Heart Attack News and Research

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VerifyNow System, a rapid platelet function assessment platform, evaluated at AHA's Scientific Sessions

Accumetrics, Inc., developer of the VerifyNow System, the first point-of-care method for measuring platelet reactivity, announces that its market-leading VerifyNow P2Y12 Test was one of multiple methods evaluated in the POPular study, which was presented during a Late Breaking Clinical Trials session at the American Heart Association's annual Scientific Sessions.

20 Nov 2009

Updated clinical guidelines on Effient treatment for ACS patients

Effient® (prasugrel) tablets, a new antiplatelet medicine, was added as a treatment option in two clinical guideline updates: one for patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and a second one for patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), or severe heart attack.

19 Nov 2009

'Model' tobacco cessation program reduces smoking rate by 26%

A "model" tobacco cessation benefit offered to Massachusetts' Medicaid participants has produced an astounding 26% drop in smoking rates in only two and a half years, and has already been linked to decreases in heart attacks, hospitalizations for asthma and COPD, and a significant decrease in birth complications.

19 Nov 2009

Publicly released report cards do not appear to improve hospitals' performance, says new study

An analysis of quality of cardiac care following the public release of data on measures of care at hospitals in Ontario, Canada, did not result in significant systemwide improvement in hospitals' performance on most quality of care indicators, according to a study to be published in the December 2 issue of JAMA. The study is being released early online because of its presentation at an American Heart Association scientific conference.

19 Nov 2009

Dual niacin-statin therapy improves blood cholesterol levels but does not diminish plaque buildup

The routine prescription of extended-release niacin, a B vitamin (1,500 milligrams daily), in combination with traditional cholesterol-lowering therapy offers no extra benefit in correcting arterial narrowing and diminishing plaque buildup in seniors who already have coronary artery disease, a new vascular imaging study from Johns Hopkins experts shows.

19 Nov 2009

Way to capture tumor cells in the bloodstream discovered

A team led by University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) researchers on the cutting edge of nanotechnology has found a way to capture tumor cells in the bloodstream that could dramatically improve earlier cancer diagnosis and prevent deadly metastasis.

18 Nov 2009

Drug interaction between clopidogrel and omeprazole: New safety information

Today the FDA notified healthcare professionals of new safety information concerning a drug interaction between clopidogrel, an anti-clotting medication, and omeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) used to reduce stomach acid.

18 Nov 2009

IBM scientists create one-step point-of-care-diagnostic test based on innovative silicon chip

IBM (IBM) scientists have created a one-step point-of-care-diagnostic test, based on an innovative silicon chip, that requires less sample volume, is significantly faster, portable, easy to use, and can test for many diseases, including one of world's leading causes of death, cardiovascular disease.

18 Nov 2009

CRESTOR reduces major cardiovascular events in women by 46%

A new analysis of the JUPITER trial, released today at the American Heart Association meeting in Orlando, Florida, demonstrates that CRESTOR (rosuvastatin calcium) 20mg reduced first major cardiovascular events by 46%.

18 Nov 2009

Data demonstrate that danger of low levels of HDL is not reduced by statin treatment

Data released today at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2009 define the increased risk of heart attacks and cardiovascular disease in patients with low levels of HDL-C (known as "good cholesterol"). The data also determine that statins are unable to significantly impact the heart attack or cardiovascular disease risks associated with low HDL-C.

18 Nov 2009

GRK2 inhibition protects against chronic heart failure

Inhibition of a protein known to contribute to heart failure also appears to be protective of the heart in more acute cardiac stress injury, namely ischemia reperfusion, according to two studies conducted at the Center for Translational Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. The studies will be presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009 in Orlando, Fla.

18 Nov 2009

Drug therapy offers substantial cost savings than angioplasty

Many patients with diabetes should forego angioplasties for heart disease and just take medicine instead, according to a new National Institutes of Health study led by Stanford University School of Medicine researcher Mark Hlatky, MD.

18 Nov 2009

New, reversible antiplatelet drug not superior than irreversible one in patients undergoing PCI

A new, reversible antiplatelet drug did not demonstrate superiority over a current irreversible one in reducing the composite of death, heart attack or ischemia-related revascularization in the 48 hours after angioplasty, researchers reported in a late-breaking clinical trial presentation at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009.

17 Nov 2009

Erratic heart rhythms during exercise do not pose risk to healthy, older adults

Healthy, older adults free of heart disease need not fear that bouts of rapid, irregular heartbeats brought on by vigorous exercise might increase short- or long-term risk of dying or having a heart attack, according to a report by heart experts at Johns Hopkins and the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA).

17 Nov 2009

Hospitals should expand quality control guidelines to improve surgical complications in older patients

The elderly are more vulnerable to problems after a major surgical procedure than younger patients, but a team of investigators using data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) suggest that one way to improve surgical results in this age group is to have hospitals expand their quality control guidelines to include more types of surgery-related complications.

17 Nov 2009

Statin therapy should still be used first to reach blood cholesterol levels before considering niacin

Heart experts at Johns Hopkins are calling premature the early halt of a study by researchers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Washington Hospital Center on the benefits of combining extended-release niacin, a B vitamin, with cholesterol-lowering statin medications to prevent blood vessel narrowing. Cardiovascular atherosclerosis, as it is also known, is believed responsible for one in three deaths in the United States each year.

17 Nov 2009

Sudden cardiac death more predictable in men than women

A woman who suffers sudden cardiac arrest is significantly less likely than a man to exhibit the decrease in the heart's pumping ability that is widely recognized as a precursor, says a new study in the Nov. 24 Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

17 Nov 2009

FDA approves Lysteda for treating menorrhagia

Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an integrated specialty pharmaceutical company with both development and commercial capabilities focused on women's healthcare and pain management, announced today that Lysteda(TM) (tranexamic acid) oral tablets has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for treatment of women suffering from cyclic heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), also known as menorrhagia.

16 Nov 2009

Platelet function tests predict heart attacks in patients pre-treated with two anti-clotting medications before coronary stenting

Three platelet function tests all identified heart patients who will have blood cells that remain sticky, increasing heart attack risk, despite being pre-treated with two anti-clotting medications before coronary stenting, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009.

16 Nov 2009

Mayo Clinic Health Letter provides treatment options for people with heart disorders

Fewer than one-third of patients with heart failure are taking the three types of medications that are most effective in prolonging life and improving quality of life. The November issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter provides an overview of treatments recommended by national guidelines.

16 Nov 2009

Heart Attack News and Research

VerifyNow System, a rapid platelet function assessment platform, evaluated at AHA's Scientific Sessions

Updated clinical guidelines on Effient treatment for ACS patients

'Model' tobacco cessation program reduces smoking rate by 26%

Publicly released report cards do not appear to improve hospitals' performance, says new study

Dual niacin-statin therapy improves blood cholesterol levels but does not diminish plaque buildup

Way to capture tumor cells in the bloodstream discovered

Drug interaction between clopidogrel and omeprazole: New safety information

IBM scientists create one-step point-of-care-diagnostic test based on innovative silicon chip

CRESTOR reduces major cardiovascular events in women by 46%

Data demonstrate that danger of low levels of HDL is not reduced by statin treatment

GRK2 inhibition protects against chronic heart failure

Drug therapy offers substantial cost savings than angioplasty

New, reversible antiplatelet drug not superior than irreversible one in patients undergoing PCI

Erratic heart rhythms during exercise do not pose risk to healthy, older adults

Hospitals should expand quality control guidelines to improve surgical complications in older patients

Statin therapy should still be used first to reach blood cholesterol levels before considering niacin

Sudden cardiac death more predictable in men than women

FDA approves Lysteda for treating menorrhagia

Platelet function tests predict heart attacks in patients pre-treated with two anti-clotting medications before coronary stenting

Mayo Clinic Health Letter provides treatment options for people with heart disorders

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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