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.

Could a genetic test ID people who are high risk for heart attack?

Harvard scientist Sekar Kathiresan, MD, believes polygenic risk score could help identify people at high risk for heart attack. Kathiresan, director of the Cardiovascular Disease Initiative at the Broad Institute and a professor at Harvard Medical School, said polygenic risk scores, based on genetic testing, will be as commonly known as cholesterol levels. 

Estrogen may prevent depression after heart attack

Estrogen may protect against heart failure (HF)-related depression by preventing the creation of inflammation-causing chemicals in the brain, according to research published in the American Journal of Physiology.

Women have a better chance of surviving heart attack if treated by female doctor

Women are more likely to survive a heart attack if their emergency room physician is also a woman, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

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Physical activity can lower CVD risk in seniors

New research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association suggests light and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, coupled with less sedentary time, is associated with more favorable levels of heart and vessel disease markers in older individuals.

Inflammation persists years after heart attack, may signal CVD risk

Most people who suffer a heart attack maintain elevated levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) several years later, which can only partially be explained by traditional cardiovascular risk factors, researchers reported in the American Heart Journal.

Young bankers in the UK are having more heart attacks

Cardiologists in the U.K. note young investment bankers in their 20s and 30s are being admitted to the hospital more frequently with heart-related conditions, despite employers implementing measures to reduce workload and stress. One cardiologist told Business Insider he has seen a 10 percent increase in heart attacks among bankers under 30.

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High-sensitivity troponin allows faster diagnosis of heart attack

A hospital protocol incorporating high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) enabled a quicker rule-out of heart attack than a conventional troponin test, according to a research letter published online Aug. 6 in Circulation.

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NASA, cardiologists collaborate on CVD risk calculator

Researchers have developed an online tool to more accurately calculate which middle-aged individuals are at the highest risk of heart attack or stroke during the next 10 years.