Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Study confirms that COX-2 inhibitors predispose people to cardiovascular disease

After nearly 13 years of study and intense debate, a pair of new papers from the Perelman School of Medicine, at the University of Pennsylvania have confirmed exactly how a once-popular class of anti-inflammatory drugs leads to cardiovascular risk for people taking it.

3 May 2012

Roundup: Mass. health cost control bill could save $8B to $34B; Md. weighs hospital rate freeze; Iowa Senate passes a fix for HIV insurance program

As Massachusetts' state legislators put the finishing touches on a major health care cost-control bill, there is still one big question: How much could it save? A recent report claims employers and employees could see between $8 billion and $34.5 billion in savings over nine years.

3 May 2012

Women who spend long hours sitting are at increased risk for diabetes

A new study finds women who spend four to seven hours a day sitting are more likely to show early signs of type 2 diabetes, but researchers have found no such link in men. During National Women's Health Week and beyond, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics encourages all women to take steps to increase physical activity and decrease their risk of developing diabetes.

2 May 2012

Optimum blood vitamin D levels to reduce risk of major medical events

In testing older patients' blood vitamin D levels, there's uncertainty about where the dividing line falls between enough and not enough. The threshold amount has become controversial as several scientific societies set different targets.

2 May 2012

Fish oil may improve outcomes for kidney patients undergoing hemodialysis

Over the past decade, there has been a steady stream of information promoting the health benefits of fish oil capsules. According to Dr. Louise Moist, a Scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute, fish oil may also improve outcomes for kidney patients undergoing hemodialysis.

2 May 2012

Endocrine Society and its Hormone Health Network release ‘Menopause Map’

Women going through menopause now have a first-of-its-kind interactive guide to help them better understand their menu of treatment options, including whether hormone therapy may be right for them. The Endocrine Society and its Hormone Health Network today released the "Menopause Map," an online tool to help women and their doctors discuss which hormonal and non-hormonal treatment options would be most effective and safe to relieve the sometimes debilitating symptoms of menopause.

2 May 2012

REACH Health launches enhanced telemedicine clinical platform

REACH Health, Inc., a leading provider of telemedicine technology solutions for health systems, today announced the launch of its enhanced telemedicine clinical platform, REACH Access.

2 May 2012

Thoratec first quarter revenues increase 27% to $126.8M

Thoratec Corporation, a world leader in device-based mechanical circulatory support therapies to save, support and restore failing hearts, said today that revenues for the first quarter of 2012 were $126.8 million, an increase of 27% versus revenues of $99.5 million in the same period a year ago.

2 May 2012

Teleflex strengthens Anesthesia product portfolio

Teleflex Incorporated, a leading global provider of medical devices for critical care and surgery, announced it has acquired the EZ-BlockerTM disposable catheter product line with a unique bifurcated distal end, a novel and patented bronchial blocker for lung isolation and one-lung ventilation.

2 May 2012

Copenhagen Consensus report argues for addressing chronic, NCDs in developing countries

In the second part of a series of Slate articles highlighting issues being examined by the Copenhagen Consensus Center, Bjorn Lomborg, director of the center, examines the global burden of non-communicable diseases, which "receive the smallest amount of donor assistance of all health conditions, having lost ground since 1990 relative to infectious diseases," he writes.

2 May 2012

SCPC accredits Porter Adventist Hospital as Chest Pain Center

The Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) recently awarded Porter Adventist Hospital full accreditation status as a Chest Pain Center.

2 May 2012

Vanity and fashion trends affect women's health

Fashion trends and concerns about appearance could be having a detrimental effect on the health and fitness of our nation's women according to a new survey commissioned by Cancer Research UK's Race for Life, in partnership with Tesco.

2 May 2012

More studies needed on potential links between type D personality and cardiac disease

Heart Rhythm Society launches Boston Citywide Awareness Campaign

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has proclaimed May to be Cardiac Arrhythmia Awareness Month, calling attention to the need for greater public awareness throughout the Commonwealth about two serious heart rhythm conditions, atrial fibrillation and sudden cardiac arrest. To support consumer education about these potentially life-threatening disease states, the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) has launched a Boston Citywide Awareness Campaign to increase knowledge about symptoms, warning signs and available treatment options.

2 May 2012

NIH study indicates safety of anti-HIV drug tenofovir during pregnancy

Infants born to women who used the anti-HIV drug tenofovir as part of an anti-HIV drug regimen during pregnancy do not weigh less at birth and are not of shorter length than infants born to women who used anti-HIV drug regimens that do not include tenofovir during pregnancy, according to findings from a National Institutes of Health network study.

2 May 2012

Ciprofloxacin, TMP-SMX no longer safe for outpatient urinary tract infection

In a surveillance study of over 12 million bacteria, investigators at The George Washington University and Providence Hospital found E. coli antimicrobial resistance to ciprofloxacin, the most commonly prescribed antimicrobial for urinary tract infections in the U.S., increased over five-fold from 2000 to 2010.

2 May 2012

Many Americans would rather get a good night's sleep than have sex

A national survey by the Better Sleep Council (BSC) found that 61 percent of Americans and a whopping 79 percent of women would rather get a good night's sleep than have sex. The survey also found that nearly half of Americans fall asleep somewhere other than their bed at least once a week, and about 11 percent fall asleep somewhere other than their bed every day.

2 May 2012

Vessix V2 Renal Denervation System for hypertension receives CE Mark approval

Vessix Vascular, Inc., a developer of novel percutaneous radiofrequency (RF) balloon catheter technology for the treatment of hypertension, announced today that it has received Conformite Europeenne (CE) Mark approval for its V2 Renal Denervation System for the treatment of hypertension.

2 May 2012

ACE inhibitors or ARBs could treat and prevent PTSD

Traumatized people who take a class of common blood pressure medications tend to have less severe post-traumatic stress symptoms, researchers have found.

2 May 2012

Roundup: Mass. premium increases muted; Iowa cuts payment to charity after fraud probe; Ga. asks EMS providers to save scarce drugs

State regulators on Monday approved third-quarter health insurance rates that will raise premiums an average of just 1.2 percent in the market serving small businesses and individuals, continuing a trend of more modest increases seen over the past three quarters. And several carriers, including Tufts Health Plan of Watertown and Fallon Community Health Plan, based in Worcester, will reduce their rates -- a rarity in Massachusetts health care -- according to data from the state Division of Insurance.

2 May 2012