Cardiovascular Disease

Frequent coffee drinkers have a lower risk than those who drink little or no coffee, of death related to heart and respiratory disease, stroke, and infections.

The European Society of Cardiology just weighed in on the 3 new alternatives to warfarin for oral anticoagulation. The response is tempered enthusiasm.

High HDL levels track with low MI risk. But a Harvard medical geneticist tells why you may not be able to reduce that risk by intervening to raise them.

Also known as “broken-heart syndrome,” Takotsubo syndrome is a stress-induced cardiomyopathy.

Findings of the TIPS-2 study, announced at the recent 2012 World Congress of Cardiology, put the promise of the polypill-a simplified, one-size-fits-all approach to prevention of cardiovascular morbidity-back on the table for international discussion. Here, Dr Christopher Cannon puts the TIPS-2 results in perspective.

The Los Angeles county coroner’s office recently ruled that singer Whitney Houston drowned in her hotel bathtub but that other factors contributed to her demise. Did the 48-year-old have preexisting cardiovascular disease? Did cocaine abuse trigger a deadly cardiac event? Drs Payal Kohli and Christopher Cannon put the autopsy results and the pop star’s final moments in context.

It’s a known fact that regular consumption of red meat increases the risk of many chronic diseases-including diabetes, coronary heart disease, and cancer. Now, data from 2 large, long-term studies link daily consumption of red meat with death from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Drs Kohli and Cannon discuss what to tell your patients.

There’s a new way to lower LDL cholesterol levels-by approximately 60% to 80%. Studies unveiled at the 2012 ACC meeting found that an injectable monoclonal antibody, when added to statin therapy cuts LDL cholesterol levels far in excess of what can be achieved with statin therapy alone. Drs Christopher Cannon and Payal Kohli discuss.

Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages is known to cause weight gain and heightens the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Here to put the issue into perspective are Drs Christopher Cannon and Payal Kohli.

Is PAD as prevalent in women as in men? Does CAD present differently in women and men? Is coronary angiography the most accurate diagnostic modality for women? Find answers and more details, here.

Is a patient's disorientation associated with arrhythmia?

It's not very exact to use Hoamn's sign or a calf squeeze to diagnose phlebitis in cardiovascular patient. Here's another way.

Dizzy patient? Their brain might not be getting enough blood, thanks to their antihypertensive dosage.

A recent commentary of mine regarding hypertension was entitled, “Are Prescribing Practices for Antihypertensives Primitive? The Truth Hurts."

A 48-year-old African American man with no significant medical history sustained a gunshot wound to the face and shoulder.

Exercising at least 4 times a week can increase left ventricular mass and preserve elasticity, thereby reducing the risk of diastolic heart failure. Researchers from Texas presented their study results at the American College of Cardiology’s 60th Annual Scientific Session.

Measurement of pulse pressure may help identify patients with "white coat" hypertension, according to data presented by Korean researchers at the American College of Cardiology’s 60th Annual Scientific Session.

What is the optimal duration for antiplatelet therapy after placement of drug-eluting stents? Initial results of the EXCELLENT study show that 6 months of antiplatelet therapy is as effective as the 12-month regimen recommended by current guidelines.

A Danish study found no clinical benefit from using NT-proBNP (b-type natriuretic peptide) to identify and monitor high-risk patients with chronic heart failure, according to research from the NorthStar study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 60th Annual Scientific Session in New Orleans.

Compared with medical therapy alone, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) significantly reduced cardiovascular deaths and the composite end point of all-cause deaths and cardiovascular-related hospitalizations, reported investigators from the Surgical Treatment of Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH) trial. However, the effect of the two management strategies on overall survival in patients with ischemic heart failure was similar.

Recently, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) released a focused update to the 2007 guidelines for the management of patients with unstable angina (UA)/non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (non-STEMI).

A panel of experts presented a general strategy for evaluating patients with refractory hypertension, but ultimately cautioned the audience to assume non-compliance until proven otherwise.

The panel presented three challenging cases of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) (see Update on Diastolic Heart Failure). In an innovative twist, the panel solicited feedback from a standing-room-only audience through SmartPhone technology-attendees voted for their favored diagnostic approach, therapy, or final diagnosis, with voting results instantly integrated into the presenter’s Powerpoint display.

Diastolic heart failure (or HFPEF-heart failure with preserved ejection fraction) is characterized by inadequate myocardial relaxation and diastolic filling ("stiff ventricle"), with heart failure signs and symptoms despite normal ejection fraction. The most common cause is long-standing hypertension.

Systemic inflammation has been identified as a risk factor for the development of heart failure in population studies. In the 5-year prospective MESA study, researchers from Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore recorded a baseline nonspecific marker of systemic inflammation, C-reactive protein (CRP).

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston presented results from the PROTECT (ProBNP Outpatient Tailored Chronic Heart Failure) study. NT-proBNP (b-type natriuretic peptide) is a biomarker released from myocardial tissue in response to high levels of wall stretch and has been studied as a marker for decompensated systolic heart failure.