Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Cardiology for February 2017. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Strategies Suggested to Protect Practices From Hackers
TUESDAY, Feb. 28, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Steps should be taken to protect medical practices, including small practices, from hackers, according to a report published in Medical Economics.
Physician Burnout Eroding Sense of Calling
TUESDAY, Feb. 28, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For physicians across specialties, burnout is associated with reduced odds of a sense of calling, according to a study published online Feb. 8 in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
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Higher Dietary Potassium to Sodium Ratio Can Lower CVD Risk
TUESDAY, Feb. 28, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Higher dietary potassium seems to be associated with reduced blood pressure, regardless of sodium intake, with the postulated mechanism involving the distal tubule sodium chloride cotransporter (NCC), according to research published online Feb. 7 in the American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Differences in Arrhythmic Risk in Nocturnal, Daytime Hypoglycemia
TUESDAY, Feb. 28, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For young adults with type 1 diabetes, there are differences in arrhythmic risk and cardiac repolarization during nocturnal versus daytime hypoglycemia, according to a study published online Feb. 17 in Diabetes Care.
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Doctors Need to Discuss Herbal Medication Use With CVD Patients
TUESDAY, Feb. 28, 2017 (HealthDay News) — While there’s little evidence that herbal medications are safe or effective to treat cardiovascular conditions, they remain popular among patients with cardiovascular disease, according to a review published in the March 7 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Use of Appropriate Use Criteria for Imaging Set to Increase
TUESDAY, Feb. 28, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Use of appropriate use criteria (AUC) is likely to increase with the anticipated implementation of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA), according to an ideas and opinions piece published online Feb. 28 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Sugar-Sweetened Drink Tax Tied to Sustained Drop in Purchase
MONDAY, Feb. 27, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Implementation of a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with a sustained reduction in purchases of taxed beverages, according to a study published online Feb. 22 in Health Affairs.
Supreme Court Rules Patient Safety Data Subject to Litigation
MONDAY, Feb. 27, 2017 (HealthDay News) — The Supreme Court of Florida has reversed a District Court of Appeal decision deeming information related to patient safety unprotected from litigation discovery, according to a report published from the American Medical Association.
USPSTF Recommendation for Overweight, Obese Cost-Effective
MONDAY, Feb. 27, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Implementing the 2014 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations for behavioral counseling is likely to be cost-effective for overweight and obese adults, according to research published online Feb. 17 in Diabetes Care.
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$20 Million Awarded for Quality Payment Program Training
FRIDAY, Feb. 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) — About $20 million has been awarded to 11 organizations for the first of a five-year program to provide training and education about the Quality Payment Program for clinicians in individual or small group practices, with up to $80 million to be invested over the remaining four years, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
DPP-4i Treatment Doesn’t Up MI, Stroke Risk in Seniors
FRIDAY, Feb. 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For older U.S. Medicare beneficiaries, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) treatment is not associated with increased cardiovascular (CV) risk relative to sulfonylureas (SU) and thiazolidinediones (TZD), according to a study published online Feb. 14 in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
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Central Adiposity More Harmful Than Obesity in Older Women
FRIDAY, Feb. 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Among women 70 to 79, being overweight or obese doesn’t appear to shorten life span — unless the weight is centered around the waist; however, being underweight does appear to shorten life span, according to a study published online Feb. 23 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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10 Portions of Produce a Day Can Confer Great Health Benefit
FRIDAY, Feb. 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Ten daily servings of fruits and vegetables may be a key to reducing the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, cancer, and premature death, according to a review published online Feb. 22 in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
Transradial Intervention, Same-Day Discharge Cost Saving in PCI
FRIDAY, Feb. 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For Medicare beneficiaries undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), transradial intervention (TRI) with same-day discharge (SDD) is associated with lower costs, according to a study published in the Feb. 27 issue of JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.
Cytomegalovirus May Up Risk of Diabetes, CVD in Some Women
THURSDAY, Feb. 23, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection may make some women more susceptible to both cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, according to research published online Feb. 23 in Obesity.
Cyberattacks Remain Serious Threat to Health Providers
THURSDAY, Feb. 23, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Cyberattacks remain a serious threat to small providers as well as big institutions, according to a report published in Medical Economics.
Stratification Tool IDs Who Will Benefit From Adding Ezetimibe
THURSDAY, Feb. 23, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients stabilized after acute coronary syndrome (ACS), a nine-point risk stratification tool can identify patients who will derive benefit from the addition of ezetimibe to statin therapy, according to a study published in the Feb. 28 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
MRI Can Be Safe for Patients With Older Pacemakers, ICDs
THURSDAY, Feb. 23, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices not designed to be magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-compatible can safely receive MRI, when a specific protocol is followed, according to a study published in the Feb. 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Adiponectin Tied to Increased CV Risk in T2DM, Acute Coronary Sx
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with type 2 diabetes and acute coronary syndrome (ACS), adiponectin concentration is associated with increased risk of certain cardiovascular (CV) outcomes, according to a study published online Feb. 14 in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
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Health Information Theft a Pressing Concern for U.S. Patients
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Forty-four percent of U.S. adults are worried about having their personal health care information stolen, according to findings from the Xerox eHealth Survey published Feb. 9 in HIT Consultant.
Anaortic Off-Pump CABG Tied to Reduced Risk of Post-Op Stroke
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Anaortic off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (anOPCABG) is associated with reduced risk of postoperative stroke compared with other CABG techniques, according to a meta-analysis published in the Feb. 28 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Trials Highlight Benefits, Risks of Testosterone Treatment
TUESDAY, Feb. 21, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Testosterone treatment can boost bone density and reduce anemia in older men with low levels of the hormone, but it might also increase the risk of future adverse cardiovascular events, a new set of trials suggests. The research was published Feb. 21 in either the Journal of the American Medical Association or JAMA Internal Medicine.
Abstract/Full Text – Anemia Trial
Abstract/Full Text – Bone Trial
Abstract/Full Text – Cardiovascular Trial
Abstract/Full Text – Cognition Trial
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Abstract/Full Text – Cardiovascular Study
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CMS Rule Set to Stabilize Small Health Insurance Markets
TUESDAY, Feb. 21, 2017 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a rule in relation to new reforms intended to stabilize individual and small group health insurance markets for 2018.
Readmission Common After Hospitalization for Heart Failure
TUESDAY, Feb. 21, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with hospitalization for heart failure, readmission within 30 days is common, according to a study published in the March 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
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Furosemide + Matched Hydration Cuts Contrast-Induced AKI
TUESDAY, Feb. 21, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For high-risk patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention or transcatheter aortic valve replacement, furosemide with matched hydration via the RenalGuard system may reduce the incidence of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI), according to a meta-analysis published in the Feb. 27 issue of JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.
ICU Appears Overused for Some Patients With Heart, Lung Disease
MONDAY, Feb. 20, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) is not associated with a survival benefit for patients with uncertain ICU needs hospitalized with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), exacerbation of heart failure, or acute myocardial infarction (AMI), according to a study published online Feb. 17 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
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Health Care Spending Expected to Grow 5.6% Annually to 2025
THURSDAY, Feb. 16, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Health care spending is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 5.6 percent from 2016 to 2025, according to a report published online Feb. 15 in Health Affairs.
Direct Admission to PCI Center Reduces Mortality in STEMI
THURSDAY, Feb. 16, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), direct admission to a primary PCI center is associated with lower 12-month mortality, according to a study published online Feb. 15 in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.
PR Interval Prognostic of Cardiac Resynchronization Tx Outcome
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 15, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with advanced systolic heart failure, the impact of cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillation (CRT-D) varies according to PR interval, according to research published in the February issue of the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology.
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Health Care Utilization Common After ICD Shock Events
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 15, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Health care utilization (HCU) is common after appropriate and inappropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator shock events, according to a study published online Feb. 14 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
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Similar Adverse Event Risk for Typical, Atypical Antipsychotics
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 15, 2017 (HealthDay News) — The risks of adverse events are similar with short-term use of typical and atypical antipsychotic medications (APMs) after cardiac surgery in seniors, according to a study published online Feb. 10 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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AHA: CVD Expected to Cost U.S. $1.1 Trillion Per Year by 2035
TUESDAY, Feb. 14, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is increasing in the United States, with costs expected to double from $555 billion in 2016 to $1.1 trillion in 2035, a new American Heart Association report estimates.
NOACs Have Been Widely Adopted Into Practice
TUESDAY, Feb. 14, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have been adopted into practice and are more frequently prescribed than vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) in the Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation trial, according to research published in the Feb. 21 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Cholesterol Lowering Rx Cuts Recurrence in Breast Cancer
TUESDAY, Feb. 14, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For women with early-stage, hormone receptor-positive invasive breast cancer, initiation of cholesterol-lowering medication (CLM) during endocrine therapy is associated with improved survival and distant recurrence-free intervals, according to research published online Feb. 13 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Similar Metabolic Response to Animal, Plant Protein Diets
MONDAY, Feb. 13, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), isocaloric diets high in animal protein (AP) or plant protein (PP) are associated with similar improvements in metabolism and cardiovascular risk factors, according to a study published online Feb. 9 in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
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Rx Adherence Reminders No More Effective at ‘Fresh Start’ Dates
FRIDAY, Feb. 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Sending medication adherence reminders following fresh-start dates (life and calendar events indicating the start of new cycles) is not effective for increasing medication adherence, according to a research letter published online Feb. 8 in JAMA Cardiology.
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Peroxide Ingestion As ‘Cleansing Agent’ Can Be Fatal
FRIDAY, Feb. 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Ingesting high-concentration hydrogen peroxide as a “natural cure” or cleansing agent is a dangerous practice that is associated with a high incidence of embolic events, according to a study published recently in Annals of Emergency Medicine.
Any Coronary Artery Calcium in Early Adulthood Ups CV Risk
THURSDAY, Feb. 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Coronary artery calcium (CAC) is associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) among younger adults, according to a study published online Feb. 8 in JAMA Cardiology.
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Renal Transplant Recipients Often Admitted With Acute MI
THURSDAY, Feb. 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Renal transplant recipients (RTRs) are often admitted with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), according to a study published in the Feb. 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
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Rat Study Shows Gut Dysbiosis Impacts Systolic Blood Pressure
THURSDAY, Feb. 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Gut dysbiosis seems to affect systolic blood pressure (SBP) in a rat model, according to an experimental study published recently in Physiological Genomics.
PCI Viable Alternative to CABG for Left Main Coronary Artery Disease
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with left main (LM) coronary artery disease, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is an alternative to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), according to a study published in the Feb. 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
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HbA1c Tied to Progression of Aortic Stiffness Without Diabetes
TUESDAY, Feb. 7, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For individuals without diabetes, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is associated with accelerated progression of aortic stiffness, according to a study published online Jan. 25 in Diabetes Care.
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Many Obese Patients Not Getting Optimal Hospice Care
TUESDAY, Feb. 7, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Obese patients are less likely to spend their last days in hospice care and less likely to die at home, according to a study published online Feb. 7 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Hospitalizations for Atrial Fibrillation on the Rise
MONDAY, Feb. 6, 2017 (HealthDay News) — U.S. patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are being hospitalized more often than before, according to a study published online Feb. 1 in Circulation.
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Mortality Down for U.S. Patients Treated by International Doctors
MONDAY, Feb. 6, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Mortality rates are lower for older Americans treated by doctors trained in other countries than by those who went to a U.S. medical school, according to research published online Feb. 3 in The BMJ.
Daily Energy Expenditure Linked to Health Care Utilization
MONDAY, Feb. 6, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Lower intensity of peak daily energy expenditure estimated from ambulatory electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring is associated with increased health care utilization, according to a study published in the Feb. 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
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Skin Sodium Content Linked to Left Ventricular Mass in CKD
FRIDAY, Feb. 3, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), skin sodium content is associated with left ventricular mass, according to a study published online Feb. 2 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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One in Five Undergoing Telemetry for Noncardiac Indications
FRIDAY, Feb. 3, 2017 (HealthDay News) — More than 20 percent of patients undergoing telemetry have noncardiac indications, according to a study published online Jan. 27 in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.
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High TG, Low HDL-C Levels May Help Further Stratify CHD Risk
FRIDAY, Feb. 3, 2017 (HealthDay News) — A high fasting triglyceride (TG) level combined with a low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level is associated with increased risks of incident coronary heart disease (CHD) and ischemic stroke, especially for patients with diabetes or a low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level of ≥130 mg/dL, independent of other atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk factors, according to a study published online Jan. 25 in Diabetes Care.
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Centrifugal-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device Noninferior
THURSDAY, Feb. 2, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with advanced heart failure, a newer-design centrifugal-flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is noninferior to an axial-flow LVAD, according to a study published in the Feb. 2 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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High CVD Risk in Patients With Head, Neck Squamous Cell Cancer
THURSDAY, Feb. 2, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Twenty-three percent of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have cardiovascular disease (CVD) at diagnosis, and 24 percent have uncontrolled blood pressure, according to research published online Dec. 29 in Head & Neck.
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PTSD Risk Up in Parents of Kids With Critical Heart Defects
THURSDAY, Feb. 2, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Parents of children born with critical congenital heart defects may be at high risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health problems, according to research published online Feb. 1 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
TGF-β1 Linked to Recurrent A-Fib After Catheter Ablation
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is associated with recurrence after catheter ablation, according to a study published online Jan. 27 in the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology.
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E-Cigarettes Found to Have Adverse Effect on Heart Health
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1, 2017 (HealthDay News) — People who use electronic cigarettes regularly may face an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, according to a study published online Feb. 1 in JAMA Cardiology.
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Paracardial Fat Linked to Risk of CAC in Postmenopausal Women
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Paracardial adipose tissue may be a sign of developing cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women, according to a study published online Jan. 30 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Benefits for Intensive BP Lowering in Older HTN Patients
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For older patients with hypertension, intensive blood pressure (BP) lowering strategies are associated with reduced risk of certain cardiovascular events, according to research published in the Feb. 7 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
HbA1c, Waist-to-Height Ratio Predict Dyslipidemia in T1DM
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For youth with type 1 diabetes, hemoglobin A1c (A1C) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) are modifiable risk factors that predict change in dyslipidemia, according to a study published online Jan. 26 in Diabetes Care.
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Obese Who Self-Stigmatize May Have Higher Cardiometabolic Risk
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Attempts to shame an overweight or obese person into losing weight won’t motivate them to do so, and may even raise their risk for cardiovascular disease and other health problems, according to research published online Jan. 30 in Obesity.
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