Health News
Goldilocks Sleep Best for Heart
If you're feeling sleepy or irritable during the day, you may not be getting enough sleep. And not enough sleep could mean you're at higher risk for a range of heart problems.
Heart Attack More Likely When Pregnant
Having a heart attack while pregnant is highly unlikely, but pregnant women are still at three to four times greater risk for an attack compared to non-pregnant women of the same age.
ER Scan Pinpoints 30-Day Heart Risk
When patients show up at the emergency room complaining of chest pain, they are usually admitted for a gamut of testing for heart problems, the most serious of which could be a blocked coronary artery. A non-invasive test may help speed up that test.
Helping Heart Patients Remember Meds
Following hospitalization, heart patients may do significantly better in remembering to take their medications with intervention that includes reminders, checklists and educational materials.
Mixed Results for Merck Blood Thinner
A second large study has revealed less than stellar results for an experimental Merck blood thinner. Researchers found that while it reduced cardiovascular events, it also increased the risk of major bleeding.
Elderly Heart Attack Patients Benefit From Stent
As healthcare has improved, it's no longer uncommon for patients to live past age 90. Guidelines do not currently address older heart attack patients receiving a stent to prop open a blocked artery.
Drug Shrinks Cardiac Damage After Heart Attack
Infusing anticoagulant drug ReoPro ( abciximab ) straight into the coronary artery appears to help reduce the amount of damage to the heart a month after a certain kind of heart attack.
EMS Key in Heart Attack Care
"Door to balloon" time, or the amount of time from when a patient arrives at the hospital until they receive angioplasty to open a clogged artery, has long been considered critical in improving outcomes.
Vice President Cheney Gets a New Heart
Former Vice President Dick Cheney is recovering at a Virginia hospital following a heart transplant on Saturday. His office made the announcement Sunday.
Imminent Heart Attack Predicted in Trial
What if doctors could identify patients at risk of an imminent heart attack and actually prevent it? It's not as far from reality as it sounds. In a trial researchers have found a blood test can identify a heart attack before it happens.