August 23rd, 2010
AHA Science Advisory Calls for More Research on CVD in Asian-Americans
Larry Husten, PHD
In a “Call to Action” contained in a new scientific statement, the American Heart Association says that more research is needed on cardiovascular disease in Asian-Americans. “Available research shows that subgroups of Asian-Americans are at increased risk of complications and death from cardiovascular disease; however, Asian-Americans are often studied as a group, which masks the differences […]
August 20th, 2010
Door to Balloon (D2B) Time: The Wrong Performance Measure?
Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA
The authors of a recently published study evaluated the association between system delay (i.e., time from the patient’s first contact with the health care system to initiation of reperfusion) and outcome in STEMI patients transported by EMS and treated with primary PCI. Some patients were triaged directly to a PCI center, whereas others were transported to their […]
August 20th, 2010
A “Good” Heart…
John Mandrola, MD, FACC
John Mandrola, an electrophysiologist and avid cyclist, usually writes about cycling in the Wednesday posts to his blog, Dr. John. Here he examines how antagonism relates to carotid thickness. This Wednesday, it will be easy to combine cycling and medicine. When I saw this study that linked antagonistic personality traits and cardiovascular risk, it was […]
August 19th, 2010
Responding to the Nay-Saying Patient
Andrew M. Kates, MD
We (both faculty and fellows) have all had patients request that fellows or residents not be involved in their care, as Dr. Wes Fisher so nicely describes in his recent post. But how can we respond to the patient’s request? And, how far do we take it? Should the patient have the prerogative to insist on this — but […]
August 18th, 2010
Nay Fellow Way?
Westby G Fisher, MD
It was to be a routine pacemaker.
The parties assembled. The room prepped. IV started. Chest scrubbed. Antibiotics given. His nervous eyes raised when he saw me before the procedure, relieved at the sight of at least one familiar face.
August 17th, 2010
Going Beyond Door-to-Balloon by Starting Earlier
Larry Husten, PHD
Efforts to speed delivery of PCI to STEMI patients have focused on shortening the door-to-balloon time. Now a group of Danish researchers propose that efforts to improve care must include assessment of treatment from the time of the patient’s first contact with the emergency medical system. Analyzing historical data from 6209 MI patients who received […]
August 16th, 2010
A Treat for Chocolate Lovers from Sweden
Larry Husten, PHD
In a report that will surely provide comfort to millions, a study of 31,823 Swedish women found that over 9 years of follow-up, women who regularly consumed moderate amounts of chocolate had a lower risk for developing heart failure than those who ate no chocolate at all. However, no protective effect was observed in women […]
August 16th, 2010
Study Suggests Benefits in Replacing Red Meat with Healthful Alternatives
Larry Husten, PHD
New data from the Nurses’ Health Study suggest that replacing red meat with healthier protein alternatives may reduce the risk for heart disease. Adam Bernstein and colleagues, writing in Circulation, found that women who replaced one daily serving of red meat with a serving of poultry, fish, nuts, or low-fat dairy had significantly lower risk. […]
August 16th, 2010
Antagonistic People and Carotid Narrowing
Larry Husten, PHD
Researchers from the NIH’s National Institute on Aging studied 5,614 people in four Italian villages and found that those who scored high on a test of antagonism — particularly those who were manipulative and aggressive — were more likely than their more agreeable counterparts to have carotid thickening, as measured by carotid-artery intima media thickness, […]
August 13th, 2010
Al Fine
Westby G Fisher, MD
CardioExchange welcomes this guest post reprinted with permission from Dr. Westby Fisher, an electrophysiologist practicing at NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL and a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine. This piece originally appeared on his blog, Dr. Wes. “The family wants the pacemaker turned off.” “We don’t typically turn them off.” “They […]