Acute Coronary Syndrome News and Research

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BMA Cymru Wales to petition parliament to ban smoking in public places unless Wales goes smoke free within 10 months

BMA Cymru Wales is seriously considering the possibility of petitioning Parliament for a ban in public places in Wales using the rarely used private bills procedure.

14 Nov 2004

Researchers have developed a novel drug-antidote pair

In a discovery that could give physicians more control over the actions of medications, researchers at Duke University Medical Center have developed a novel drug pair – a potent anti-coagulant with a matched "antidote."

18 Oct 2004

Biomarker called cystatin C predicts which people are less likely to survive a heart attack

A biomarker called cystatin C, which measures kidney function, predicts which people are less likely to survive a heart attack, according to research published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

11 Oct 2004

Receiving a blood transfusion is associated with a greater risk of death for patients with acute coronary syndromes

The use of invasive procedures for treatment of ischemic heart disease has more than tripled in the past 2 decades and is likely to increase in high-risk patients, according to background information in the article.

5 Oct 2004

Guidant announces plans to initiate vulnerable plaque study

Guidant has announced plans to conduct a study designed to increase clinical understanding of “vulnerable” plaques – lipid-rich coronary lesions that suddenly rupture – that may cause most heart attacks.

27 Sep 2004

Coronary angioplasty within 24 hours of medical therapy could improve the outcome for heart-attack patients

Results of a randomised trial in this week’s issue of THE LANCET suggest that a more aggressive approach involving coronary angioplasty soon after anticlotting medical therapy is safe and could offer a better prognosis than more conservative treatment for patients who have had heart attack.

17 Sep 2004

Bill Clinton is recovering after undergoing successful quadruple bypass surgery

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton is recovering after undergoing successful quadruple bypass surgery from New York Presbyterian Hospital; the first accredited Chest Pain Center in New York. His heart disease was extensive, with blockages in some arteries well over 90 percent, doctors said.

8 Sep 2004

Diabetes mellitus in acute coronary syndromes – worse for women

Diabetes is associated with worse prognosis in patients with myocardial infarction, but if there is a difference between men and women in this respect is less well known.

30 Aug 2004

Early use of aggressive statin therapy may offer some benefit for coronary patients

Statins initiated early after a patient experiences an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) event at dosages above the typical starting dose may help reduce subsequent cardiovascular events, but the high dose regimen used may increase the risk for muscle-related complications, according to the results from the Phase Z portion of the A to Z Trial released on the JAMA website today.

30 Aug 2004

No benefit from early PCI/CABG in high risk unstable angina patients

Patients with chest pain are recognized as being at high risk of subsequent adverse cardiac events when their plasma levels of cardiac troponin are elevated as evidence of myocardial damage.

29 Aug 2004

Early cholesterol-lowering drug therapy reduces artery-clogging plaque

Early cholesterol-lowering drug therapy after hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome appears to reduce artery-clogging plaque, according to a study reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

25 Aug 2004

Painless heart attacks often result in greater fatality rates than painful episodes

Painless heart attacks or heart conditions can be commonly overlooked and undertreated at the hospital, often resulting in greater fatality rates than painful episodes.

9 Aug 2004

CV Therapeutics initiates approval-enabling trial of drug to treat chronic angina

CV Therapeutics has announced that it has initiated an approval-enabling study of Ranexa, which, if successful, could support approval of Ranexa for the treatment of chronic angina in a restricted patient population.

3 Aug 2004

Anticoagulant therapy with enoxaparin is an effective alternative to heparin therapy for patients with acute coronary syndromes

Two new major studies suggest that anticoagulant therapy with enoxaparin is an effective alternative to heparin therapy for patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS)

7 Jul 2004

Heart attack patients are discharged without evidenced-based, guideline recommended, life-prolonging therapies

Heart attack care is more likely to match recommended guidelines when health care providers use standardized forms and other reminders, and institutional systems reinforce goals for treatment and patient lifestyles, according to a new study in the June 16, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

16 Jun 2004

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

High levels of troponin I (TNI) protein in the blood helps identify possible heart damage after cancer treatment

TNI is a protein present exclusively in heart cells. The TNI blood concentration is a well-established marker of heart muscle injury that’s widely used to diagnose and treat heart attacks and other acute coronary syndromes.

18 May 2004