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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‘It wasn’t what you read in pamphlets’: Survivor warns MI symptoms are different in women

One MI survivor is raising awareness for heart attack symptoms in women after her Dec. 9 tweets about an unusual episode went viral.

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Intra-aortic balloon pumps most successful within hour of cardiogenic shock

Patients who present to the hospital with cardiogenic shock (CS) and are treated with an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) are more likely to survive if the device is implanted within an hour of CS onset, according to research published in the American Journal of Cardiology Dec. 4.

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Greener neighborhoods linked to better heart health for residents

Individuals who live in greener neighborhoods might be less likely to develop heart disease and stroke than those residing in areas with fewer parks or green spaces, according to a Journal of the American Heart Association study published Dec. 5.

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Man sues Hawaii over near-fatal MI triggered by false missile alert

A man who says his nearly fatal myocardial infarction was triggered by January’s false missile alert in Hawaii is now suing the state and then-administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency for damages, CBS News reported.

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Machine learning-based ASCVD risk calculator outperforms ACC/AHA standard

A machine learning-based risk calculator developed to assess an individual’s long-term risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) identified 13 percent more high-risk patients and recommended unnecessary statin therapy 25 percent less often than standard risk assessment tools in initial tests, researchers reported in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

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Low-dose methotrexate fails to reduce cardiovascular events

Results of the CIRT trial presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions dimmed hopes that low-dose methotrexate can reduce cardiovascular events but furthered researchers’ understanding of which inflammation-targeting therapies might succeed in that regard.

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Teens face up to 7 times higher odds of AMI with cocaine, cannabis use

Cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis could raise adolescents’ risk for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), in some cases increasing a teen’s odds for MI by up to seven times, according to research out of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in China.

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Most cases of SCAD can’t be traced back to apparent risk factors

Though it’s been linked tenuously in the past to psychological stressors and genetics, the majority of cases of spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) can’t be traced back to a concomitant arteriopathy, inflammatory disorder or evident risk factor, according to research published in the American Journal of Cardiology Oct. 29.