Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Cardiology for August 2013. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Statins Appear to Benefit Elderly Without Previous CVD
FRIDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Statins significantly reduce the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke among elderly subjects without established cardiovascular (CV) disease, but do not significantly prolong survival in the short term, according to a review published online Aug. 28 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Diabetes Apps Among Top 10 Doctors Recommend to Patients
FRIDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Apps for managing diabetes and calculating the risk of cardiovascular disease are among the top 10 apps doctors recommend to their patients, according to researchers at Medical Economics.
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Comprehensive Stroke System Key to Reducing Death
FRIDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- A comprehensive stroke care system that addresses patient needs from symptom onset through rehabilitation can reduce stroke-related death and disability, according to an American Heart Association/American Stroke Association policy statement published online Aug. 29 in Stroke.
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Wireless Technology Allows Post-Op Mobility Monitoring
FRIDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Wireless technology can be used to monitor mobility after cardiac surgery in elderly patients, according to a study published in the September issue of the Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
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Low Inflammatory Status Linked to Metabolic Health in Obese
THURSDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Metabolic health is associated with favorable inflammatory status in both obese and non-obese individuals, according to a study published online Aug. 26 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
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Macitentan Cuts Morbidity, Death in Pulmonary Arterial HTN
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 28 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, the new dual endothelin-receptor antagonist macitentan is associated with reductions in morbidity and mortality, according to a study published in the Aug. 29 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Final Rules Issued for Individual Shared Responsibility Mandate
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Starting 2014, the individual shared responsibility provision of the Affordable Care Act, which calls for each individual to have basic health insurance coverage, will be implemented, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
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Health Care Savings With Early Accountable Care Organizations
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Early accountable care organization initiatives correlate with lower spending for elderly Medicare beneficiaries, but not necessarily with improved quality, according to a study published in the Aug. 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Gene Variant Linked to Heart Disease in Type 2 Diabetes
TUESDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- A variant of a gene associated with glutamic acid metabolism is linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the Aug. 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Clinical Outcomes Similar for Elderly With PCI, CABG
TUESDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- For older patients with unprotected left main coronary artery disease, clinical outcomes are similar with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), according to research published in the Sept. 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
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Subcutaneous ICD Is Effective Without Wires Touching Heart
TUESDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- The subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD System) is both safe and effective for the treatment of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, according to a study published in the Aug. 27 issue of Circulation.
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Rothman Index Helps ID Patients at Risk for Readmission
TUESDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- The Rothman Index (RI), a composite measure of regularly updated assessments in electronic medical records, can be used to identify patients at highest risk of hospital readmission, according to a study published in the September issue of Medical Care.
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Correct Dose of Anti-Clotting Rx in Elderly Continues to Elude
MONDAY, Aug. 26 (HealthDay News) -- There are no differences in ischemic or bleeding outcomes with reduced-dose prasugrel versus clopidogrel in elderly patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), according to a study published in the Aug. 20 issue of Circulation.
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Exercise Is Tolerable and Beneficial in Kidney Disease
FRIDAY, Aug. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Exercise training and lifestyle intervention has beneficial effects on cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and diastolic function in patients with moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to research published online Aug. 22 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Physician Continuity Improves Heart Failure Outcomes
FRIDAY, Aug. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Both early physician follow-up and continuity of physician care following an initial hospital diagnosis of heart failure improve patient outcomes, according to research published online Aug. 19 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
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Improved Sleep May Improve Exercise Duration
FRIDAY, Aug. 23 (HealthDay News) -- The length of an individual's sleep appears to influence their participation level in exercise the next day, according to a small study published in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
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Dipyrone Negates Aspirin's Antiplatelet Effect
THURSDAY, Aug. 22 (HealthDay News) -- There is an unfavorable pharmacological drug interaction between the non-narcotic analgesic dipyrone and aspirin in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), according to research published online Aug. 14 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Flu Vaccination Protects Patients at Risk for Acute MI
THURSDAY, Aug. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Recent influenza does not predict acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but vaccination offers a significant protective benefit for the prevention of AMI, according to research published online Aug. 21 in Heart.
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Ideal BP for Kidney Disease Patients May Be 130-159/70-89
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 21 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), optimal blood pressure (BP) seems to be 130 to 159/70 to 89 mm Hg, according to a study published in the Aug. 20 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Large-Scale Program Increases Hypertension Control
TUESDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- A hypertension control program that includes a hypertension registry, performance metrics, evidence-based guidelines, visits for blood pressure measurement, and medication is effective in improving hypertension control, according to a study published in the Aug. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Urinary Albumin Linked to More Heart Disease in Blacks
TUESDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- A high urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio at baseline is associated with a higher risk of a first coronary heart disease (CHD) event in blacks compared with whites, with no racial differences in the risk of a recurrent CHD event, according to a study published in the Aug. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Implications, Solutions for U.S. Health Disparities Discussed
TUESDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Research on health disparities in the United States, the policy implications of these disparities, and suggestions for improvement of disparities are discussed in "Health Policy Brief: Health Gaps," published Aug. 15 in Health Affairs.
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CDC Estimates 300,000 Cases of Lyme Disease in U.S./Year
TUESDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- An estimated 300,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year, according to a report presented at the 2013 International Conference on Lyme Borreliosis and Other Tick-Borne Diseases in Boston.
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Increasing Operating Costs Top Concern for Medical Practices
TUESDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- The top five concerns of medical practice executives all relate to financial management, with dealing with increasing operating costs reported as the most difficult daily challenge, according to a report published by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA).
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Eating Fruit May Reduce Risk of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
MONDAY, Aug. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Consumption of fruit, but not vegetables, may reduce the risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), particularly ruptured AAA, according to research published in the Aug. 20 issue of Circulation.
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Expansion of Pharmacists' Practice Will Benefit Patients
MONDAY, Aug. 19 (HealthDay News) -- The expanding scope of pharmacists' practice will potentially improve patient care but has implications for physicians, according to an article published online Aug. 19 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
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HHS Awards $67 Million to Marketplace Navigators
MONDAY, Aug. 19 (HealthDay News) -- $67 million is being awarded to Navigator grant applicants and their staff, who will serve as an in-person resource for those requiring additional assistance in shopping for and enrolling in Health Insurance Marketplace plans, according to a report published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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Remote Ischemic Preconditioning Pre-CABG Ups Outcomes
FRIDAY, Aug. 16 (HealthDay News) -- In patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery, using a blood pressure cuff to cut off and restore blood supply in the arm before surgery is associated with lower myocardial injury and better long-term survival, according to a study published in the Aug. 17 issue of The Lancet.
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Severe Hypoglycemia in Diabetes Tied to Cardiac Disease
FRIDAY, Aug. 16 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, severe hypoglycemia is associated with severe hypertension, hypokalemia, and QT prolongation, according to a study published online Aug. 12 in Diabetes Care.
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IOM Describes Themes Relating to Patients' Role in Health Care
FRIDAY, Aug. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Themes and messages relating to the role of patients in informed care decisions, knowledge generation, and value improvement were discussed at the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Workshop Proceedings, according to a report published Aug. 15 in conjunction with the transcript of the proceedings.
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High Coffee Intake Tied to Higher Mortality in Younger People
THURSDAY, Aug. 15 (HealthDay News) -- High coffee consumption (more than four cups per day) may be associated with higher all-cause mortality in men and women younger than 55 years of age, according to a study published online Aug. 15 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
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Doctors Pessimistic About Future of U.S. Health Care
THURSDAY, Aug. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians report concerns regarding health care delivery and the future of health care, according to survey findings published by athenahealth.
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Involved Patients Have Better Health Care Experiences
THURSDAY, Aug. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Health care providers and patients shape the care experience, and strategies to improve care interactions should also help patients ensure that their needs are met, according to research published in the July issue of Health Affairs.
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Child Obesity Tied to Cardiovascular Damage in Childhood
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Child obesity often is accompanied by cardiovascular abnormalities, and early detection and prevention programs are needed to avoid progressive damage at an early age, according to research published online Aug. 14 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Children of Obese Mothers at Higher Risk of Early Death
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Adult offspring of mothers who were obese during the pregnancy are at greater risk for early death and hospital admissions for cardiovascular events, according to research published online Aug. 13 in BMJ.
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Medicare Reimbursement Drives Procedural Over Cognitive Care
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians treating Medicare patients are reimbursed three to five times more for performing common procedures versus providing cognitive care, according to a study published online Aug. 12 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Vitamin D Doesn't Improve Blood Pressure in Elderly
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Vitamin D supplementation does not improve blood pressure (BP) in older patients with isolated systolic hypertension, according to a study published online Aug. 12 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Physicians Should Consider Social Media As Public Space
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) -- A new approach is needed for resolving the physician online identity crisis, according to a viewpoint piece published in the Aug. 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Early Mitral Surgery Best for Mitral Valve Regurgitation
TUESDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with mitral valve regurgitation due to flail mitral leaflets, early mitral surgery is associated with improved long-term outcomes compared to initial medical management, according to a study published in the Aug. 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Sports-Related Sudden Death Incidence Varies by Sex
TUESDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of sports-related sudden death during moderate-to-vigorous exercise varies by sex, with incidence increasing with age and varying by type of sport among men but not women, according to a research letter published in the Aug. 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Mediterranean Diet Reduces Stroke Risk in Some People
TUESDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Among those with a particular genetic variant associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, adherence to a Mediterranean diet reduces increased fasting glucose and lipids and reduces the risk of stroke, according to a study published online Aug. 13 in Diabetes Care.
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Best Outcomes for LBBB, Long QRS in CRT-D Implantation
TUESDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Among Medicare beneficiaries undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) implantation, the risk of all-cause mortality and readmission is lowest for those patients with left bundle-branch block (LBBB) and QRS duration of 150 ms or more, according to a study published in the Aug. 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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New Initiative Announced for Patient-Doc Collaboration
TUESDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- A new Center for Patient Partnership in Healthcare (CPPH) has been launched to advance physician-patient collaboration, according to a report published by the American College of Physicians (ACP).
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Perceived Doc Verbal Abuse Impairs Nurses' Work Attitude
TUESDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- For registered nurses (RNs), perceived verbal abuse by physicians correlates with less favorable work conditions and attitudes, according to a study published in Nursing Outlook.
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Retinal Imaging May Help Assess Risk of Stroke
MONDAY, Aug. 12 (HealthDay News) -- For adults with hypertension, the presence of hypertensive retinopathy is associated with long-term risk of stroke, even for those with good hypertension control, according to a study published online Aug. 12 in Hypertension.
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Preterm Birth Has Long-Term Effects on Right Ventricle
MONDAY, Aug. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Preterm birth is associated with right ventricle structural and functional differences in young adults, with potential impairment of systolic function, according to research published in the Aug. 13 issue of Circulation.
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U.S. Hospitals Up Exchange of Electronic Health Information
MONDAY, Aug. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Between 2008 and 2012, hospitals significantly increased their exchange of electronic health information with other providers, according to research published in the August issue of Health Affairs.
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Guidelines for Post-HIV Exposure Management Updated
MONDAY, Aug. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Management and prophylaxis recommendations have been updated for health care providers with occupational exposure to HIV, according to guidelines published in the September issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
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Medical Center Farmers Market Aids in Medical Home Goals
MONDAY, Aug. 12 (HealthDay News) -- A seasonal farmers market at a medical center can support the institution's commitment to the goals of the medical home, according to a study published online Aug. 1 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Preventing Chronic Disease.
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Physicians' Malpractice Concerns Predict More Testing
FRIDAY, Aug. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians' concerns about malpractice risk predict more aggressive diagnostic testing practices in office-based care, according to a study published in the August issue of Health Affairs.
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Few Kids With Single High BP Reading Diagnosed With HTN
FRIDAY, Aug. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Most children with a reading of elevated blood pressure (BP) did not have follow-up within one month, but relatively few developed hypertension within a year, according to research published in the August issue of Pediatrics.
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IPAs and PHOs Viable Option for Small Independent Practices
FRIDAY, Aug. 9 (HealthDay News) -- For small and medium-size independent practices, sharing care management and information technology resources with other practices through an independent practice association (IPA) or physician-hospital organization (PHO) is a viable alternative and may improve care for patients with chronic conditions, according to a study published in the August issue of Health Affairs.
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Cardiac Arrest More Common at Alternative Exercise Sites
THURSDAY, Aug. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Sudden cardiac arrest occurs at higher rates in alternative indoor exercise facilities compared to traditional indoor exercise sites, according to a study published online Aug. 7 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Cardiovascular Health Benefits With Active Travel to Work
THURSDAY, Aug. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Use of active travel to work is associated with lower likelihood of cardiovascular risk factors, according to a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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AMA, AHA Call for Realignment of Meaningful Use Stage 2
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) -- The American Medical Association (AMA) and American Hospital Association (AHA) are calling for additional flexibility in the timing of the adoption of stage 2 meaningful use of electronic health records, according to a letter written to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
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Telephone Health Coaching Service Doesn't Cut Admissions
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) -- A telephone health coaching service is not associated with reductions in hospital admissions or in secondary care costs over 12 months, according to research published online Aug. 6 in BMJ.
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Self-Measured Monitoring Improves Blood Pressure
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) monitoring lowers BP in the short-term, according to a review published in the Aug. 6 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Study of Cardiologists Reveals Less Than Ideal CV Risk Profiles
TUESDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Italian cardiologists often do not have ideal or even favorable cardiovascular risk profiles themselves, according to a study published in the July 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
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IOM Describes Model to Evaluate Prevention of Obesity
TUESDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- A framework has been developed for evaluating national obesity prevention efforts, according to a report published by the Institute of Medicine.
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Including Casinos in Smoke-Free Laws Cut Ambulance Calls
TUESDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The extension of smoke-free laws to include casinos correlates with a significant decrease in the number of emergency calls originating from casinos, according to a study published online Aug. 5 in Circulation.
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Long-Term Calcium-Channel Blockers Tied to Breast CA Risk
MONDAY, Aug. 5 (HealthDay News) -- For postmenopausal women, long-term use of calcium-channel blockers may be associated with an increased risk of invasive ductal and lobular breast cancer, according to a study published online Aug. 5 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Better Communication Needed for Patient Safety in Cardiac OR
MONDAY, Aug. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Communication skills are the worst aspect of teamwork behavior in the cardiac operating room, and their impact on errors and adverse outcomes indicates a need for interventions to improve teamwork and strengthen communication, according to a scientific statement issued by the American Heart Association and published online Aug. 5 in Circulation.
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Participation Increases in Online CME Activities
MONDAY, Aug. 5 (HealthDay News) -- The number of physicians and non-physicians participating in continuing medical education (CME) has increased, especially in online activities, according to a report published by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).
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Age Affects Aspirin Response in Patients With Stable CAD
FRIDAY, Aug. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Age is a significant factor in determining aspirin response in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD), according to a study published in the July 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
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No MI Rate Advantage for Aggressive T2DM Glucose Control
THURSDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with type 2 diabetes, more aggressive glucose-control strategies have variable short-term effects on microvascular complications, but they do not reduce the rate of myocardial infarction over four years of follow-up, according to a study published online July 22 in Diabetes Care.
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Variable Blood Pressure Tied to Worse Cognitive Functioning
THURSDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Higher visit-to-visit variability in blood pressure is associated with worse cognitive performance in older people at high risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a study published online July 30 in BMJ.
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Prevalence of Peripheral Artery Disease Increasing Globally
THURSDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- The prevalence of peripheral artery disease is increasing in both high-income countries (HIC) and low- or middle-income countries (LMIC), according to a review published online Aug. 1 in The Lancet.
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