Category Archives: Cardiovascular

Coronary Disease That Comes With a Donor Heart Does Carry Risk

Coronary artery disease (CAD) that comes with a donor heart was not uncommon and conferred cardiovascular risk, although not an early death overall, according to data from a large Spanish registry. Prevalence of CAD transmitted to recipients of heart transplantation was 18.3%, with a 6.9% rate of significant disease marked by stenosis of 50% or […]

Simple blood test may predict future heart, kidney risk for people with Type 2 diabetes

A simple blood test may predict the risk of progressive heart and kidney disease in people with Type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association’s flagship journal Circulation. “High levels of certain biomarkers are indicators of heart and kidney complications and may help predict future risk […]

Study shows costly weight loss drug may also cut risks of heart attacks

Dr. Michael Blaha: If you stop taking these medications, patients do regain weight. At least most of them are regaining weight, maybe not all the weight, but much of the weight. So it’s really shifting the thinking about obesity towards that of a chronic disease. We take blood pressure medications for hypertension, and we expect […]

Interventional echocardiography expected to grow thanks to new structural heart procedures

“We are moving to the right side of the heart where we now have transcatheter tricuspid valve repair and replacement (TTVR) devices. Ultimately, if I were to predict, I think that will be an easier market than the mitral anatomy, because the right ventricle is more accommodating in terms of its anatomical relationships with other […]

How to deal with workplace bullying and discrimination in cardiology

Key takeaways from the session included:    • Document everything. This includes getting the language right by speaking with a labor lawyer.    • Remember that work emails are legal documents than can be saved and used later if needed.     • Make sure you do not react from anger and that you are anchored […]

People With Type 2 Diabetes May Want to Avoid These Kinds of Foods—Even if They’re ‘Healthy’

Ultra-processed food, even if it’s seemingly healthy, is associated with higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in people with type 2 diabetes, a new study finds. Even if something appears to be healthy, like fruit yogurt, people with diabetes may need to take a closer look at how processed the item is. The new research, published […]

Key government policies impacting cardiac ultrasound

The big issue they have been working on recently is site neutrality, related to how different sites of service can bill Medicare.  “Clinicians in cardiovascular care are very concerned about any sort of cuts or changes that might reduce the fees that one facility is paid relative to another. There also other initiatives around increasing […]

Chest pain one year after a heart attack linked to lower odds of survival

One year post-MI, patients had a follow-up appointment with a physician and were asked to report the severity of any ongoing chest pain they were experiencing. While 38.2% of patients reported moderate pain, another 4.5% reported extreme pain. The authors then tracked years of follow-up data, determining that 5.8% of patients died up to 8.5 […]

Breastfeeding for at Least Six Months Aids Maternal Cardiovascular Factors

MONDAY, Aug. 21, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Breastfeeding for at least six months may reduce some maternal cardiovascular risk factors in women three years postpartum, according to a study published online July 19 in the International Breastfeeding Journal. Maleesa M. Pathirana, Ph.D., from University of Adelaide in Australia, and colleagues used three-year follow-up data from […]

Pitavastatin Can Prevent Cardiovascular Disease in HIV Infection

A new National Institute of Health-supported study revealed that statins, a class of cholesterol-lowering medications, can offset a high risk of cardiovascular disease in people living with HIV by more than 33%. Steven K. Grinspoon, M.D., a professor of medicine at Harvard University and chief of the metabolism unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, led the […]