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Public defibrillators rarely used during cardiac arrest incidents, research shows

Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are a common resource in public buildings, yet a new analysis reveals that they are rarely used to help resuscitate people suffering cardiac arrest.

28 Mar 2024

Woman petitions health insurer after company approves — then rejects — her infusions

When KFF Health News published an article in August about the "prior authorization hell" Sally Nix said she went through to secure approval from her insurance company for the expensive monthly infusions she needs, we thought her story had a happy ending.

4 Jan 2024

NYU Langone Health performs the world's first whole-eye and partial-face transplant for military veteran

A surgical team from NYU Langone Health performed the world's first whole-eye and partial-face transplant for a 46-year-old military veteran from Arkansas who survived a work-related high-voltage electrical accident.

9 Nov 2023

Bystander defibrillation improves 30-day survival even with short ambulance response times

Using a defibrillator for a cardiac arrest victim improves 30-day survival even with ambulance response times as short as two minutes, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2023.

24 Aug 2023

Largest clinical case series of laughing gas users finds a predominance of young Asian men

The largest clinical case series to date of recreational users of nitrous oxide, popularly known as laughing gas, has found a predominance of young men of Asian ethnicity among those with neurological side effects who were seen at hospitals in 3 major cities in England.

30 May 2023

Fewer resources associated with lower chances of survival after a cardiac arrest

Hospital inpatients have better prospects of surviving a cardiac arrest in large hospitals and well-resourced wards, and daytime cardiac arrests are also associated with better chances of survival, a University of Gothenburg thesis shows.

18 Apr 2023

New CDC opioid guidelines: Too little, too late for chronic pain patients?

Jessica Layman estimates she has called more than 150 doctors in the past few years in her search for someone to prescribe opioids for her chronic pain.

15 Mar 2023

Key steps for diagnosis and management of orthostatic tachycardia after COVID-19

A recent article discussed the prevalence, assessment, and practice pointers for the management of presentations of tachycardia among long COVID.

10 Mar 2023

Most athletes with diagnosed and treated genetic heart disease experienced no cardiac events

Ninety-five percent of athletes with a diagnosed and treated genetic heart disease experienced no disease-triggered cardiac events, such as cardiogenic fainting or seizures, implantable cardio-defibrillator (ICD) shocks, sudden cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death, during an average of seven years of follow up, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session Together With the World Congress of Cardiology.

6 Mar 2023

New method to disrupt spiral waves may be a less painful way to defibrillate hearts

A spiral wave of electrical activity in the heart can cause catastrophic consequences. One spiral wave creates tachycardia -; a heart rate that's too fast -; and multiple spirals cause a state of disorganized contraction known as fibrillation.

26 Jun 2022

High air pollution may increase risk for life-threatening arrhythmias

Life-threatening arrhythmias are more common on days with highly polluted air, according to research presented today at Heart Failure 2022, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology.

22 May 2022

Discovery could lead to new treatments to minimize cravings in people with addictions

For some people with alcohol use disorder, it might be the sight of a familiar bar or a favorite bottle; for others, it might be the feeling of leaving the office after a stressful day at work or stepping into a crowded party. Most people who struggle with drug or alcohol addiction have particular cues that set off their cravings.

4 May 2022

Study finds increased risk of early death for survivors of heart attack plus cardiac arrest

Patients who survive a heart attack together with sudden cardiac arrest are at increased risk of dying within six years following hospital discharge.

7 Mar 2022

Subcutaneous defibrillators equally effective in delivering electric shocks, study says

Electric shocks delivered by subcutaneous defibrillators are equally effective compared to shocks delivered by conventional transvenous defibrillators, according to a study published in the journal Circulation.

9 Dec 2021

Inhalation of CO2 after a traumatic experience enhances fear memory in mice

The inhalation of carbon dioxide (CO2) by mice a few hours after they formed a new fearful memory makes that memory stronger, so that the mice show more distress when they are prompted to 'retrieve' (ie, recall) it.

8 Nov 2021

Earlier epinephrine administration associated with better recovery after cardiac arrest

Earlier epinephrine treatment during a cardiac arrest is linked to better recovery compared to later treatment, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Resuscitation Science Symposium (ReSS) 2021.

8 Nov 2021

Research points to new opportunities to prevent treatment resistance in fragile X syndrome

Mark Bear, Picower Professor of Neuroscience at MIT, recalls the "eureka moment" 20 years ago when he realized that a severe developmental brain disorder -;fragile X syndrome-;might be treated with drugs that inhibit a neurotransmitter receptor called mGluR5.

29 Sep 2021

Neuroscientists reveal brain mechanism related to how serotonin controls cocaine addiction

Contrary to common thinking, cocaine triggers an addiction only in 20% of the consumers. But what happens in their brains when they lose control of their consumption? Thanks to a recent experimental method, neuroscientists at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, have revealed a brain mechanism specific to cocaine, which has the particularity of triggering a massive increase in serotonin in addition to the increase in dopamine common to all drugs.

12 Sep 2021

Drones can help deliver life-saving defibrillators to people with suspected cardiac arrest

The world's first feasibility study has found that drones can be used to deliver life-saving defibrillators to people with suspected cardiac arrest in the community. The research is presented at ESC Congress 2021 and published in the European Heart Journal.

26 Aug 2021

Scientists uncover previously unknown brain mechanism behind compulsive alcohol use

A small group of nerve cells in the brain determines whether an individual continues to consume alcohol even when it has negative consequences. This is the conclusion of a study carried out on rats by researchers at Linköping University.

19 Aug 2021