Health News

Researchers present first risk calculator for pediatric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in Lancet study

Date: Sep-03-2013
A decade-long quest to understand why some children with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy do well under medical management while others die of heart failure or sudden cardiac death showed some babies are at highest risk for dismal outcomes and yielded a risk calculator cardiologists can use to evaluate which of them diagnosed with the rare condition should be considered for a heart transplant in the immediate future. Inspired by the story and advocacy of a mother who lost two infant sons to the disorder characterized by a thickening of the heart walls, the Miller School's Steven E. Lipshultz, M...

New heart procedure could cut death risk by two-thirds

Date: Sep-03-2013
Patients who suffer a severe heart attack have a much better chance of surviving and avoiding severe complications if they are treated with a new heart procedure that not only unblocks the artery that caused the heart attack, but also removes blockages in other arteries. These were the findings of a randomized trial called the Preventive Angioplasty in Myocardial Infarction (PRAMI) Trial, whose interim results were so clearly in favor of the preventive procedure that it was stopped early...

Risk of dementia doubles for elderly patients hospitalized with infections, Pitt study finds

Date: Sep-03-2013
Elderly patients who were hospitalized with infections, such as pneumonia, were more than twice as likely to develop dementia than those who did not have an infection, according to a University of Pittsburgh study, which also found that patients with dementia may be more susceptible to infection. The results of the study, funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, are available online and published in the September 1st edition of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine...

Socioeconomic factors, not culture, the culprit to low living kidney donations

Date: Sep-03-2013
A new study by a St. Paul's Hospital transplant nephrologist finds socioeconomic status supersedes cultural factors as it relates to living kidney donation. The study, published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN), examined living kidney donation rates in the African American and White populations in the United States (US).  Cultural differences have often been cited as a barrier to living kidney donation in certain racial and ethnic groups; however, Dr...

Pre-treatment with prasugrel in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome - more risk, no benefit: ACCOAST trial results

Date: Sep-03-2013
In patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE- ACS), pre-treatment with the P2Y12 antagonist prasugrel prior to catheterization, significantly increases the risk of life-threatening bleeding without reducing the risk of major ischemic events, according to the results of the ACCOAST (A Comparison of Prasugrel at PCI or Time of Diagnosis of Non-ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction) trial...

Cold weather produces more heart attacks

Date: Sep-03-2013
Professor Claeys said: "Air pollution and temperature changes are the most frequently reported environmental triggers for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Epidemiologic studies have focused mainly on one environmental condition, but most environmental triggers are related to each other and may attenuate or reinforce the triggering effect of a single environmental factor." He added: "Better knowledge of the impact of environment on AMI will help medical care providers and policy makers to optimise prevention strategies for a target risk population...

TASTE trial challenge current practice of blood clot aspiration after heart attack

Date: Sep-03-2013
Aspiration of the blood clot or "thrombus" that causes a heart attack before re-opening a patient's artery with a balloon catheter does not improve survival compared to performing balloon dilation and stenting alone according to the results of the Thrombus Aspiration in ST- Elevation myocardial infarction in Scandinavia (TASTE) trial...

REFORM study shows BIOTRONIK Home Monitoring® reduces follow-up visits in ICD patients by 58%

Date: Sep-03-2013
BIOTRONIK, a leading manufacturer of cardiovascular medical technology, has announced the highly-anticipated results of the REFORM study. The study demonstrates that ICD (implantable cardioverter-defibrillator) patients with BIOTRONIK's Home Monitoring® can enjoy a reduction in follow-up visits by 58%. This in turn leads to patients reporting enhanced quality of life. "The number of patients with an ICD is rapidly increasing, and the burden of frequent, necessary follow-ups falls on patients, physicians and hospitals," explained Prof...

Anticoagulant otamixaban does not reduce rate of ischemic events among certain patients undergoing PCI

Date: Sep-03-2013
Use of the novel anticoagulant otamixaban did not reduce ischemic events compared with unfractionated heparin plus eptifibatide but increased bleeding among patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes undergoing a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI; procedures such as balloon angioplasty or stent placement used to open narrowed coronary arteries), according to a study published by JAMA...

Why do people feel sick on carnival rides?

Date: Sep-03-2013
"Stop the ride! Stop the ride!"  That's what I screamed while strapped in a spinning carnival ride with my sister when I was about 11 years old. It was the twists, drops and other scares of provocative motion that made me nauseous. I felt sick the rest of the night. After that experience, I couldn't step near a cyclonic ride for years.  Most of us have a story of love or hate with carnival rides. Some love the sensation, while others like me, can't stand it.  There are two theories on why we get dizzy from carnival rides...