Angioplasty

(Newser) - Death rates, heart attacks, and strokes among people over 80 can be cut significantly by common blood pressure medication rarely given to older people, finds a new large-scale study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine . The study found death rates among the elderly could be cut 21% and heart attacks by 64%, reports the Guardian . More »

(Newser) - A drug used to lower blood sugar in diabetics significantly decreases the clogging of arteries, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Tests on diabetic patients found that Actos, a new-generation drug that lowers insulin resistance, aided arteries more than a drug that boosted insulin production. Heart disease kills 75% of diabetics and doctors are working to find ways to treat both blood sugar and heart disease. More »

(Newser) - Reluctant bystanders can skip mouth-to-mouth resuscitation if they witness someone collapse from a heart attack, but should attempt "hands-only" CPR to save a life, the American Heart Association has recommended.  With less than a third of cardiac arrest victims receiving any form of CPR before it's too late, anything remotely resembling a chest compression could help, reports Reuters. More »

(Newser) - With heart disease nearly epidemic among America’s captive gorilla population, zookeepers are trying to train the great apes to submit to the human medical procedures that could save their lives. But getting a gorilla to sit still for a blood test is a taxing problem, one the National Zoo is just starting to figure out. The Washington Post pays a visit to the exam room. More »

(Newser) - Breast cancer remains a risk for women even after they stop taking hormone therapy, researchers said yesterday. A follow-up to a 2002 study showed that women who dropped estrogen and progestin still had a 24% greater breast cancer risk. But their chance of a stroke, heart attack, or blood clot fell to normal levels after halting the therapy, Reuters reports. More »

(Newser) - A Supreme Court ruling today makes it nearly impossible for patients and their families to sue makers of federally approved medical devices under state law. The court ruled 8-1 in favor of cardiovascular device company Medtronic, dismissing a suit brought by a patient injured after one of the company's balloon catheters burst during an angioplasty, the New York Times reports. More »

(Newser) - A prominent researcher who revealed widespread fatalities associated with the heart surgery drug Trasylol says 22,000 people died because of the FDA's delay in blowing the whistle on the drug after his study was published. Drugmaker Bayer also failed to disclose negative results of its own study. In a 60 Minutes interview to air Sunday, Dr. Dennis Mangano says the FDA waited more than a year to pull Trasylol—until after it was banned in Germany. More »

(Newser) - Heart patients who have both pacemakers and iPods can rest easy: The music devices don't affect the cardiac ones, reports Reuters. Two studies published last year suggested that iPods created electrical interference, but a new report by a team of FDA researchers concludes, “No interference effects can occur in pacemakers exposed to the iPods we tested." More »

(Newser) - Sir Paul McCartney has publicly denied claims that he was hospitalized for heart surgery, NME reports. Earlier this month, the Sun reported that the legendary former Beatle had undergone a coronary angioplasty. But today, McCartney reassured fans and friends on his website that he had simply been tested for a "minor irregularity," and that he was in fine health. More »

(Newser) - Deaths from heart disease and strokes have dropped by a quarter since 1999—the biggest decrease on record, reports ABC News. An estimated 160,000 lives have been saved.  "This is the fastest rate of decrease we've seen. It's very meaningful," said a doctor. The American Heart Association credits innovative new treatments like angioplasty, stents and clot-busting drugs—and better prevention—for the big drop. More »

(Newser) - Spurred by the "woefully inadequate" number of cardiac arrest victims who receive CPR from a bystander—only 15% to 30%—the American Heart Association is calling for a push to increase and improve CPR training in the US, Reuters reports. The low CPR rate is an “enormous missed opportunity to save lives,” said an AHA doctor. More »

(Newser) - Scientists rebuilt rat and pig hearts using stem cells taken from the recipients themselves, the Telegraph reports—a medical breakthrough that could help the 22 million people who suffer from heart failure worldwide. The technique, called whole organ decellularization, produced the world’s first functioning “bioartificial” heart within eight days after researchers injected it with fresh stem cells. More »

(Newser) - Scientists have created new embryonic stem cells while keeping the donor embryos intact, Wired reports, a breakthrough that could finally permit long-delayed research into curing cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. Researchers plucked single cells from 2-day-old human embryos, coaxed them to become ESCs, and developed them into heart tissue, neurons, cartilage, and blood cells. More »

(Newser) - Moderate drinking may help you live longer, according to a new study by Danish researchers. Scientists followed 12,000 participants for 20 years and found that, regardless of how much they exercised, those who drank in moderation were about 30% less likely to develop heart disease than teetotalers. Physically active drinkers saw 50% less risk than non-active non-drinkers. More »

(Newser) - American hospitals are taking too long to revive the hearts of patients who suffer cardiac arrest, a study finds. Electric shock from a defibrillator can restart a stopped heart, but only if it is done quickly. The American Heart Association recommends that patients in cardiac arrest receive treatment within two minutes, but 30% wait longer, the Wall Street Journal reports. More »

(Newser) - Paul McCartney had a heart operation in secret in September, sources close to the former Beatle tell the Guardian . "Paul is in excellent health" after the coronary angioplasty, a source said. "Fans certainly have no need to worry." A filament tube is passed through the heart’s arteries to clear plaque blockages during the procedure, which is fairly common. More »