Acute Coronary Syndromes

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is most commonly caused by a heart attack (myocardial infarction) where blood flow to the heart is suddenly blocked. This is usually caused by a blood clot from a ruptured coronary artery atherosclerotic plaque. Other causes include spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), which most commonly occurs in women. ACS is usually treated in a cath lab with angioplasty and the placement of a stent to prop the vessel open.

Stem cell therapy revives cardiac muscle damaged during heart attacks

The Mayo Clinic researchers were "surprised" at how far the intervention restored the diseased hearts back to normal.

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The more evidence-based advice MI patients follow, the longer they survive

Heart patients who follow all guideline-recommended medical advice after an MI are far more likely than their peers to survive for years after a heart attack, researchers reported in the Journal of the American Heart Association this month.

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Irregular sleep doubles risk for CVD

Brigham and Women’s Hospital physicians have discovered that irregular sleep patterns can significantly hike a person’s risk for heart disease, even if they’re otherwise healthy.

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Secondary analysis backs safety of apixaban over warfarin

A secondary analysis of the AUGUSTUS trial confirms earlier findings that treating heart patients with the anticoagulant apixaban results in less major bleeding, hospitalization and death than warfarin, a standard-of-care blood thinner.

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JAHA editors retract study linking e-cigarette use to MIs

The editors of the Journal of the American Heart Association have retracted a study that linked some-day and everyday e-cigarette use to an increased risk of having had a heart attack. The same study alleged the effect of e-cigarettes was comparable to those of conventional cigarettes.

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Heart disease more common in women who have suffered domestic abuse

Women who have suffered domestic abuse are 31% more likely to develop heart disease and 51% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than women who haven’t been abused, a study out of the U.K. has found.

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Beta-blocker, aspirin combo mitigates CVD brought on by grief

A beta-blocker and aspirin combination may help attenuate the heightened CVD risk observed in people who have recently lost a loved one, according to research published in the American Heart Journal in February.

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More than half of heart patients nonadherent to multi-drug regimens

Over half of heart patients on a triple-drug regimen of ACE inhibitors, statins and either calcium channel blockers or aspirin are nonadherent to their medications, researchers reported in the American Journal of Cardiology Feb. 6.