Cardiology

Research into prognostic models that focus on serum sodium levels in an effort to identify patients awaiting liver transplant who may be at higher risk of poor outcomes have been inconclusive.

Use of blood volume analysis can help clinicians more accurately identify contributing factors to hyponatremia and avoid contraindicated interventions.

The American Diabetes Association revised Standards of Medical Care for patients with diabetes include several changes in recommendations regarding testing and treatment goals.

Brief summaries of research results and other articles on the clinical characteristics, evaluation, and management of patients with hyponatremia.

Use this online calculator to compute infusion rates for hypertonic and normal saline solutions, and estimated body water compartment volumes, for mild to severe hyponatremia.

Results from the RELAX-AHF show serelaxin reduces cardiovascular deaths and improves symptoms in patients with heart failure.

Results from a substudy of the PLATO trial show that patients with extensive CAD and high rates of recurrent cardiovascular events, death, and bleeding may benefit from treatment with ticagrelor.

Results from a sub-study of the Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT) that focused on quality of life issues in patients who had previously suffered a heart attack and were treated with chelation therapy reveal no improvements in these patients' quality of life.

Results from the TEMPO trial presented at Kidney Week 2012 show that treatment with tolvaptan slowed the increase in total kidney volume and the decline in kidney function in patients with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD).

Increasing numbers of people are on kidney transplant waiting lists. However, the number of potential living donors may shrink as more Americans qualify as pre-diabetic, making them less than ideal donor candidates.

Experts at Kidney Week 2012 discuss several treatment options for hyponatremia, including fluid restriction, loop diuretics, and the use of selective vasopressin V2-receptor antagonists.

A diet rich in highly alkaline fruits and vegetables helps reduce a marker of kidney injury and preserve kidney function in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Use of peritoneal dialysis in patients with end-stage renal disease is declining due to lack of physician training and awareness, financial disincentives, and other factors. However, with proper patient and provider education, it is possible to grow a successful peritoneal dialysis program.

Mark F. Mehler, MD, discussed how brain and behavior are becoming better understood through the emerging discipline of epigenetics.

The FDA mandated a new safety warning for the heart rhythm drug Multaq after studies showed that it doubled the risk of heart-related complications in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation.

According to a nationwide review of data from the in-patient register, 31 of the 33 autoimmune diseases studied were associated with an increased risk of pulmonary embolism (a blood clot on the lung), including type 1 diabetes.

Tolvaptan appears to have both clinical and economic benefits for heart failure patients with hyponatremia, reports a new study.