WHO launches plan to eliminate industrially-produced trans-fatty acids from global food supply
May 17 ,2018
Overview:The World Heart Federation welcomes to the launch of the World Health Organization’s REPLACE Action Package, a step-by-step guide for the elimination of industrially-produced trans-fatty acids from the global food supply. Eliminating trans fats is key to protecting health and saving lives: WHO estimates that every year, trans fat intake leads to more than 500,000 deaths of […] The post WHO launches plan to eliminate industrially-produced trans-fatty acids from global food supply appeared first on World Heart Federation. more
Elevating Hypertension on the Public Health Agenda
May 17 ,2018
Overview:Marking World Hypertension Day on May 17, the World Heart Federation is taking stock of its recent initiatives to accelerate progress in the management and prevention of raised blood pressure and to elevate this significant public health issue on the global health agenda. Efforts include translating WHF’s global roadmap on hypertension into national contexts through roundtables, and capitalising on […] The post Elevating Hypertension on the Public Health Agenda appeared first on World Heart Federation. more
SIAComunidad’s ‘For the American Heart’ initiatives peak for World Hypertension Day
May 16 ,2018
Overview:Just one day from World Hypertension Day, the SIAComunidad ‘For the American Heart’ initiative has reached an impressive number of activities from the south to the north of the American continent. This includes 16 countries, 85 organizations in almost 35 cities. These are promising figures for the success of the campaign for World Hypertension Day. […] The post SIAComunidad’s ‘For the American Heart’ initiatives peak for World Hypertension Day appeared first on World Heart Federation. more
May Measurement Month (MMM) – an awareness-raising initiative building on World Hypertension Day
May 10 ,2018
Overview:Following the success of the inaugural May Measurement Month (MMM) in 2017, programmes are already in place to repeat the mass synchronized global blood pressure (BP) screening campaign this May 2018. MMM is an initiative led by the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) and endorsed by the World Hypertension League (WHL) – building on World […] The post May Measurement Month (MMM) – an awareness-raising initiative building on World Hypertension Day appeared first on World Heart Federation. more
SIAComunidad progresses steadily in the number of activities for World Hypertension Day
May 10 ,2018
Overview:Steady progress has been made in the SIAComunidad initiative since its launch. The registration form for activities for the World Hypertension Week will be uploaded in Spanish, Portuguese and English on the website which will undoubtedly facilitate access in several countries. There are already quite a few activities which have been uploaded, which include 19 […] The post SIAComunidad progresses steadily in the number of activities for World Hypertension Day appeared first on World Heart Federation. more
WHF at the 71st World Health Assembly
May 08 ,2018
Overview:The 71st World Health Assembly will take place in a crucial year for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and the World Heart Federation will be following closely as key decisions are being made around CVD-related issues. We look forward with great anticipation to discussions on the Third UN High-level Meeting on NCDs, which will take place in […] The post WHF at the 71st World Health Assembly appeared first on World Heart Federation. more
PAHO/WHO calls for grant applications to support health policy, programs and systems on projects related to the SDGs
May 04 ,2018
Overview:A new call for proposals aims to support research that addresses the system-wide changes required to achieve regional health targets within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Applications from Bolivia, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Suriname are particularly encouraged. All applications must be received by 15 May 2018. Successful projects will […] The post PAHO/WHO calls for grant applications to support health policy, programs and systems on projects related to the SDGs appeared first on World Heart Federation. more
Children’s Heartlink Fellowship in Pediatric Cardiac Sciences
May 02 ,2018
Overview:Children’s HeartLink, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Institute Jantung Negara are pleased to announce the fellowship training programs in pediatric cardiac sciences in the following subspecialties: Pediatric Cardiology Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care A major obstacle to delivering care for children with heart disease in low- and middle-income countries is the deficit […] The post Children’s Heartlink Fellowship in Pediatric Cardiac Sciences appeared first on World Heart Federation. more
Exemplary initiative in Argentina – Acute Coronary Syndrome Program (PROSCA)
May 01 ,2018
Overview:The Argentine Society of Cardiology (SAC), a member of the World Heart Federation, has been promoting an exemplary initiative launched by the cardiology unit of the Hospital de San Miguel in the northwest region of Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina. Cardiologists of the local public hospital began a program to improve adherence of treatment in patients […] The post Exemplary initiative in Argentina – Acute Coronary Syndrome Program (PROSCA) appeared first on World Heart Federation. more
Statement: Underscoring the importance of mass media campaigns to prevent NCDs in Jamaica and around the world
May 01 ,2018
Overview:Update 1/5/2018: Wisynco Group Limited has withdrawn their lawsuit against the Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ). The World Heart Federation, together with the NCD Alliance, Coalición Latinoamérica Saludable, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition, World Obesity Federation and Union for International Cancer Control, wishes to underscore the importance of mass media campaigns to protect and promote public […] The post Statement: Underscoring the importance of mass media campaigns to prevent NCDs in Jamaica and around the world appeared first on World Heart Federation. more
ORBITA analysis: FFR, iFR may predict PCI effect on stress echo ischemia
May 22 ,2018
Overview:PCI conferred the greatest improvement in stress echocardiography score in patients with low fractional flow reserve or instantaneous wave-free ratio, according to new data from the ORBITA trial presented at EuroPCR.According to the study, which was simultaneously published in Circulation, among patients in ORBITA assigned to PCI or a sham procedure, the treatment effect of PCI was best shown by improvement in stress echocardiography score or freedom from angina as opposed to change in treadmill exercise time.“ORBITA was the first placebo-controlled trial of angioplasty. In patients more
LAA closure during cardiac surgery lowers long-term stroke, mortality risk
May 22 ,2018
Overview:Left atrial appendage closure during cardiac surgery was linked to reduced risk for subsequent stroke and all-cause mortality among patients undergoing cardiac surgery, according to data published in JAMA.According to the study, many patients who undergo cardiac surgery have a history of atrial fibrillation, which is associated with increased risk for stroke. Performing left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) during surgery may reduce the long-term risk for stroke, the researchers wrote in the study background.“There are limited data on the effectiveness of LAAO to guide evidence-based more
FAME 2: FFR-guided PCI leads to better outcomes than medical therapy in stable CAD
May 22 ,2018
Overview:Among patients with stable CAD and angiographically significant stenoses, an initial fractional flow reserve-guided PCI strategy conferred better outcomes than medical therapy, according to 5-year results of the FAME 2 trial presented at EuroPCR.As Cardiology Today’s Intervention previously reported, for the FAME 2 trial, Panagiotis Xaplanteris, MD, PhD, from the Cardiovascular Center Aalst, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Clinic, Aalst, Belgium, and colleagues performed FFR in 1,220 patients with stable CAD to determine hemodynamically significant stenosis, defined as at least one stenosis with FFR more
CARPREG II: Pregnancy confers morbidity risk in women with heart disease
May 22 ,2018
Overview:Pregnancy increased the risk for morbidity in women with heart disease, and these cardiac complications may be predicted by a risk index that integrates lesion-specific, general and delivery-of-care variables, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.Pregnancy with heart diseaseCandice K. Silversides, MD, MS, clinical researcher at Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, and colleagues analyzed data from 1,938 pregnancies in women with heart disease, which included acquired heart disease, congenital heart disease or arrhythmias. Women who had a more
Calculation of noninvasive functional SYNTAX score feasible, accurate
May 22 ,2018
Overview:The functional SYNTAX score can be calculated noninvasively and is comparable to calculations using invasive pressure-wire assessment, according to results of a SYNTAX II substudy.The findings were presented at EuroPCR and simultaneously published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.“The noninvasive [functional SYNTAX score] has the potential to individualize risk assessment, assist the heart team in the decision-making process prior to invasive angiography, and guide treatment planning in the noninvasive setting,” Carlos Collet, MD, from the department of more
Excess venous thromboembolism prophylaxis common among low-, high-risk patients
May 22 ,2018
Overview:Approximately 65% of patients with either low or high risk for venous thromboembolism events received excessive prophylaxis, according to findings published in JAMA Internal Medicine.“National guidelines recommend objective risk stratification for venous thromboembolism in hospitalized medical patients,” Paul J. Grant, MD, from the University of Michigan School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote.Grant and colleagues analyzed data from the Michigan Hospital Medicine Safety Consortium to investigate whether patients admitted to a non-ICU for 2 or more days (n = 44,775; mean age, 64.7 more
Walking, biking to work lowers risk for fatal heart disease
May 22 ,2018
Overview:People who walked or rode their bikes to work lowered their risk for ischemic heart disease by 11% and risk for dying of this disease by 30%, according to findings recently published in Heart.“Much research is focused on the benefits of active commuting but the potential health gains associated with non-commuting travel are less well known,” Jenna Panter, PhD, senior research associate at the United Kingdom Clinical Research Collaboration and colleagues wrote.Researchers conducted a prospective study among 358,799 participants in a United Kingdom database who were between ages 37 more
WAKE-UP: Alteplase effective in acute stroke with suspected recent onset
May 21 ,2018
Overview:Among patients with acute stroke of unknown time of onset but MRI findings indicating onset was recent, IV thrombolysis with alteplase resulted in a better functional outcome than treatment with placebo, according to the results of the WAKE-UP trial.The findings were presented at the European Stroke Organization Conference and published in The New England Journal of Medicine.“Intravenous thrombolysis with alteplase, a recombinant tissue plasminogen activator, is the standard medical treatment for acute ischemic stroke within 4.5 hours after the onset of symptoms. In 14% to 27% of more
Antiplatelet therapy adherence dropped in era with newer P2Y12 inhibitors
May 21 ,2018
Overview:From 2008 to 2016 — after the introduction of prasugrel and ticagrelor — the percentage of patients who did not fill a prescription for a P2Y12 inhibitor within 30 days of hospital discharge after PCI increased significantly, according to an analysis of administrative claims database from a national health insurer.“Speaking from the perspective of an interventional cardiologist, these are extremely disturbing data,” study researcher Jay Giri, MD, MPH, director of peripheral intervention and assistant professor of medicine at the Hospital of the University of more
RA not a risk factor for CV mortality in ESRD
May 21 ,2018
Overview:Sunita PaudyalDESTIN, Fla. — Rheumatoid arthritis is not an independent risk factor for cardiovascular mortality in end stage renal disease, according to findings presented that the 2018 North American Young Rheumatology Investigator Forum.“There is evidence that prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and end stage renal disease (ESRD) are rising, as patients are living longer and we are managing them better,” Sunita Paudyal, MBBS, of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, told attendees. “We will see patients with both of these comorbidities present more
Aldosterone antagonists reduce mortality risk in patients with STEMI
May 21 ,2018
Overview:Aldosterone antagonist therapy offered a substantial mortality benefit in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction with left ventricular ejection fraction greater than 40% or without heart failure, according to research published in JAMA Internal Medicine.“Treatment with aldosterone antagonists is recommended and has been shown to have beneficial effects in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and left ventricular ejection fraction less than 40%,” Khagendra Dahal, MD, from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, and colleagues more
FDA designates recall of clot-removal device as Class 1
May 21 ,2018
Overview:The FDA has designated Medtronic’s product recall of a revascularization device used to treat patients with acute ischemic stroke as a Class 1 recall, the most serious kind. The recall affects 529 devices manufactured and distributed between March 18, 2016 and January 14, 2018.The delivery wire in the device (MindFrame Capture LP, Medtronic) may break or separate during use in patients with acute ischemic stroke who are either ineligible for or fail IV tissue plasminogen activator therapy, according to a MedWatch report from the FDA. This may lead to further complications such as more
FDA approves Lokelma for treatment of adults with hyperkalemia
May 21 ,2018
Overview:The FDA recently announced approval of Lokelma, formerly ZS-9, for the treatment of hyperkalemia in adults.Sean Bohen“We are pleased by today’s FDA approval of Lokelma as it enables us to help address a long-standing clinical need with a new medicine that offers rapid and sustained treatment for adults with hyperkalemia,” Sean Bohen, chief medical officer at AstraZeneca, said in a press release from the company. “The consequences of hyperkalemia can be serious and it’s reassuring for treating physicians that Lokelma has demonstrated lowering of potassium levels more
Opioid epidemic linked to increase in organ recovery
May 20 ,2018
Overview:The U.S. opioid epidemic has been associated with a sharp increase in the recovery of organs from brain-dead donors, according to a letter to the editor published in The New England Journal of Medicine.Mandeep R. Mehra, MD, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and medical director of the Heart and Vascular Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and colleagues said U.S. data indicate that survival among recipients of allografts from donors who died from drug intoxication is similar to survival among recipients from donors who died from other causes, but these data are not more
Q&A: Education campaign raises awareness about cholesterol lowering
May 19 ,2018
Overview:HHS deemed May 13-19 Women’s Health Week to help women make healthy choices for themselves and their loved ones.To coincide with Women’s Health Week, Kowa Pharmaceuticals America conducted the Take Cholesterol to Heart campaign, a national education campaign to combat high cholesterol, which affects more than 100 million Americans and is a major risk factor for heart disease.According to a press release from Kowa, Take Cholesterol to Heart encourages people to speak frankly with their doctor about their personal challenges staying on statin therapy so they can develop strategies more
At Issue: CABANA sparks debate over appropriateness of ablation in AF
May 18 ,2018
Overview:BOSTON — The results of the CABANA trial presented at the Heart Rhythm Society Annual Scientific Sessions ignited vigorous debate over whether catheter ablation is a better option than conventional drug therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation.At a median follow-up of 4 years, for the primary endpoint of death, disabling stroke, serious bleeding or cardiac arrest, the difference between patients assigned ablation and those assigned drug therapy was not significant in the intention-to-treat analysis, but favored ablation in both the on-treatment analysis and the per-protocol more
In type 2 diabetes, consider disease burden when managing blood pressure
May 18 ,2018
Overview:BOSTON — In this video exclusive, Vivian A. Fonseca, MD, FRCP, professor of medicine, chief of endocrinology and assistant dean for clinical research at Tulane University School of Medicine, discusses the challenges in managing blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes.Several years ago, the American Diabetes Association recommended treating to a systolic BP target of less than 130 mm Hg, but that goal was relaxed after findings from the ACCORD trial demonstrated an increased risk for CV events in adults with type 2 diabetes treated to a target of less than 120 mm Hg, Fonseca more
Oral anticoagulation therapy after stroke reduces risk for recurrent events in AF
May 18 ,2018
Overview:Patients with atrial fibrillation who received oral anticoagulation therapy after a stroke had reduced risk for recurrent thromboembolic events vs. those who received antiplatelet therapy or no antithrombotic therapy, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.Anna Gundlund, MD, of the cardiology department at Herlev and Gentofte Hospital in Hellerup, Denmark, and colleagues analyzed data from nationwide registries of 30,626 patients with AF who were admitted to a hospital for ischemic stroke from 2004 to January 2017. Men with a CHA2DS2-VASc score of at least 1 and women with a more
PCI public reporting programs may confer interventionalist risk aversion
May 18 ,2018
Overview:Risk-averse clinical practice patterns were seen in cardiologists in states with current PCI public reporting programs, according to a study published in JAMA Cardiology.Daniel M. Blumenthal, MD, MBA, instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, clinical associate in the division of cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate chief medical officer at Devoted Health, and colleagues conducted surveys to interventional cardiologists in Massachusetts and New York between November 2016 and February 2017. Massachusetts and New York are two of the states that require public more
Women underrepresented in clinical trials for CV drugs, devices
May 18 ,2018
Overview:Sex disparities are evident, especially in the enrollment of clinical trials and the development of medical innovations for conditions that affect women disproportionately, according to a debate organized by the FDA.“We recognize that there are meaningful differences between men and women when it comes to disease and the role that sex plays in the onset of illness and in the maintenance of health,” Scott Gottlieb, MD, commissioner of the FDA, said during the debate. “This wasn’t always the case, and years of neglect of these issues, and at times ignorance of them, have more