Category Archives: Cardiology

WASHINGTON (Dec. 26, 2014) - Wearable technologies, possible changes to stenting practices, state legislation on energy drinks, expanded use of minimally invasive heart repair procedures, and the development of a new class of cholesterol lowering drugs are among top stories anticipated in cardiology in 2015. Leaders from the American College of Cardiology identified the following issues likely to make the news in the new year: Wearable technologies for health care monitoring - Wearable technologies to monitor a person's health outside their physician's office will play an increasing role in health care as these devices and software grow in sophistication and usage and medical professionals incorporate readings from the devices into office visits. The Apple Watch made the news in September. The watch can measure pulse rate and use sensors to track length and type of exercise. Paired with a new app, it can combine data from various wearable devices and share it directly with a patient's doctor. Microsoft's Band, the Fitbit and Garmin are already popular with consumers looking to better track their own health, and usage of these will grow along with innovation in this area. Stenting practice changes - Debate and discussion will continue about the risks,benefits, and … Continue reading →

Blank Space (Cardiology Parody) From St Thomas' Christmas Revue 2014 Lyrics - Ali Hosin Starring - Ali Hosin and Sabina Shaheen. By: Tom Morley … Continue reading →

Startling Benefit of Cardiology Meetings High-risk patients with certain acute heart conditions are more likely to survive than other similar patients if they are admitted to the hospital during nat... By: Harvard Medical School … Continue reading →

Littmann Cardiology III - Littmann Cardiology III Review Littmann Cardiology III Stethoscope All Black color 3131BE Merchandise Explanation Appropriate for: Stethoscopes for Cardiologists Stethoscopes for Common Experts Stethoscopes for Health... By: Lakhan Kumar … Continue reading →

Gulf Coast Cardiology - Meet Laurie Boehm, PA Laurie Boehm, PA, physician assistant with Gulf Coast Cardiology, has a wealth of experience as a physician assistant, including Sacred Heart Medical Group at Miramar Beach. She conducted ... By: gulfcoastmed … Continue reading →

Dubious Innovative Device: Renal Denervation SYMPLICITY HTN-3wasthe trial that finallyendedthe massive hype over renal denervation, the novel blood-pressure lowering technology.The trial followed in the wake ofthe publication and appearance of hundreds of articles and CME programs virtually guaranteeing that renal denervation would bea cure for treatment-resistant hypertension. Instead the trial showed, definitively and absolutely, that renal denervation, in its current form, and as it had been used in earlier less rigorous trials and in clinical practice in Europe, wasno better than sham treatment. Medtronic, the trials sponsor, and the trial principal investigators, Deepak Bhatt and David Kandzari, deserve credit for supporting the trial andfaithfully reporting the results. Credit is also dueDarrel Francis and his colleagues for having the courage to publicly predictthat the trial would fail to show a large benefit for the device. At the time theywere a voice in the wilderness and have still not received nearly enough credit for their analysis of why the trial would likely fail. Prophets, alas, often go unheeded. Perhaps, after a lot more basic research and development, renal denervation will prove to be a useful tool. But for now there is simplyno excuse for its still being available for clinical use in … Continue reading →

Troponin-T, PCSK9-inhibitors, and surgery for leaky heart valves among top 2014 studies WASHINGTON (Dec. 22 2014) -- A blood test to rule out heart attack, an advisory about guidelines for preventing high blood pressure, cutting edge research on a new class of cholesterol drugs, and a study that found benefits in early surgery for mitral regurgitation were among the top accessed research studies in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in 2014. Reviewing articles accessed most often in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology, and the sub-specialty journals JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions; JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, and JACC Heart Failure, is one way to reflect on the year in cardiology. Here are the titles most read accessed papers from the family of JACC journals in 2014: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY JACC: CARDIOVASCULAR INTERVENTIONS JACC: CARDIOVASCULAR IMAGING JACC: HEART FAILURE ### The American College of Cardiology is a 47,000-member medical society that is the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team. The mission of the College is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College operates national registries … Continue reading →

Having some cardiologists away from the hospital attending national cardiology meetings did not appear to negatively affect Medicare patients admitted for heart conditions, according to a report published online by JAMA Internal Medicine. Thousands of cardiologists take time off work each year to attend these meetings but how that might affect patients was unknown. Anupam B. Jena, M.D., Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School, Boston, and coauthors analyzed differences in 30-day mortality and treatment such as angioplasty (also known as percutaneous coronary intervention, PCI) among Medicare patients hospitalized for heart attack (acute myocardial infarction, AMI), heart failure or cardiac arrest from 2002 to 2011 during the dates of two national cardiology meetings compared with identical nonmeeting dates in the three weeks before and after conferences. Study results show that 30-day mortality in teaching hospitals was lower among high-risk patients with heart failure or cardiac arrest who were admitted during meeting vs. nonmeeting dates (heart failure, 17.5 percent vs. 24.8 percent and cardiac arrest, 59.1 percent vs. 69.4 percent). While mortality for high-risk heart attack patients in teaching hospitals was similar between meeting and nonmeeting dates (39.2 percent vs. 38.5 percent), PCI rates were lower during meeting vs. nonmeeting dates (20.8 percent … Continue reading →

Lower mortality rates found among heart patients admitted to hospitals during national scientific meetings VIDEO:High-risk patients with certain acute heart conditions are more likely to survive than other similar patients if they are admitted to the hospital during national cardiology meetings, when many cardiologists... view more High-risk patients with certain acute heart conditions are more likely to survive than other similar patients if they are admitted to the hospital during national cardiology meetings, when many cardiologists are away from their regular practices. Sixty percent of patients with cardiac arrest who were admitted to a teaching hospital during the days when cardiologists were at scientific meetings died within 30 days, compared to 70 percent of patients who were admitted on non-meeting days. "That's a tremendous reduction in mortality, better than most of the medical interventions that exist to treat these conditions," said study senior author Anupam Jena, assistant professor of health care policy at HMS, internist at Massachusetts General Hospital and faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research. There is substantial ambiguity in how medical care is practiced, particularly for these complex patients, he said. "This study may help illuminate some of those gray areas and suggest ways … Continue reading →

By LINDSEY TANNER AP Medical Writer CHICAGO (AP) - Doctors joke that if you're going to have a heart attack, the safest place would be at a big national gathering of heart specialists. But a new study suggests some older hospitalized heart patients may fare better when these doctors aren't around. Survival chances were better for cardiac arrest patients and for the sickest heart failure patients if they were treated at teaching hospitals during the two biggest national cardiology meetings, compared with those treated during weeks before and after the meetings. Also, some of the sickest heart attack patients got fewer invasive procedures during meeting days, versus those treated at other times - but that didn't hurt their odds of surviving, the nine-year study found. The findings were only at teaching hospitals, typically affiliated with medical schools and involved in doctor training and sometimes research; these are the workplaces for many doctors who attend major medical meetings. No differences were seen in death rates at non-teaching hospitals. The evidence is only circumstantial and the study lacks information on whether the patients' own doctors actually attended the meetings. "The solution is not to get the cardiologists to have meetings every week," … Continue reading →