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For the prevention of new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) after isolated coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, giving potassium supplements only when levels dropped below the lower limit of normal was non-inferior to routinely supplementing potassium to the upper limit of normal, according to late-breaking research. "AF occurs in around one in three patients after CABG. In many centers, patients are given potassium supplementation after surgery in an effort to maintain serum levels in the high-normal range ('tight control') to prevent AF. However, there is no robust evidence to support this practice. TIGHT-K was an open-label, non-inferiority, randomized controlled trial. Patients...

Drinking beetroot juice every day for six months after having a stent fitted reduced the chance of angina patients having a heart attack or needing a repeat procedure, according to new research. The researchers found that 16 percent of angina patients had a serious heart or circulatory incident, like a heart attack or need for another procedure, in the two years after having a stent fitted. However, when patients had beetroot juice daily, this dropped to 7.5 percent. Thousands of coronary heart disease patients each year in the UK have a stent implanted, in a procedure known as a percutaneous...

Researchers are announcing dramatic results that demonstrate a significant improvement in cardiovascular outcomes among patients who received access to a novel educational and support intervention called MOXIE. The randomized trial is the largest study on record for a tailored patient engagement approach, showing a statistically significant reduction in clinical outcomes like hospitalizations. 4,761 participants who were ≥65 years of age and at high risk of cardiovascular disease (having one or more of coronary artery disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease, heart failure or two or more of current smoking, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol) were randomized to receive MOXIE or to receive...

According to the findings of randomized controlled trials, blood lipid levels in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) can be significantly decreased through a combination of pitavastatin and ezetimibe; however, the effects and clinical applications of this treatment remain controversial. An article objectively assesses the efficacy and safety of pitavastatin and ezetimibe in lowering blood lipid levels. Relevant studies were retrieved from electronic databases. The levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients' serum after treatment were the primary endpoint. Nine randomized controlled trials (2586 patients) met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis indicated that...

Aspirin therapy, as opposed to statin use, for non-obstructive coronary artery disease does not reduce major cardiovascular events, according to a new study. Non-obstructive coronary artery disease occurs when there is less than 50% stenosis, or narrowing, of the coronary arteries due to plaque buildup. Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) is often recommended as a first-line test to detect plaque. Medications called statins are commonly prescribed for patients who are diagnosed with non-obstructive coronary artery disease. Statins reduce the production of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and draw cholesterol out of plaque, therefore stabilizing the plaque and reducing the risk of it...

Eating as little as a quarter of an ounce of chocolate each day -- an amount equal to about one small Easter egg -- may lower your risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke, a new study has found. For best results, the chocolate should be dark, experts say. "Dark chocolate exhibits the greatest effects, milk chocolate fewer, and white chocolate no effects," says the lead author of the study, Brian Buijsse, a nutritional epidemiologist at the German Institute of Human Nutrition, in Nuthetal, Germany. In the study, Buijsse and his colleagues followed nearly 20,000 people for an average...

A bowler collapsed and died at a bowling alley shortly after rolling the third perfect game of his life. Ed Lorenz, 69, bowled a 300 on Wednesday in his first league game of the night at Airway Lanes. When the retiree got up to bowl in the fifth frame of his second game, he clutched his chest and fell over, and efforts to revive him failed. The cause of death wasn't immediately known. "If he could have written a way to go out, this would be it," said Johnny D Masters, who was bowling with Lorenz.

Source: American College Of Chest Physicians Date: 2003-10-30 Aspirin Withdrawal May Pose Risk To Coronary Patients (Orlando, Florida, October 29, 2003) -- Patients with coronary artery disease who stop taking aspirin may be at risk for developing withdrawal-related coronary events, says a new study presented at CHEST 2003, the 69th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP). The study found that previously stable coronary patients experienced coronary events, including unstable angina and myocardial infarction (heart attack), within one week of aspirin withdrawal. "The benefits of aspirin therapy in coronary patients are well known. However, the...

The term Nanobacteria is short for its scientific genus & species name Nanobacterium sanguineum, a Latin scientific term that means blood nanobacteria. Nanobacteria are nano-sized in that they are from 20-200 nanometers in size and are the smallest known self-replicating bacteria (a nanometer is 1 billionth of a meter and is approximately the width of ten hydrogen atoms side-to-side) Nanobacterium sanguineum is recognized as an emerging infectious disease. Nanobacteria have been shown to cause the calcification in coronary artery disease and vascular disease atherosclerotic plaque. (Miller V, et al, Mayo Clinic, Journal American College of Cardiology, March 2002 & Submitted...

BOSTON (AP) _ A man who suffered a heart attack on a commuter train and had to wait about 20 minutes for medical attention while the train made its regular stops has died in a hospital, authorities say. James Allen, 61, died Tuesday in the emergency room at Boston Medical Center, where he was taken after the train stopped in Boston, said Brian Pedro, spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority. Pedro said MBTA police are reviewing the emergency procedures of Amtrak, which provides crew to the commuter rail on a contractual basis. The conductor of the train has been...