Heart News and Research

RSS

Robotic navigation systems in electrophysiology

Catheter ablation is still associated with a substantial amount of complications, and more failure then sometimes reported. Perforation with catheters is especially important in atrial fibrillation. Robotic navigation could reduce these complications.

1 Sep 2008

Percutaneous mitral valve repair

The scope of percutaneous cardiac therapy has expanded from percutaneous coronary and peripheral intervention to percutaneous valve intervention, first used in the mid eighties.

1 Sep 2008

Transapical aortic valve implantation

Transapical aortic valve implantation (TA-AVI) is a new therapeutic strategy, which has been implemented successfully into clinical practice in several hundred patients suffering symptomatic aortic stenosis and an increase perioperative risk during the past two years. The Edwards SAPIEN prosthesis has been used.

1 Sep 2008

Does treatment of depression improve prognosis after heart attack?

Depression and heart disease are the two leading disorders with the strongest contributions to the global burden of disease. Depression and heart disease are also intertwined.

1 Sep 2008

Issues on cholesterol: diet, statins and genetics

Genetic lipoprotein disorders are frequently seen in patients with premature coronary artery disease (CAD). An example of strong genetic predisposition is the disorder: familial hypercholesterolemia, where a single gene defect (the low density lipoprotein receptor) contributes to most of the familial expression of CAD.

1 Sep 2008

Primary prevention of coronary heart disease: challenges and achievements

The European Society of Cardiology together with other partner Societies has engaged in a comprehensive programme of prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) since 1994. Guidelines on this important topic have been developed and updated at regular intervals over the last 13 years, most recently in 2007.

1 Sep 2008

New generation drug-eluting stent demonstrates equivalent efficacy to market leader in 'real world'

In the first study of its kind, a drug-eluting stent (DES) with a biodegradable polymer applied only to the outer surface has been demonstrated as safe and effective as one of the most established and widely used types of DES with a durable polymer, in equivalent conditions to everyday clinical practice.

1 Sep 2008

WHO says inequities around the world are killing people on a "grand scale"

According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) inequities around the world are responsible for killing people on a "grand scale".

1 Sep 2008

Faster heart rate linked to increased heart attack risk

A long-term study has revealed a link between a faster heart rate and the risk of a heart attack and the researchers say that heart disease patients with a pulse of more than 70 beats a minute are most at risk.

1 Sep 2008

Drug eluting stents: New elements in the debate

Results announced at the 2006 ESC meeting in Barcelona questioned the long-term safety of drug eluting stents (DES) and sparked intense discussion.

31 Aug 2008

Who needs cardiac surgery?

Throughout the developed world, cardiac surgery faces increasing challenges from percutaneous intervention, currently with revascularisation, but potentially soon for valve replacement as well. The spectacular growth of PCI in the UK over the last five years is typical for many developed countries.

31 Aug 2008

DES in diabetic patients

The issue of using or not using DES in patients with diabetes will be debated between Professor Wijns, who discourages DES and Professor Silber, who feels that they should be used.

31 Aug 2008

Positive exercise testing in athletes: What does that mean?

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) during sports activity is an uncommon, but catastrophic event. Different efforts to reduce the risk of SCD related to sports have been undertaken. What is the role of the exercise test in this context? What does a positive exercise test mean?

31 Aug 2008

Should we use echocardiography to screen young athletes?

Sudden and unexpected deaths in young competitive athletes are uncommon but highly visible events, which raise concern and ethical issues in both the lay public and medical community. Which is the best strategy to timely identify individuals with cardiac disease responsible for sudden death (primarily, HCM) is largely debated. Namely, the extent to which sophisticated testing, such as echocardiography, is needed is still undefined.

31 Aug 2008

TIME-CHF Trial: Elderly HF patients do not benefit from intensive medical therapy

Intensified, BNP-guided therapy was no more effective than a standard, symptom-guided approach in elderly heart failure patients in reducing the number of deaths and all-cause hospitalisations. However, the response to this intervention differed significantly between patients aged 60-74 years and those aged ¡Ý75 years. This indicates the need for specific data in this large subset of very old heart failure patients who have been largely excluded from large treatment trials.

31 Aug 2008

The BEAUTIFUL study: Ivabradine and the reduction of cardiovascular events

The results of the much awaited BEAUTIFUL (morBidity-mortality EvAlUaTion of the If inhibitor ivabradine in patients with CAD and left ventricULar dysfunction) trial have shown that coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) and a heart rate more than 70 bpm have a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular death and other cardiovascular events and in these patients (heart rate above 70 bpm) treatment with ivabradine further reduces the risk of the most important coronary events such as fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarction and coronary revascularisation by one third, even when these patients are already receiving optimal therapy.

31 Aug 2008

The GISSI-HF trial: Effects of n-3 PUFA in 6,975 patients with symptomatic chronic heart failure

Researchers involved in the GISSI trial, concluded that simple, safe and cheap treatment with n-3 PUFA can provide a moderate beneficial advantage in terms of mortality and admission to hospital for cardiovascular reasons in patients with chronic heart failure, in a context of usual care.

31 Aug 2008

Sports-related sudden cardiac death is reduced by pre-participation cardiovascular screening

Young competitive athletes are perceived by the general population to be the healthiest members of society. The possibility that highly trained athletes may have a potentially serious cardiac condition that can predispose to life-threatening tachyarrhythmias or sudden cardiac death seems paradoxical.

31 Aug 2008

Global study shows Telmisartan reduces outcome of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke

An international study led by Canadian researchers has found that telmisartan, a medication used to lower blood pressure, reduced the outcome of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke in people who are unable to tolerate a widely available and effective standard treatment.

31 Aug 2008

Cardiac ultrasound imaging goes handheld

Non-invasive imaging has revolutionized the diagnosis of the most common cardiac diseases such as valve problems and coronary heart disease. In addition, imaging techniques are developing rapidly and we anticipate that non-invasive imaging will gain further importance in the treatment of cardiac patients.

31 Aug 2008