RightHealth Daily Dose » heart attack

Defibrillators May Disrupt End Of Life Care

Steven — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 04:16:07 +0000

It may come as somewhat of a surprise to find out that physicians don’t always think about defibrillator care when considering end of life issues, which can lead to very unpleasant experiences for dying patients. What do I mean? Well, an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is a device which can be inserted into patients who have heart rhythm problems. Its job is to shock the heart into proper rhythm when it goes astray. However, this may not be desired in someone who has made the decision to use hospice care in order to die as peacefully and pain-free as possible. If an ICD is not deactivated, it can go off repeatedly and deliver very unpleasant shocks to the patient. A study published in this month’s Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that most hospices don’t routinely speak to patients about defibrillator decisions, and nearly 60% of hospices had at least one patient shocked within the past year, sometimes multiple times at once. More surprisingly, only one in twenty hospices had a method to identify whether a patient had an implant or not. Defibrillators continue to be implanted at incredible rates (more than 100,000 a year). Therefore, doctors taking care of patients near end of life should be more aware and proactive in speaking to them about what their wishes are regarding deactivation of their ICD. [via AP News]

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Women Still Lacking Awareness of Heart Attack Signs

Steven — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 04:41:04 +0000

A study from New York-Presbyterian Hospital in the current issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a journal of the American Heart Association, shows that American women’s awareness of heart attack symptoms remain just as poor as it was over a decade ago. In fact, only 53% of women said they would call 9-1-1 if they were having symptoms of a heart attack. The majority of women were also not aware of these common symptoms – only 56% cited chest pain and neck, shoulder and arm pain, 29% shortness of breath, 17% chest tightness, 15% nausea, and 7% fatigue as signs of heart attack. However, it should be noted that women do not necessarily experience these same classic symptoms as the majority of men. A significant number of women will experience symptoms such as shortness of breath, weakness, unusual fatigue, cold sweat, and dizziness as major symptoms during a heart attack. So, as heart disease continues to remain the top killer of women in the US, it is evident that continued education directed towards awareness of heart attacks in women is very much needed. [via Medical News Today]

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Vitamin D May Reduce Heart Attacks In Blacks

Steven — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 05:40:20 +0000

New research appearing in next month’s Annals of Family Medicine suggests that vitamin D deficiency may contribute to the disparity seen between whites and blacks in regards to rates of heart attacks and strokes. After looking at data from over 15,000 Americans the researchers found that vitamin D deficiency was associated with higher death rates among all subjects. However, blacks had a 38% higher risk of death than whites – this did not change even when taking into account socioeconomic status. The researchers also found that the risk of death decreased as vitamin D levels increased. It should be noted that this is only an observational study, not a controlled trial. But, given these findings further studies are warranted especially if vitamin replacement, which is relatively easy to do, could reduce the risk of death.

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a chronic inflammatory state that is associated with heart disease and cancer. Since vitamin D is produced in the skin in a process involving sunlight, dark-skinned individuals may produce less of it because their skin pigment blocks the UV light needed for vitamin D synthesis. [via Medical News Today]

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Rapid Body Cooling May Improve Outcomes In Heart Attacks

Steven — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:32:05 +0000

Swedish researchers are reporting positive outcomes in a study examining the use of a device called RhinoChill, which cools the brains of heart attack patients by pumping coolant into the patient’s nose during CPR. In patients where resuscitation efforts began within 10 minutes of cardiac arrest researchers found that 59.1% of cooled patients and 29.4% of standard care patients survived to hospital discharge; 45.5% of cooled patients and 17.6% of standard care patients were neurologically intact at hospital discharge. The results also suggest that the earlier the cooling is started the better. When cooling efforts were delayed, there was no significant difference in survival when compared to those who did not receive nasal cooling. During a heart attack the heart is unable to properly pump blood to the brain (and other vital organs) which can lead to subsequent brain injury. [via Medline Plus]

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Keep The Beat: Recipes For Heart Health

Steven — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:29:13 +0000

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has published an update to their popular cookbook entitled “Keep The Beat.” It’s a collection of recipes that are limited in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, and sodium, as well as being moderate in calories. The majority of the recipes were created in collaboration with Culinary Institute of America-trained chef and instructor David Kamen and a James Beard Foundation award-winning registered dietitian based on guidelines from NHLBI. For those with heart disease, or those who simply want to eat healthier, it’s often difficult to find nutritionally sound recipes that are delicious at the same time. Costing only a nominal $5 it may just be the healthiest pocket change you spent in a while. The book can be purchased at the NHLBI website. [via NIH News]

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Does An Aspirin A Day Keep The Doctor Away?

Steven — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:30:35 +0000

The Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin, a monthly review of pharmacotherapeutics in medicine published by the British Medical Journal, is recommending that physicians take a second look before prescribing daily low-dose aspirin to patients. A recent review of European data questions whether there is any benefit at all for those without a history of cardiovascular disease to be taking a daily aspirin, especially since long-term low-dose aspirin therapyalmost doubles the likelihood of gastrointestinal bleeding (a potentially serious side effect). The journal authors support continued use of aspirin in those with known cardiovascular disease, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart attacks. But, in light of current evidence, is not recommending daily low-dose aspirin for prevention of cardiovascular disease. [via Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin]

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Smoking Bans Lead To Dramatic Decline In Heart Attacks

Steven — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:16:28 +0000

If you still have doubts about the perils of smoking, a new report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association should clarify any suspicion. After looking at 13 major studies which evaluated the number of heart attacks after smoking bans were instituted in the US, Canada and Europe, researchers found that the total number of heart attacks dropped almost immediately – 17% within one year – and nearly 36% over a three-year period. This dramatic decline in heart attack rate is not only due to less smokers having heart attacks, but passive or secondhand smokers are spared as well. “This study adds to the already strong evidence that secondhand smoke causes heart attacks, and that passing 100 percent smoke-free laws in all workplaces and public places is something we can do to protect the public,” said study author James Lightwood, assistant adjunct professor in the department of clinical pharmacy at the University of California, San Francisco. [Circulation via Medical News Today]

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July 4th Air Quality Advisory

Steven — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:08:05 +0000

As the nation gears up for another July 4th holiday, those with respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis and COPD need to be aware of potential disease flare ups due to soot and ozone propelled into the air by barbecues, fireworks, and the increased number of cars on roads. Exposure to high levels of ozone can cause coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and even heart attacks in both healthy people and those with pulmonary disease. Therefore, be aware of your local pollution level and limit strenuous exercise (which can cause you to inhale more pollutants) during times of increased air pollution. Have a safe and happy fourth!

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Stem Cells Trial Moves Forward

Steven — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:29:17 +0000

Physicians and researchers at Cedars-Sinai and Johns Hopkins hosipitals have embarked on an exciting study involving the use of stem cells to fix heart muscle that have been damaged during heart attacks. Heart-specific stem cells are harvested directly from the patient’s own heart and grown in a petri dish. The stem cells form clusters called “cardiospheres” that can even start to beat while in the dish. These cells are then injected back into the damaged heart of the patient from which they came. The researchers are hoping that these new cells will grow into healthy muscle to replace a damaged and scarred heart. This minimally-invasive procedure was completed in the first patient on Friday, June 26, 2009.

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BMW Looks To Medical Emergency Technology

Steven — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 04:38:08 +0000

BMW and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research are involved in a new project titled “SmartSenior – Intelligent services for senior citizens.” The goal of the project is the development of intelligent technology which recognizes and assists senior citizens in emergency road situations. BMW is working on a safety system called Emergency Stop Assistant that will sense medical dangers, such as those associated with heart attacks, stroke and diabetes. Once an emergency is detect (through sensors that monitor vital signs disbursed throughout the car) the system will switch to an autonomous driving mode to safely stop the vehicle out of harm’s way.