Coronary Artery Disease News and Research

Latest Coronary Artery Disease News and Research

Coffee may impair peak heart function

In healthy volunteers, the equivalent of two cups of coffee reduced the body's ability to boost blood flow to the heart muscle in response to exercise, and the effect was stronger when the participants were in a chamber simulating high altitude, according to a new study in the Jan. 17, 2006, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

16 Jan 2006

Heart patients don't stick to drug programs

A new report says that although people with coronary artery disease (CAD) are now more likely to use evidence-based therapies than they were a few years ago, there is still room for improvement.

10 Jan 2006

Coronary artery disease patients consistently fail to take life saving drugs

Nearly half the coronary artery disease (CAD) patients in a seven-year study admitted they don’t consistently take beta blockers, cholesterol-lowering drugs and other medications that could extend their lives, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

10 Jan 2006

Statins do not appear to reduce the incidence of cancer

The cholesterol-lowering medications called statins do not appear to reduce the incidence of cancer or cancer deaths, according to a meta-analysis of previous studies in the January 4 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

6 Jan 2006

Gulf War Syndrome more prevalent in first Persian Gulf War veterans

Comparing veterans deployed in the first Persian Gulf War and veterans deployed elsewhere at the same time has revealed veterans who served in the Persian Gulf have nearly twice the prevalence of chronic multi-symptom illness (CMI), a cluster of symptoms similar to a set of conditions often called Gulf War Syndrome.

5 Jan 2006

Study to look for links between the nervous system and fatal heart rhythm

Finding out why seemingly healthy people experience ventricular fibrillation, a fatal irregular heart rhythm, could eventually lead to better methods of early detection, according to a Medical College of Georgia researcher.

22 Dec 2005

Understanding obesity in humans

A new study by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center suggests that when fat cells increase in size - as they do during the development of obesity - the cells progressively lose receptors for the hormone leptin, a powerful stimulus for fat burning.

7 Dec 2005

Alagebrium may prevent arterial aging in patients with systolic hypertension

A compound called alagebrium, which is very similar to another used in anti-wrinkle creams, may be useful in reducing the deleterious effects of arterial aging in the majority of elderly Americans with systolic hypertension, a new study from researchers at Johns Hopkins shows.

5 Dec 2005

High blood pressure research advances efforts to tailor drugs to individual patients

Having high blood pressure and a particular genetic alteration dramatically increases the risk of heart attack, stroke or death, and may explain why some hypertensive patients fare worse than others - even if they take the same medication, University of Florida researchers announced.

26 Nov 2005

"Get With The Guidelines" programs improve care

After one year - Get With The GuidelinesSM programs used in hospitals significantly improved care for almost 30,000 coronary artery disease patients of all ages and sexes, according to research reported at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2005.

26 Nov 2005

Aspirin can significantly reduce the risk of stroke in women

A meta-analysis of more than 95,000 patients has shown that aspirin can significantly reduce the risk of stroke in women, but it appears to have no protective effect in men, according to a new analysis by Duke University Medical Center cardiologists.

21 Nov 2005

Exercise capacity is a powerful predictor of death in patients with coronary artery disease

Exercise capacity, as measured in terms of VO2max, is a powerful predictor of death in patients with coronary artery disease, not just patients with heart failure. That is the finding of a Mayo Clinic study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2005 in Dallas.

21 Nov 2005

American physicians may be too liberal in their use of blood transfusions

In an analysis of some 24,000 patient records, the researchers found that Americans rushed to the hospital with heart attack symptoms have significantly higher rates of bleeding and transfusions after treatment than similar patients throughout the world.

21 Nov 2005

Drug pravastatin may provide a previously unknown cardiovascular benefit

The drug pravastatin, which is used widely to decrease high cholesterol, may provide a previously unknown cardiovascular benefit in addition to lowering lipids.

20 Nov 2005

Genetically modified allow scientists to examine the potential usefulness of new therapies for Alzheimer's disease

Researchers with the University of Florida and the California Institute of Technology have developed a new strain of genetically modified mice that allow scientists to examine the potential usefulness of new therapies for Alzheimer's disease.

20 Nov 2005

Lack of aggressive treatment for clogged leg blood vessels means missed heart attack prevention opportunity

Despite the fact that clogged arteries in the legs usually mean clogged arteries near the heart, doctors often fail to give heart-protecting drugs to people with severe leg blood vessel blockages, a new University of Michigan-led study finds.

15 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

Statins reduce the risk of stroke after carotid artery endarterectomy

Carotid artery endarterectomy (CEA) is the most commonly performed operation to prevent stroke in the United States. However, the operation itself carries a small risk of stroke.

13 Nov 2005

Hopkins study finds no "cognitive decline" after use of heart-lung machine during bypass surgery

The use of a cardiopulmonary heart pump during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery does not significantly damage such high-level mental tasks as thinking, reasoning and remembering, according to a study by Johns Hopkins researchers recently published in Neurology.

10 Nov 2005

Sildenafil reverses symptoms of Raynaud's

German researchers have discovered yet another use for Viagra (sildenafil), they say it relieves the symptoms and improves the circulation of patients with Raynaud's phenomenon.

8 Nov 2005