By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS People who had heart transplants as children have an increasing risk of kidney failure over time, researchers found when they connected databases that separately tracked the two conditions in thousands of people. The study findings showed kidney failure was more extensive than previously thought, said […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — A next-generation heart pump outperformed an older version in advanced heart failure patients, early results from a new study found. The pumps, called left ventricular assist devices, or LVADs, take on the function of pumping blood to the body. For some of […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — People with a type of heart failure for which there are no treatments saw their symptoms improve using a heart device to improve blood flow to the body, a new study suggests. About half of heart failure patients have a type called […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — Eating a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent high blood pressure in healthy young adults, new research suggests. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fats, mostly found in fish and some types of plant oils. Researchers measured blood pressure and the […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS – Good news for some people who get their blood pressure checked at the YMCA: A doctor will see you soon. All across the country, many people already take part in the Y’s Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring Program. In 10 underserved communities, the American […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — Prices for generic drugs to treat heart failure can vary so widely that uninsured patients may not be able to afford them, a new study suggests. Researchers surveyed 175 pharmacies in the greater St. Louis area encompassing eastern Missouri and neighboring Illinois […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — Popular heartburn medication may increase the risk of ischemic stroke. The stroke risk appears to be greatest with the highest dose of the proton pump inhibitors, known as PPIs. “PPIs have been associated with unhealthy vascular function, including heart attacks, kidney disease […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — Most Americans consume double the recommended amount of sodium but only half of recommended potassium. In a study presented at American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions, researchers studied 827 U.S. adults ages 20 to 69, analyzing 24-hour urine samples taken as part of the […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — Yo-yo dieting — repeatedly losing and regaining weight — increased the risk of dying from heart disease among postmenopausal women who started out at a normal weight in a new study. “Weight cycling is an emerging global health concern associated with attempts of weight loss, but […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — Moderate drinking was associated with slower declines in high-density lipoprotein, or good cholesterol, over time, according to a preliminary study presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2016. Researchers followed alcohol consumption and HDL levels for more than six years in […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — Most smartphone applications claiming to improve consumers’ diet, nutrition or eating habits are not compliant with evidence-based scientific guidelines, according to a preliminary study. Researchers studied whether 32 health and fitness applications featured on Google Play and the iTunes application store adhered […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS – One of the first studies in the $75 million research project seeking to wipe out coronary heart disease will target perhaps the most basic human experience: Eating. While generations of scientists have studied how the food people eat changes their bodies, it’s […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — A difficult childhood may be associated with a risk of poor blood pressure regulation. Fluctuations in blood pressure readings have been associated in some studies to elevated risk of cardiovascular disease and complications from hypertension. Researchers at the Augusta University Medical College of […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — Elderly smokers who were discharged from the hospital after having a heart attack rarely filled prescriptions for medications that might help them quit smoking. That was despite being counseled about the need to quit during their hospital stay. According to a preliminary […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — Disruptions in sleep may be raising your risks of an irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2016. Obstructive sleep apnea, sleep interrupted by pauses in breathing, is a known risk […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — Bariatric surgery and other treatments that cause substantial weight loss can significantly reduce the risk of heart failure in obese patients, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2016. Researchers compared 25,804 bariatric surgery patients in a […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — Smoking 20 or more cigarettes a day increases the risk of diabetes among black people, according to a preliminary study presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2016. Researchers studied nearly 3,000 black participants in the Jackson Heart study, who reported […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — Women over 50 who follow a high-protein diet could be at higher risk for heart failure, especially if much of their protein comes from meat, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2016. Researchers evaluated the self-reported daily […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — The experimental drug ularitide over the long term did not improve survival or lessen the damaging effects of acute heart failure, found a study presented Sunday at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions. Ularitide is a synthetic form of a natriuretic peptide, […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — A study doctors had hoped would provide some clear answers about which of the most common pain relievers was safest for people with or at high risk for cardiovascular disease has instead left experts puzzled about how to interpret the results. The […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — Researchers, healthcare providers and patients all must recognize that sharing information is key to the future of medicine, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf said Sunday. Califf, speaking during the annual Lewis A. Conner Memorial Lecture during the […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS – There’s a new, secure website where people can share their health data with researchers looking for new ways to treat and erase heart diseases and stroke. The American Heart Association announced Sunday the launch of My Research Legacy, a network being built […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS – Researchers and clinicians in the growing field of customizing heart disease and stroke treatments for each patient will soon join together to access and analyze more of what they need most – massive amounts of information. The American Heart Association and Amazon […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — A new study shows that using medications to lower blood pressure and cholesterol does not slow cognitive decline — disappointing news for millions of aging Americans eager to stave off thinking and memory problems. But what didn’t help cognition also didn’t hurt […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — Much of the current trials in resuscitation and trauma care are based on observation rather than randomized controlled trials. That needs to change, according to the winners of the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Awards in Resuscitation Science. “We have dozens of interventions on […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — Babies born vaginally – or those born by cesarean but exposed to their mother’s vaginal microbiota – have less risk of obesity later in life, a new study released Sunday suggests. The research analyzed data on 1,441 full-term deliveries from the Boston […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS – Over his first 25 years in cardiology research, American Heart Association President Steven Houser contributed to the science that showed that the cardiac muscle cells able to survive a heart attack become weakened and so worn out that heart failure sets in. […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — A new study indicates that educating the public about the health impact of sugar-sweetened beverages can lead to dramatic changes in customers’ buying habits. Policy changes, coupled with community education efforts, led to a decline of nearly 20 percent of sales in […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — More than a third of advanced heart failure patients treated with a combination of an artificial heart assist device, called a left ventricular assist device and intensive drug therapy have recovered their heart function enough to allow removal of the device. The preliminary […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — People who taste bitterness in food strongly are nearly twice as likely to eat more than the minimum recommended daily limit of sodium, according to preliminary research presented Sunday. The study analyzed data of 407 people in rural Kentucky who have two […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — All people with peripheral artery disease in their legs should take statins and blood thinners to reduce their risk of dying from heart attacks and strokes, according to treatment guidelines published Sunday by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology. […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — A new training model improved CPR skills in a clinical setting, according to research presented during the Resuscitation Science Symposium at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2016. Currently, hospital staff are only required to undergo formal CPR training every two years. […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — Children benefit more from conventional CPR that includes rescue breath, but black and Hispanic children are more likely to receive the compressions-only method, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2016. Using a large national registry in the United States, […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS – Since guidelines have endorsed the use of compression-only or Hands-Only CPR by people not trained or unwilling to provide rescue breaths during resuscitation attempts, Swedish bystanders are trying to help at a far greater rate. Using a national registry in Sweden of […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS NEW ORLEANS — CPR increases the chance of survival after sudden cardiac arrest, yet knowledge of this lifesaving procedure is low in many communities, especially among older adults, according to studies presented during the Resuscitation Science Symposium at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2016. In […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS Annabelle Santos Volgman, a Chicago cardiologist, has a suggestion for her male colleagues on Wear Red Day at the upcoming American Heart Association Scientific Sessions conference in New Orleans. “Some of the men wear red sneakers or red jackets,” she said. “I think they should […]

By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS Thousands of healthcare providers and scientists are gathering to explore the latest research in heart disease and related health problems during the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions — widely considered the premier U.S. cardiovascular science conference. Renowned experts in cardiovascular disease – the leading cause […]