AHA 2008: Stratification beyond Framingham criteria is possible using coronary calcium score
November 11th 2008Precisely defining intermediate cardiovascular-event risk using the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) is a challenge for clinicians. This is magnified when one considers that the number of patients who fall under the intermediate risk category outnumbers those considered low or high risk.
AHA 2008: Drug-eluting stents show increased safety in diabetics
November 11th 2008Drug-eluting stents (DES) were associated with decreased rates of death, myocardial infarction (MI), and revascularization at 3 years of follow up in diabetic patients compared to bare-metal stents (BMS), according to results of a large observational study. “Our primary concern was to look at safety,” says Laura Mauri, MD (pictured) Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston. “Considering the safety concerns surrounding DES recently, it was to our surprise that we found a significant difference in the opposite direction.
AHA 2008: Transition from pediatric to adult cardiac care should start early
November 11th 2008The process of transitioning pediatric cardiology patients into adult cardiac care should begin in late childhood or early adolescence, says Arwa Saidi, MD (pictured) department of internal medicine and pediatric cardiology, University of Florida. The 2008 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines recommend preparing young people for the transition beginning at age 12.
AHA 2008: Human heart valve grown from stem cells offers hope for prenatal infants with defects
November 11th 2008Researchers have successfully used umbilical cord stem cells to build a functional heart valve that may someday be perfected so that infants born with valve abnormalities could receive a new valve derived from their own stem cells, reports Philipp Schaefermeier, MD, University Hospital of Munich, Germany.
AHA 2008: Resistant hypertension is multifactorial in etiology, requires combinations of drugs
November 10th 2008A coalescence of factors usually conspires to cause resistant hypertension, which is defined as the failure to reach goal blood pressure in patients adhering to full doses of an appropriate three-drug antihypertensive treatment regimen, says Domenic Sica, MD.
AHA 2008: No effect of B vitamins on vascular risk
November 10th 2008The final nail has been driven into the homocysteine-lowering coffin as a means to prevent recurrent coronary events. The results from the homocysteine-lowering arm of the SEARCH (Study of the Effectiveness of Additional Reductions in Cholesterol and Homocysteine) trial found no benefit to folic acid combined with vitamin B12
JUPITER: Rosuvastatin reduces events in patients without hyperlipidemia but with elevated hsCRP
November 10th 2008Rosuvastatin treatment of patients with better than average lipid profiles but with elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) resulted in a 44% relative risk reduction in cardiovascular events and a 20% reduction in all-cause mortality, reports Paul Ridker, MD (pictured), lead investigator for the JUPITER Trial Study Group. JUPITER was an investigator-initiated trial sponsored by AstraZeneca.
Ischemia-specific serum biomarkers identified, may lead to blood test that will predict MI
November 10th 2008Johns Hopkins researchers have identified five proteins that may serve as an early warning of impending myocardial infarction (MI) in patients presenting to emergency rooms with ischemia symptoms. A blood test to detect all, or a subset of these proteins, could be used by physicians and paramedics in the 12- to 24-hour window before ischemia causes tissue damage or death.
AHA 2008: Look at recovery following an acute coronary syndrome as a continuum
November 10th 2008Recovery following an acute coronary syndrome is a phase in a larger cardiovascular disease continuum, and prevention of downstream complications needs to begin immediately following the event, says Shirley M. Moore, PhD, RN.
Vitamins and other supplements: Pharmacists should collaborate with trainers
November 10th 2008Physical and personal trainers recommend supplements and OTC products to their clients without considering possible interactions with other supplements or meds. By becoming an information resource to trainers, pharmacists can take the lead in promoting safe use of these products.
Hospital-acquired diabetic complications: How pharmacists can help prevent them
November 10th 2008Medicare has stopped paying hospitals for blood conditions caused by poor inpatient glycemic control. Health-system pharmacists can help prevent these conditions and reduce uncompensated expenses by insisting on proper protocols.