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.

Early cholesterol-lowering drug therapy reduces artery-clogging plaque

Early cholesterol-lowering drug therapy after hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome appears to reduce artery-clogging plaque, according to a study reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

25 Aug 2004

Facilities for stroke patients should match those of heart patients

People who have had a stroke need and deserve similar facilities for monitoring and care to those who have had a heart attack. All acute hospitals have coronary care units, but not all hospitals have stroke units.

24 Aug 2004

Cholesterol guidelines advise more intensive treatment

Cardiologists at Temple University Hospital are working with area primary care physicians to help educate patients who are at moderate-to- high risk for heart attack about new guidelines for lowering cholesterol.

23 Aug 2004

COX2 inhibitor lumiracoxib could be an effective treatment for osteoarthritis

The use of non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is widespread to reduce the pain associated with osteoarthritis; however the sideeffects of these drugs can be severe, sometimes leading to gastro-intestinal ulcer complications which account for around 7000 US and 1000 UK deaths each year.

21 Aug 2004

Embryonic stem cell therapy show benefits in rebuilding damaged heart

Despite improvements in earlier diagnosis and treatment, cardiovascular disease is far and away the leading cause of death in the U.S. and the world.

18 Aug 2004

Computed tomography may improve screening of latent atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is the progressive narrowing and hardening of the arteries over time, known to occur to some degree with aging; but other risk factors (such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes and family history for atherosclerotic disease) that accelerate this process have been identified.

18 Aug 2004

New guidelines urge early and long-term treatment with Aldosterone blockade therapy

Patients who have had a recent heart attack with ST-elevation (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction, or STEMI), complicated by heart failure should be treated with aldosterone blockers according to new guidelines issued recently by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA).

17 Aug 2004

Not all good cholesterol helps to protect arteries from becoming clogged with fatty deposits

HDL becomes dysfunctional, Dr. Hazen said, when myeloperoxidase (MPO), an enzyme present in white blood cells, inhibits the HDL's ability to keep LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, from building up in artery walls.

17 Aug 2004

Drug developers should take a different approach to snake venom and heart medications

With the help of snake venom and sophisticated laboratory testing, scientists believe they've uncovered the reason why a group of new heart medications were doing some patients more harm than good.

17 Aug 2004

A quarter of all adults aged over 40 could develop an irregular heartbeat

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder in the U.S., affecting more than 2 million adults. The prevalence of the condition is rising and scientists predict that about 5.6 million Americans will have the disorder by 2050. Known causes of AF include abnormalities in the heart’s structure and long-term uncontrolled high blood pressure.

17 Aug 2004

Drug-eluting stents (DES), increasingly used in coronary angioplasty, have benefits over bare-metal stents

A pooled analysis of 11 previously published trials provides evidence that drug-eluting stents (DES)—increasingly used in coronary angioplasty—have benefits over bare-metal stents (BMS) by reducing the need for later revascularisation and reducing the risk of cardiac events

15 Aug 2004

Stroke research lags far behind funding for other major causes of death in Europe

Despite being the second leading cause of death worldwide, funding for stroke research lags far behind funding for other major causes of death in Europe, according to a study in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

13 Aug 2004

Red wine is much better for you than gin

Red wine contains many complex compounds including polyphenols, which are absent from gin. They found that drinking red wine had a much greater effect in lowering levels in the bloodstream of so-called “anti-inflammatory” substances that are risk factors in the development of heart disease and stroke.

12 Aug 2004

Patients at low risk of dying after coronary artery bypass graft surgery fare better with high-volume surgeons

Patients at low risk of dying after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery have a significantly better chance of survival when treated by surgeons and hospitals that handle many cases, researchers report in today’s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

11 Aug 2004

Significant number of pediatric physicians fail to diagnose Kawasaki disease

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report in the August 10 issue of Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal that a significant number of pediatric physicians fail to diagnose Kawasaki disease in children younger than six months and older than eight years.

11 Aug 2004