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.

Chylomicrons may be as dangerous or more dangerous than low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol

You may not yet have heard of chylomicrons, but a nutritional scientist at the University of Alberta believes you will soon--especially if you care about preventing a stroke or heart attack.

24 Nov 2004

Deaths caused by cardiovascular disease have decreased over the last 50 years

Adults with diabetes have experienced a 50 percent decline in the incidence rate for cardiovascular disease events in recent decades, according to a report in the November 24 issue of JAMA.

24 Nov 2004

Obesity could increase a person’s risk for atrial fibrillation

New research indicates that being obese could increase a person’s risk for atrial fibrillation, the most common irregular heart rhythm, by 50 percent, according to work published in the November 24 issue of JAMA.

24 Nov 2004

Having diabetes raises a woman's risk of having a heart attack to nearly 10 times

Having diabetes raises a woman's risk of having a heart attack to nearly 10 times that of other women, according to a study in the December issue of Diabetes Care. The study also describes why women with diabetes are at much higher risk than men with diabetes when it comes to having cardiac events.

23 Nov 2004

Some hospitals face financial upheaval under new NHS payment system

Some hospitals will face sizeable changes to their incomes under a new NHS payment system, say researchers at Dr Foster in this week's BMJ.

18 Nov 2004

Startling new blood pressure findings - atherosclerosis slowed

A new study led by The Cleveland Clinic shows that giving blood pressure lowering medication to heart disease patients with a “normal” blood pressure dramatically reduces risk of adverse cardiac events and slows disease progression.

16 Nov 2004

Acetaminophen shows positive cardioprotective effects In heart attack, arrhythmia

Long an under-studied yet widely-used over-the-counter medication, acetaminophen over the last few years is becoming recognized for a range of potential therapeutic uses beyond headache and pain.

16 Nov 2004

Millions of people threatened by the diabetes time bomb

Millions of lives are threatened by the dual epidemics of diabetes and obesity that are bound to explode in this century, international diabetes and obesity organizations said today in the run up to World Diabetes Day.

11 Nov 2004

Heavy drinking after suffering a heart attack doubles risk of dying

Heavily drinking – or binging – even intermittently, almost doubles a person’s risk of dying after a heart attack, compared to that of a moderate drinker, according, to a first-of-its-kind study, reported at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2004.

11 Nov 2004

Too much vitamin supplementation could be harmful

Daily vitamin E doses of 400 international units (IU) or more can increase the risk of death and should be avoided, researchers reported at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2004.

11 Nov 2004

Bretylium tosylate has unique benefits for patients with acute myocardial infarction

An "old" drug has unique benefits for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI; commonly known as heart attack), a finding that may contribute to a new understanding of how heart attacks develop, according to an article in the September/October American Journal of Therapeutics.

10 Nov 2004

Calcium channel blocker reduces adverse cardiovascular events

The calcium channel blocker amlodipine decreases the risk of cardiovascular events (such as heart attack or heart-disease related deaths) in patients with coronary artery disease and normal blood pressure, as does the ACE inhibitor enalapril, but to a lesser extent, according to a study in the November 10 issue of JAMA.

10 Nov 2004

Medicare to reimburse preventive cholesterol screening

As the nation's leading cardiologists gather for the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2004, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) has announced the 2005 Physician Fee Schedule, which guarantees access to preventive cholesterol screenings for 39 million Medicare-eligible beneficiaries.

9 Nov 2004

Scientists have developed a fast and safe method for collecting heart stem cells from small amounts of biopsied heart tissue

In human and animal studies, scientists at Johns Hopkins have developed a fast and safe method for collecting heart stem cells from remarkably small amounts of biopsied heart tissue (15 mg or less), and growing the cells in the lab to get more.

9 Nov 2004

ACE inhibitors not needed for many heart disease patients

Many heart disease patients who are already receiving state-of-the-art therapy do not benefit from additional treatment with angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, according to results of a new study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

8 Nov 2004

Generic statin drugs shown to produce similar or better results than expensive brand-name drugs

Researchers from Kaiser Permanente's Northern California region are presenting a study at this week's American Heart Association Scientific Sessions showing that patients who use a generic statin drug rather than its brand-name equivalent fared as well as- sometimes better than-patients on the more expensive drug.

8 Nov 2004

Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction) News and Research

Further Reading

Chylomicrons may be as dangerous or more dangerous than low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol

Deaths caused by cardiovascular disease have decreased over the last 50 years

Obesity could increase a person’s risk for atrial fibrillation

Having diabetes raises a woman's risk of having a heart attack to nearly 10 times

Some hospitals face financial upheaval under new NHS payment system

Startling new blood pressure findings - atherosclerosis slowed

Acetaminophen shows positive cardioprotective effects In heart attack, arrhythmia

Millions of people threatened by the diabetes time bomb

Heavy drinking after suffering a heart attack doubles risk of dying

Too much vitamin supplementation could be harmful

Bretylium tosylate has unique benefits for patients with acute myocardial infarction

Calcium channel blocker reduces adverse cardiovascular events

Medicare to reimburse preventive cholesterol screening

Scientists have developed a fast and safe method for collecting heart stem cells from small amounts of biopsied heart tissue

ACE inhibitors not needed for many heart disease patients

Generic statin drugs shown to produce similar or better results than expensive brand-name drugs

Reviparin significantly reduces death and repeat heart attacks without increasing the risk of stroke

People active in their 50s and 60s about 35 percent less likely to die in the next eight years

Technology to determine a patient's response to aspirin therapy taken to prevent heart attacks

Obese and overweight men spend 3.5 times more on prescription drugs than normal-weight men

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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