Virtual Cardiac Centre Medical News

Lifestyle changes, drug lower type 2 diabetes risk

Intensive lifestyle changes aimed at modest weight loss reduced the rate of developing type 2 diabetes by 34 percent over 10 years in people at high risk for the disease.

Engineering heart repair patches from stem cells

University of Washington researchers have succeeded in engineering human tissue patches free of some problems that have stymied stem-cell repair for damaged hearts.

The cause of pulmonary embolism in trauma patients

A report from a team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) physicians calls into question the longstanding belief that pulmonary embolism (PE) – the life-threatening blockage of a major blood

Heart attacks more common but less fatal in women

Heart attacks appear to have become more common in middle-aged women over the past two decades, but all women and especially those younger than 55 have recently experienced a greater increase than men

Recommended treatment for heart failure often underused

Less than one-third of patients hospitalised for heart failure and participating in a quality improvement registry received a guideline-recommended treatment of heart failure, aldosterone antagonist t

'Molecular trigger' for sudden death in epilepsy

The most common gene for a syndrome associated with abnormal heart rhythms and sudden death triggers epileptic seizures and could explain sudden unexplained death in epilepsy, said researchers from Ba

Stroke - What can I do?

Everyone can do something about stroke, whether it is on an individual or group level.

Stroke occurs when a vessel that brings blood to the brain bursts or is clogged by a blood clot. With to

Heart test safe for pre-transplant kidney patients

A screening test that measures whether a patient's heart is healthy enough for a kidney transplant is not as dangerous as once thought, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the C

Less invasive repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm reduces death risk
Patients who received the less-invasive endovascular repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm had a lower risk of death in the first 30 days after the procedure compared to patients who an open repair,

Modern "house call" cost-effective model for improving blood pressure
Combining home-based blood pressure monitoring and telephone counselling significantly improves a person's blood pressure control at a minimal cost, according to a study published online in the An

At-home care alternative for elderly patients with chronic heart failure
Hospital-at-home care may be a practical alternative to traditional hospital inpatient care for patients with acutely decompensated (suddenly worsening) chronic heart failure, according to a report in

Is alcohol protection for the heart exaggerated?
In this week's online New Zealand Medical Journal clinicians raise question marks over the protective effect for the heart of drinking moderate daily amounts of alcohol.

Postmenopausal women benefit from endurance training as much as younger women
Marilyn Graham was 56 when she signed up for a grueling hour of cycling each morning for 12 weeks, occasionally decked out in a mask, a heart monitor and a bag of intravenous fluid, and subjected to n

Comprehensive cardiac CT scan may give clearer picture of significant heart disease
A team of researchers led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) radiologists has developed a computed-tomography-based protocol that identifies both narrowing of coronary arteries and areas of myoca

Patient radiation dose reduced during CT angiography
Radiologists have discovered that prospective electrocardiogram (ECG) gating allows them to significantly reduce the patient radiation dose delivered during computed tomography (CT) angiography, a com