Heart Health

Initiators of statins aged 75 years or older had higher mean percentage reduction than those younger than 50 years. For older versus younger adults, low- to moderate-intensity statins are associated with a greater reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), according to a study published online Aug. 1 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Giulia Corn, Ph.D.,...

Hazard ratio for CVD mortality for Blacks versus Whites no longer significant after adjustment for social risk factors. The Black-White disparity in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality is attenuated after adjustment for behavioral and metabolic risk factors and is no longer significant after adjustment for social risk factors, according to a study published online Aug. 15...

Reduction seen in severity of pain and improvement in sleep quality for patients after open-heart surgery. Use of aromatherapy with peppermint oil after open-heart surgery attenuates pain and improves sleep quality, according to a study published online Aug. 3 in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care. Mahla Maghami, from Kashan University of Medical Sciences in Iran, and...

After one year of aggressive medical management, diastolic BP and physical activity scores no longer differ for Blacks, non-Blacks. After one year of intensive medical management, certain risk factors associated with stroke are reduced among Black adults, according to a study published online Aug. 3 in Stroke. Eyad Almallouhi, M.D., from the Medical University of South...

Medically reviewed by Dr. Shani S. Saks, D.O. on August 2, 2023 The short-term family-focused intervention had a non-significant positive effect on health-related quality of life and improved perceived family support, anxiety, and depression in patients and family members.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Shani S. Saks, D.O. on August 2, 2023 A mobile health technology intervention consistently reduced primary composite outcomes comprising all-cause death, systemic embolism, rehospitalization, and ischemic stroke for primary and secondary prevention. The risk of thromboembolic recurrences is higher in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with a previous history of thromboembolic events,...

Medically reviewed by Dr. Shani S. Saks, D.O. on August 2, 2023 Lower access rates to catheter ablation therapy were related to low socioeconomic background, female gender, and racial minorities, in this study. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is considered one of the most common cardiac arrhythmias worldwide, and its occurrence and prevalence are expected to increase...

Medically reviewed by Dr. Shani S. Saks, D.O. on August 2, 2023 Intracardiac echocardiography-guided zero-fluoroscopic cryoballoon ablation was found to be a feasible approach in atrial fibrillation patients and was without any significant effects related to complications or success rates of the procedure. Zero-fluoroscopic cryoballoon ablation (CBA) is a challenging intervention owing to the absence...