Myocardial Infarction News and Research

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Carvedilol may improve heart failure and help prevent sudden death

Research shows that Carvedilol, a cardiovascular drug, could be useful in reducing cardiac death in high risk patients with prior myocardial infarction and/or heart failure and also in reducing the incidence and/or preventing the occurrence of atrial fibrillation in a number of clinical situations.

16 Nov 2005

Pretreating a vein graft with edifoligide prior to coronary bypass graft surgery does not lower the rate of graft failure

Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in the United States, according to background information in the article. In appropriately selected patients, CABG surgery results in improved survival, relief of angina, and improved quality of life. Despite frequent use of artery grafts, vein grafts remain the most frequently used conduit.

13 Nov 2005

First clinical study of FX06 treatment against damage caused by heart attacks

Central to the study is FXO6, a peptide developed and patented by Austro-American company Fibrex Medical. Fibrex will now test the tolerability and pharmacokinetics of FX06 in humans. The peptide reduces inflammatory responses of the heart muscle that can arise after treatment for a myocardial infarction. Tests will begin immediately on the first - healthy - subjects at the Vienna General Hospital.

7 Nov 2005

Pravastatin is highly effective in lowering the risk of heart attack

The cholesterol-lowering drug pravastatin is highly effective in lowering the risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD), reports a study in the December Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

27 Oct 2005

Cardiac regeneration using stem cells may heal hearts even years after heart attacks

Left ventricular function and exercise capacity increased, while the area of heart muscle damage shrank, in 18 patients given infusions of their own bone marrow stem cells up to eight years after a heart attack, according to a new study in the Nov. 1, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

27 Oct 2005

Two competing drug-eluting stents work equally well

After completing the most comprehensive U.S.-based study of its kind, Dr. Charles Simonton reported that the performance of two competing coronary stents was "virtually identical" in head-to-head comparisons.

25 Oct 2005

Quality of care determines heart attack outcomes

Ninety days after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) - or heart attack - death rates for African Americans and white patients were found to be significantly higher in hospitals that disproportionately serve African-American patients than in hospitals that serve mainly white patients, according to a major new study led by researchers at Dartmouth Medical School.

24 Oct 2005

Beta blockers not as effective as other drugs that reduce high blood pressure in patients with hypertension

Beta blockers are not as effective as other drugs that reduce high blood pressure in patients with hypertension, concludes a meta-analysis published online by The Lancet.

18 Oct 2005

Very low LDL cholesterol levels appear to be safe for heart patients on statin therapies

"There was no apparent safety concern for patients whose resultant LDL on intensive therapy was lower than current guidelines. There was a trend toward improved clinical outcomes in the lowest LDL groups," said Stephen D. Wiviott, M.D., from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

11 Oct 2005

Survival of heart attack patients placed on beta-blocker therapy corresponds to specific variations in their genes

Survival of heart attack and unstable angina patients placed on beta-blocker therapy corresponds to specific variations in their genes, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City.

27 Sep 2005

Gene variants and beta-blockers associated with increased risk of death

Patients with certain gene variants who were prescribed beta-blocker drugs after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) had an increased risk of death over the next three years, according to a study in the September 28 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

27 Sep 2005

Heart attack patients run an increased risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder

This may lead to a vicious cycle, with the PTSD associated with heart disease harming the patient's future cardiac heath, according to the study in the current issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.

26 Sep 2005

Link between ambient air pollution and acute myocardial infarction, or heart attack

An article published in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis looks specifically at airborne particulate matter resulting mainly from the combustion of fuel, including coal and also from forest fires.

26 Sep 2005

Heart disease patients face greater risk of PTSD

Heart attack patients, and most likely those with other forms of heart disease, run an increased risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, says a new research review done in Denmark and the Netherlands.

22 Sep 2005

Long-term alcoholics are at a higher risk for postoperative infections following elective cardiac surgery

Previous research has shown that post-surgery rates of disease and death are two-to-five times greater among long-term alcoholics than nonalcoholic patients. Of all the possible complications, infection can be the most serious.

22 Sep 2005

Women who suffer heart attacks wait longer to be assessed

Women who suffer heart attacks wait longer to be assessed, admitted and receive treatment than men with the same condition, according to a paper in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing.

12 Sep 2005

Part of largest randomised international trial program ever conducted in atrial fibrillation (AF) discontinued

Study treatments for the ACTIVE W trial of the ACTIVE (Atrial Fibrillation Clopidogrel Trial with Irbesartan for Prevention of Vascular Events) program have been discontinued due to a significant difference in efficacy, in favour of the standard oral anticoagulation (OAC) over antiplatelet therapy (clopidogrel plus aspirin).

6 Sep 2005