Articles related to HEART ATTACK/MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

In a look “Beyond the Guidelines,” a preventive cardiologist and a general internist discuss their approach in the case of a 57-year-old woman with high cholesterol and a family history of heart disease.

A new study published in Annals of Internal Medicine looks at the link between cardiovascular disease among adults with type 2 diabetes, which might be more prevalent than previously thought. This study compares cardiovascular outcomes in patients taking first line metformin vs. SGLT-2 inhibitors, based on claims data over a 7-year period. SGLT-2 inhibitor use was associated with lower rates of hospitalization for heart failure and all cause mortality. Rates for MI and stroke were similar for the two treatments.

A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine looked at the association between cardiovascular outcomes and the coprescription of nitrates with PDE5 inhibitors in more than 42,000 men over a 10-year period. Two composite outcomes were measured: 1) cardiac arrest, shock, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or acute coronary arteriography; and 2) syncope, angina pectoris, or drug-related adverse event. The authors found no statistically significant increase in measured cardiovascular AEs.

The study reviewed 806 patients in Norway and Sweden with AMI and found no increase in MI risk for patients undergoing ophthalmologic procedures done in an outpatient setting.

A meta-analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine has concluded that the link between statin-induced LDL lowering and reduction of CV outcomes may not be as robust as previously assumed. According to the researchers, the absolute risk reduction associated with statin use for all-cause mortality was 0.8% (95% CI, 0.4-1.2), whereas for MI it was 1.3% (95% CI, 0.9-1.7) and for stroke it was 0.4% (95% CI, 0.2-0.6). Absolute risk reduction figures were slightly higher for secondary prevention than for primary prevention.

The action comes after observational evidence associating the HeartWare left ventricular assist device (LVAD) with increased neurological adverse events and mortality, as well as more than 100 complaints involving delay or failure to restart. First approved in November 2012, the LVAD has been implanted in approximately 2,000 US patients experiencing end-stage heart failure.