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.

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Biotech startup aims to eradicate CAD with gene editing

A new biotech company out of Massachusetts is levering human genetics and genome editing to “turn the tide” of coronary artery disease (CAD), experimenting with CRISPR to stop CAD from ever developing in at-risk individuals.

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Oral infections during childhood linked to CVD later in life

A study of more than 750 kids who were followed into their thirties has linked oral infections in childhood to CVD later in life—particularly subclinical carotid atherosclerosis.

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STEMI DTU trial greenlighted by the FDA

After a successful safety and feasibility trial run, the FDA granted approval April 26 to the STEMI DTU (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Door-to-Unloading) study, which will examine whether unloading the left ventricle prior to reperfusion can reduce myocardial damage and lead to fewer CV complications in STEMI patients.

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Physicians often overlook statin guidelines for ASCVD patients

A little less than half of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) patients are treated for blood cholesterol according to 2013 clinical guidelines, with around half missing out on a statin prescription the guidelines would have recommended, according to a study published in the American Journal of Cardiology.

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Stress disorders—including PTSD—linked to poor CV outcomes

Stress disorders like PTSD and adjustment disorder were linked to adverse cardiovascular outcomes in a recent BMJ study, Reuters reports, with the greatest CV risk posed in the months directly after a patient is diagnosed with such a condition.

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MicroRNAs could protect the heart after MI

MicroRNAs could be key to treating heart failure, according to a study out of Boston Children’s Hospital and Zhejiang University School of Medicine in China.

Long-term antibiotic use linked to greater risk of MI, stroke in women

Antibiotic use—particularly regimens that last for two months or more—was linked to an increased risk of CVD in a recent study of nearly 36,500 older women.

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Eating late and skipping breakfast raises risk of death, repeat events in STEMI patients

Eating a late dinner and skipping breakfast could raise heart patients’ risk of a repeat MI or death by up to fivefold, according to research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology April 17.