocardial perfusion testing with gated single photon emission computed tomography (gated SPECT) was a more accurate predictor of prognosis in chronic ischemic heart disease (IHD)-a painful condition caused by a temporary reduction of oxygen-rich blood to the heart.

1 Apr 2009

President Obama meets with house Democrats, links passage of budget with ability to move on health reform

President Obama on Monday met with House Democrats in closed-door sessions to discuss his fiscal year 2010 budget proposal, during which he linked the passage of his budget to the ability to act on major issues including health care reform, Politico reports.

31 Mar 2009

World Heart Federation, Daiichi Sankyo and Lilly Partner to improve cardiovascular health

The World Heart Federation, Daiichi Sankyo Company, and Eli Lilly announced today that they have partnered to improve cardiovascular health internationally. The organizations made the announcement at the 58th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology in Orlando, Florida.

31 Mar 2009

Study answers question of timing in use of eptifibatide

An international study to resolve a decade of debate over the best timing for administering an anti-clotting drug for certain heart patients has come up with an answer: It doesn't matter.

30 Mar 2009

Steroids and antihistamines alleviate clopidogrel-related allergic reaction symptoms

A clinical study of cardiac patients who suffered an allergic reaction to the widely-prescribed drug clopidogrel, also known by the pharmaceutical name Plavix, found that treatment with a combination of steroids and antihistamines can alleviate the allergic reaction symptoms thereby allowing patients to remain on the drug, say doctors from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

30 Mar 2009

Post heart attack, bone marrow stem cells increase blood flow within heart

Patients treated with their own bone marrow stem cells after a heart attack experienced increased circulation within the heart, a study by Emory University School of Medicine physicians has found.

30 Mar 2009

Missing enzyme GNSOR conveys major heart protection in pre-clinical work

Mice born without a certain enzyme can resist the normal effects of a heart attack and retain nearly normal function in the heart's ventricles and still-oxygenated heart tissue, according to a study by researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

30 Mar 2009

$78 billion spent for heart disease care in 2006

Opening blocked arteries, trying to keep heart attack victims alive, fixing defective heart valves, and treating other heart ailments cost $78 billion in 2006 - roughly 8 percent of the more than $1 trillion spent on all medical care for the community population, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

30 Mar 2009

Targeted drug therapy prevents exercise-induced arrhythmias

A 12-year-old Dutch boy - bedridden for three years because of an inherited cardiac arrhythmia syndrome - can now join his friends on the soccer field thanks to a discovery made by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers.

30 Mar 2009

Drug-coated stents lower risk of heart attack and death

Heart disease patients 65 and older who receive stents coated with medicine to prevent blockages are more likely to survive and less likely to suffer a heart attack than people fitted with stents not coated with medication, according to a new study supported by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the American College of Cardiology's National Cardiovascular Data Registry.

30 Mar 2009

Improved predictive value of biomarkers in HF makes earlier diagnosis and better management possible

With an ever ageing population and more people surviving a heart attack, heart failure is now the world's most prevalent chronic cardiovascular disease.

29 Mar 2009

Improved predictive value of biomarkers in heart failure now makes earlier diagnosis and better management possible

With an ever ageing population and more people surviving a heart attack, heart failure is now the world's most prevalent chronic cardiovascular disease.

29 Mar 2009

Drug-eluting stents found to be safer and superior to bare metal stents

Drug-eluting stents were safe and superior to bare metal stents in preventing death and heart attacks among 262,700 "real-world" patients enrolled in a nationwide registry of cardiovascular disease, according to researchers from Duke University Medical Center.

29 Mar 2009