Cardiology

Having anemia can triple the risk of dying within a year after having a stroke, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's International Stroke Conference, held from Feb. 1 to 3 in New Orleans.

Heart failure is associated with loss of gray matter in the brain and worse cognitive function, according to a study published online Jan. 31 in the European Heart Journal.

Individuals who die from stroke have faster pre-stroke memory decline than stroke survivors or stroke-free adults, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's International Stroke Conference, held from Feb. 1 to 3 in New Orleans.

Stem cell therapy has a nonsignificant effect on improving functional recovery after subacute ischemic stroke, and may have a role in regenerative therapy following stroke, according to two studies presented at the American Heart Association's International Stroke Conference, held from Feb. 1 to 3 in New Orleans.

Implementing evidence-based clinical decision support significantly improves the efficiency of computed tomographic angiography use to detect acute pulmonary embolism for patients presenting to an emergency department, according to a study published in the February issue of Radiology.

Research on people recruited randomly from the community suggests that, after adjusting for various demographic, behavioral, and physical characteristics, there is no association between sleep apnea and hypertension.

In adolescents, consumption of fructose is associated with multiple markers of cardiometabolic risk, and this association seems to be mediated by visceral adipose tissue, according to a study published in the Feb. 1 issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

Systolic blood pressure that differs by more than 10 or 15 mm Hg between arms is associated with a higher risk of vascular problems and death, according to a study published online Jan. 30 in The Lancet.

Statin therapy is equally effective for decreasing cardiovascular events in women and men, according to a meta-analysis published in the Feb. 7 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Poor sleep is connected to a significantly increased risk for major cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, such as obesity, diabetes, and coronary artery disease, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine have found.

In this video, Allan Stewart, MD, assistant professor of surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, discusses the challenges that would be introduced if statins such as Lipitor were to be made available over the counter.

In a group of septuagenarian patients with atrial fibrillation, followed for up to six years, warfarin use is associated with a significant reduction in all-cause mortality, according to a study published in the Feb. 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.

Self-rated health status is a risk factor for future vascular events and mortality in patients with cardiovascular diseases, particularly in those with asymptomatic atherosclerotic disease, according to a study published online Jan. 18 in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

In this video, Allan Stewart, MD, assistant professor of surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, discusses transcatheter valve therapy (TVT), which he calls the most significant recent advance in cardiac surgery.

People with one or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease in middle age are significantly more likely to suffer a major cardiovascular event, such as heart attack or stroke, for decades afterwards, a large-scale analysis of previous studies indicates.

Participants in the London marathon have a spotty understanding of the causes and potential dangers of exercise-associated hyponatremia, researchers at the Centre for Sports and Exercise Medicine at the University of London have found.

For patients with acute coronary syndrome, prior chronic use of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor is not independently associated with improved in-hospital outcomes, according to a study published in the Feb. 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.

The top 5 percent of U.S. hospitals has more than a 30 percent lower risk-adjusted mortality across 17 procedures and diagnoses, compared with other hospitals, according to the 10th annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality and Clinical Excellence study published online Jan. 24.

In this video, Hiroo Takayama, MD, PhD, assistant professor of surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, discusses when primary care physicians and general cardiologists should refer patients to heart failure specialists.

For patients on warfarin with minor head trauma who have an initial negative computed tomography (CT) scan, 24-hour observation followed by an additional CT scan identifies the majority of cases of delayed bleeding, according to a study published online Jan. 16 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.