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.

Efforts to improve the quality of post-heart attack care working better for men than for women

Efforts to improve the quality of post-heart attack care in hospitals are working - but they appear to be working better for men than for women, new research shows.

9 Mar 2005

Blood clotting combo saves heart patients lives

Two studies presented Wednesday at the American College of Cardiology's annual scientific sessions in Orlando, Fla. have found that the clot-preventing drug Plavix when added to the treatment of people with severe heart attacks helps reopen their clogged arteries and saves lives.

9 Mar 2005

HIV is not an independent risk factor for severe heart disease

Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is no longer an automatic death sentence, thanks to the use of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART).

8 Mar 2005

Pet scanning could cut use of angiograms and bypass surgery, as well as patient costs

Using positron emission tomography (PET) scanning rather than other types of imaging as the first tool to diagnose heart-vessel blockages is more accurate, less invasive and saves dollars, a study by a University at Buffalo team has shown.

8 Mar 2005

Study finds potential link to help find blocked heart arteries

A blood test in combination with a stress test can help better determine if someone is likely to have a blocked heart artery, according to a study by doctors at Providence Hospital in Southfield, Mich.

8 Mar 2005

Implanted devices are giving cardiologists a new view of subtle changes in a key measurement of heart health

Implanted devices intended to optimize the cardiac function of patients with heart failure have provided new insights into which patients might be at higher risk of dying suddenly from their disease, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

7 Mar 2005

Aspirin does not prevent first heart attacks or death from cardiovascular causes in women

The Women's Health Study is the first large clinical trial to study the use of low-dose aspirin to prevent heart attack and stroke in women.

7 Mar 2005

Stent trial fails to meet endpoints

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals has announced that results from the REALITY Trial, a head-to-head trial sponsored by Cordis Corporation, comparing the JNJ CYPHER® stent and the TAXUS® stent, were presented at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session. The trial failed to meet its primary endpoint.

7 Mar 2005

Breakthrough noninvasive tool for early cardiovascular disease detection

Physicians and researchers now have access to a noninvasive fingertip test that can identify patients with the earliest stages of cardiovascular disease and replace testing that is done during angiography.

7 Mar 2005

Studies find Aspirin resistance in up to 27% of Aspirin users

While aspirin remains a crucial and cost-effective therapy for the prevention and management of cardiovascular diseases, research suggests that a significant percentage of the 25 million Americans on a chronic aspirin regimen are "aspirin resistant," or do not achieve sufficient antiplatelet effects from aspirin.

7 Mar 2005

Gender discrepancies in who gets bypass surgery

A study published in the latest issue of Psychology of Women Quarterly found gender biases and long-standing gender discrepancies in who gets bypass surgery. In 1988, twelve percent of female patients who had profiles consistent with the bypass surgery received it-- as compared to twenty-four percent of men.

3 Mar 2005

Artery clearing device does not provide benefit for heart attack patients undergoing artery-opening interventions

Use of a device and system to clear dislodged "debris" during percutaneous interventions to open a blocked artery following a heart attack does not appear to be clinically beneficial, according to a study in the March 2 issue of JAMA.

1 Mar 2005

African-Americans receive less aggressive treatment for heart attack than whites

According to a study at the Maya Angelou Research Center on Minority Health at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, African-Americans continue to receive less aggressive treatment for heart attack than whites.

1 Mar 2005

Abnormal electrocardiograms linked to heart enlargement

When a segment of a patient’s electrocardiogram known as QRS is unusually long, the patient may also be more likely to have an enlarged left ventricle, even when there are no signs of heart failure or previous heart attack, according to a new study(PDF) in the March 1, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

1 Mar 2005

Aggressive industry promotion of prescription drugs may be a danger to patients and doctors

Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra hit the market in the late 1990s & 2001, as a breakthrough class of drugs for arthritis that would help avoid ulcers and other digestive ailments linked to medicines such as aspirin.

28 Feb 2005

Middle-aged women who take an active role in their health care may be less likely to develop cardiovascular disease

The results, presented today at the American Psychosomatic Society Annual Meeting, suggest women who believe they should take charge of their health, rather than rely solely on treatment by doctors, have fewer signs of pre-clinical atherosclerosis.

28 Feb 2005

PET/CT imaging technology for cancer patients

Cancer patients at Mercy & Unity Hospitals have access to the latest in diagnostic imaging to assess the presence and extent of most types of cancer.

28 Feb 2005

Counseling smokers to quit reduced their chances of dying

Giving up smoking after a heart attack has been clearly associated with improvements in long-term patient survival, but how soon after myocardial infarction does smoking cessation begin to have positive effects?

24 Feb 2005

Study reveals need for change in surgical procedures

IPRO has announced progress in surgical infection prevention after the Archives of Surgery published a study highlighting the need for better, more consistent practices to address infection risk factors.

22 Feb 2005

People who live with migraine headaches show a riskier profile for cardiovascular disease

People who live with migraine headaches show a "riskier" profile for cardiovascular disease than those without migraines, according to a new study published in the February 22 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

22 Feb 2005

Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction) News and Research

Further Reading

Efforts to improve the quality of post-heart attack care working better for men than for women

Blood clotting combo saves heart patients lives

HIV is not an independent risk factor for severe heart disease

Pet scanning could cut use of angiograms and bypass surgery, as well as patient costs

Study finds potential link to help find blocked heart arteries

Implanted devices are giving cardiologists a new view of subtle changes in a key measurement of heart health

Aspirin does not prevent first heart attacks or death from cardiovascular causes in women

Stent trial fails to meet endpoints

Breakthrough noninvasive tool for early cardiovascular disease detection

Studies find Aspirin resistance in up to 27% of Aspirin users

Gender discrepancies in who gets bypass surgery

Artery clearing device does not provide benefit for heart attack patients undergoing artery-opening interventions

African-Americans receive less aggressive treatment for heart attack than whites

Abnormal electrocardiograms linked to heart enlargement

Aggressive industry promotion of prescription drugs may be a danger to patients and doctors

Middle-aged women who take an active role in their health care may be less likely to develop cardiovascular disease

PET/CT imaging technology for cancer patients

Counseling smokers to quit reduced their chances of dying

Study reveals need for change in surgical procedures

People who live with migraine headaches show a riskier profile for cardiovascular disease

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