Cardiovascular Health

Smoking worse for women Reported September 02, 2008 "Our research clearly shows there's a gender difference between the damage tobacco does to the blood vessels in and around the heart," Dr. Morten Grundtvig, a heart specialist from Lillehammer, told newspaper Aftenposten. "Women are harmed more than men." He and professors Terje P Hagen and Åsmund … [Read more...]

Patients in ICU Need Care That’s There Reported January 05, 2010 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – When intensive care physicians (intensivists) care for ICU patients onsite, there is a lower rate of illness and death. There is an acute shortage of intensivists, however, which has led to the increased use of telemedicine to remotely monitor ICU patients. Eric J. Thomas, M.D., M.P.H., … [Read more...]

Preventing Stroke in Kids: Good and Bad NewsReported April 14, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The good news is more children with a condition that puts them at risk for stroke are undergoing ultrasound screening. The bad news is only a limited number of labs offer this test. Researchers followed 157 children with sickle cell disease for about eight years. Sickle … [Read more...]

New Drug may Reduce Inflammation During Heart Surgery By Heather Kohn, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent Reported July 21, 2005 ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new drug is under study that may reduce the inflammation associated with the heart-lung machine patients typically go on during heart surgery. As taking the blood out of the body and then putting it back in is a … [Read more...]

Save Your Heart With Diet and MedicationReported March 25, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Approximately seven million people worldwide die each year from high blood pressure (hypertension), a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. While you probably know losing weight can lower blood pressure, a new study says combining diet with certain medications may cut that risk … [Read more...]

Spider Cage Reported May 27, 2008 CLEVELAND (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Kids with disabilities may now be able to add "flying" to their list of activities thanks to an innovative form of therapy. The idea is to build muscle control and confidence by getting them off the ground. It looks like 12-year-old Margaret Biehl is getting ready to run off with the circus, but she's … [Read more...]

British researchers hope a new stem cell treatment will do something current treatments for heart disease can't: heal heart muscle damaged during a heart attack. The therapy will rely on stem cells taken from the patients' own bone marrow and then injected directly into the damaged heart muscle during traditional bypass surgery. "We hope that this exciting … project will … [Read more...]

Study: Drug Lowers Blood Pressure in Treatment-Resistant Patients   Reported September 15, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new drug, darusentan, reduces blood pressure in patients who have not reached treatment goals with three or more conventional antihypertensive drugs. Professor Michael A Weber, State University of New York, Brooklyn, and … [Read more...]

Much of the research on the potential health benefits of alcohol has been done on men, and it is still not clear exactly why moderate amounts of wine seems to be good for heart health. The Swedish research team studied 102 women under the age of 75, all of whom had survived a heart attack or heart surgery for blocked arteries. All participants were asked to record their … [Read more...]

The Stent Debate Reported January 19, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research suggests doctors may be implanting too many artery-opening stents. A new study says patient outcomes could improve if they used a method called fractional flow reserve (FFR) or measurements of blood flow in the vessels of the heart. The study evaluates the benefits of FFR and looks at whether … [Read more...]

'Caveman diet' lowers the risk of heart disease, new research shows Reported 09 May, 2008 Eating like a caveman could reduce the risk of heart disease, according to new research. Just three weeks on a stone-age diet rich in lean meat, vegetables, berries and nuts was enough to lower the chances of suffering a heart attack or stroke. Scientists at the … [Read more...]

Viagra for Your Heart? Reported July 31, 2006 BALTIMORE (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- It's the little blue pill we all know about. Viagra, the drug famous for helping improve men's sex lives, might actually be able to save lives, too. Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered … [Read more...]

Traffic noise linked to high blood pressure Reported September 15, 2009 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Sitting in traffic can get your blood boiling temporarily, but living near it might raise your risk of long-term high blood pressure, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among more than 24,000 Swedish adults, those living near relatively noisier … [Read more...]

When it Comes to Peripheral Arterial Disease, Intervene First Reported April 5, 2005 NEW ORLEANS (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Instead of plunging into surgery, researchers say interventional treatment should be the first-line therapy for patients suffering with peripheral arterial disease. PAD, which is basically clogged … [Read more...]

7 Diet Roadblocks Reported February 26, 2009 ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- You count calories, fat, carbohydrates and protein. You even exercise every day -- but those extra pounds just won't budge. Sound familiar? What could you be doing wrong? Seven common roadblocks often stand in the way of the journey to an ideal weight. Everyone has a slim-down tip, a food … [Read more...]

Aspirin Causes Bleeding for Some Reported June 03, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- An aspirin a day may keep a heart attack away, but it could also increase your risk of internal bleeding. Research shows use of aspirin by patients with no heart disease history reduces non-fatal heart attacks by about one fifth. However, new data shows it also increases the risk of internal … [Read more...]

Cholesterol Control Genes   Reported July 10, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Twenty genes playing large roles in controlling cholesterol within cells have been identified through several innovative methods. These genes may also point the way to new risk factors for heart disease. "Some of the genes identified by us as regulators of cellular cholesterol … [Read more...]

Device Helps Failing Hearts Reported July 28, 2006 BALTIMORE (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Doctors say they're closer than ever to finding the perfect heart pump that could someday help nearly 5 million Americans who have heart failure and may even replace a heart transplant. Police … [Read more...]

Vein Blood Clots Can Cause Heart Attacks November 27, 2007 A new study published in the journal Lancet suggests that blood clots in a person’s vein put him at nearly twice the risk of heart attack or stroke within a year. The study confirms the existing belief that all three conditions are linked. Vein blood clots are often the result of restricted … [Read more...]

Drugs, Surgery Produce Similar Death Rates in Diabetics With Heart Disease Reported June 09, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- For patients with both Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, choosing drug therapy or surgery produces similar death rates, according to a new international, multicenter study. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health … [Read more...]

Experts Take Step Toward National Heart Disease SurveillanceReported March 24, 2009 WASHINGTON, D.C. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has started establishing a unit to systematically track cardiovascular disease and stroke in the United States, the first step toward an organized national surveillance system for the two conditions. … [Read more...]

Death Rates From Cardiovascular Causes Vary Widely Across Europe Reported February 06, 2008 WEDNESDAY, Feb. 6 (HealthDay News) -- There are large variations between and within European countries in the rates of stroke and heart disease-related deaths, new research shows. For example, rates of such deaths in several countries -- particularly in northern … [Read more...]

Genetic Screening for Diabetes? Reported November 24, 2008 ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Using genetics to predict type 2 diabetes may not be as big of a breakthrough as researchers hoped -- at least not yet. Although recent research has identified 18 gene variants that increase an individual’s risk for type 2 diabetes, a recently published New England Journal of … [Read more...]

Got Heart Disease? Get a Flu Shot!Reported September 29, 2006 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology have some good advice for people with heart disease: get an annual flu shot. The two organizations teamed up to issue a new advisory recommending … [Read more...]

Heart attack patients who are black are less likely than white patients to undergo procedures to reopen blocked arteries. A new study reveals treatments and survival rates differ between races. Black patients had lower rates of revascularization procedures, like angioplasty, in the 30 days after a heart attack than white patients, report researchers from the University of Iowa … [Read more...]

Device Helps Heart Pump Reported October 31, 2005 LOS ANGELES (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- A severe heart attack can weaken the heart to the point where surgery to unclog arteries may be too risky. Now a new device is helping those with frail hearts survive surgery. A severe heart attack left David Doerfler's heart so badly damaged surgeons doubted he would survive surgery … [Read more...]

Atrial fibrillation affects more than 2 million Americans. It's a serious heart condition that can lead to stroke or even heart failure. Jacquie Crawford used to have trouble carrying her groceries up the stairs. "I just started feeling extremely fatigued," she says. Crawford suffered from atrial fibrillation, a condition that made it difficult for her to enjoy some of her … [Read more...]

Holes for the Heart   Reported August 17, 2009 PHOENIX (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. There are stents, surgeries and transplants to help failing hearts recover, but some patients are too weak to survive the treatment. A new approach for the sickest patients involves drilling holes in the … [Read more...]

Malfunction! ICDs vs. PacemakersReported April 26, 2006 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Pacemakers and cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) save lives and have low malfunction rates. Despite this, researchers from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston found ICDs have a significantly higher malfunction … [Read more...]

Infection Dangerous After Heart TransplantReported October 12, 2007 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Patients who develop a central nervous system infection after having a heart transplant are at serious risk for death. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minn., collected data from 315 consecutive heart transplant recipients from 1988 through 2006. They … [Read more...]