http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. New data from the University of Calgary's Faculty of Medicine shows that wait times for a number of heart surgeries have gone down close to 50 per cent in Alberta and British Columbia. http://phys.org/news221215169.html Medicine & Health Tue, 05 Apr 2011 09:39:45 EST news221215169 Patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery and had elevated levels of the cardiac enzymes creatine kinase or troponin in the 24 hours following surgery had an associated intermediate and long-term increased risk of death, according to a study in the February 9 issue of JAMA. http://phys.org/news216405779.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Feb 2011 16:43:23 EST news216405779 An analysis of data on more than 45,000 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery at an academic medical center over the past 30 years finds that the occurrence of stroke after CABG has declined, despite an increase in risk profiles of patients, according to a study in the January 26 issue of JAMA. http://phys.org/news215196566.html Medicine & Health Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:49:41 EST news215196566 Coronary syndromes vary in severity, ranging from unstable angina, non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), to ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the most severe diagnosis. Little data exist about changing trends in acute myocardial infarction and whether death rates are increasing or decreasing. In a study published in the January 2011 issue of The American Journal of Medicine, investigators found that STEMI rates decreased and one-year post-discharge death rates decreased in NSTEMI and STEMI patients. http://phys.org/news214057782.html Medicine & Health Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:30:19 EST news214057782 Use of a radial artery (located within the forearm, wrist and hand) graft compared with a saphenous vein (from the leg) graft for coronary artery bypass grafting did not result in improved angiographic patency (the graft being open, unobstructed) one year after the procedure, according to a study in the January 12 issue of JAMA. http://phys.org/news213985731.html Medicine & Health Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:29:11 EST news213985731 (PhysOrg.com) -- UC San Diego Health System is enrolling a small group of patients in a two-year study to examine the safety of a non-invasive cardiac shock wave procedure for patients with chest pain caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart. http://phys.org/news193504075.html Medicine & Health Wed, 19 May 2010 16:20:01 EST news193504075 A joint clinical trial conducted by the University Hospital and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, found that an element in human blood, fibrinogen, is likely more vital to the blood's clotting ability in connection with heart surgery than previously considered. If the patients also receive a dose of fibrinogen prior to the procedure, this reduces the risk of haemorrhage during and after surgery. These results may open the door to new strategies in reducing bleeding complications in cardiac surgery. http://phys.org/news192710688.html Medicine & Health Mon, 10 May 2010 11:50:28 EST news192710688 (PhysOrg.com) -- With a universal health-care law set to cover all United States citizens starting in 2013, many experts are now wondering how medical costs can be contained. http://phys.org/news191232930.html Medicine & Health Fri, 23 Apr 2010 09:50:03 EST news191232930 New UC Davis research has found that patients scheduled to undergo coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery in California were just as ill in 2003 — when public reporting of performance data for this particular surgery began — as in 2006, evidence that "report cards" did not cause doctors or hospitals to turn away sicker patients. http://phys.org/news191061014.html Medicine & Health Wed, 21 Apr 2010 09:40:01 EST news191061014 The left main coronary artery provides most of the blood to the heart, and current guidelines call for patients with blockages in this artery to undergo bypass surgery. http://phys.org/news187878859.html Medicine & Health Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:00:08 EST news187878859 The announcement of a new clinical trial, EXCEL (Evaluation of Xience Prime versus Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for Effectiveness of Left Main Revascularization), that will compare drug-eluting stents to coronary artery bypass graft surgery in patients with left main coronary artery disease, was made today at "Optimizing PCI Outcomes: Evolving Paradigms," a symposium presented by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. http://phys.org/news187764455.html Medicine & Health Sun, 14 Mar 2010 06:10:01 EST news187764455 A new method of growing arteries could lead to a "biological bypass"—or a non-invasive way to treat coronary artery disease, Yale School of Medicine researchers report with their colleagues in the April issue of Journal of Clinical Investigation. http://phys.org/news187291995.html Medicine & Health Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:33:39 EST news187291995 Researchers from the NHS in Cornwall, the Peninsula Medical School, the Agency for Health Technology Assessment in Warsaw and the University of Birmingham have analysed 12 studies relating to cardiac rehabilitation and found no difference in health outcomes for patients who receive cardiac rehabilitation in a clinical setting or at home. http://phys.org/news183186647.html Medicine & Health Wed, 20 Jan 2010 06:00:01 EST news183186647 Patients who received telephone-delivered collaborative care for treatment of depression after coronary artery bypass graft surgery reported greater improvement in measures of quality of life, physical functioning and mood than patients who received usual care, according to a study in the November 18 issue of JAMA. The study is being released early online because of its presentation at an American Heart Association scientific conference. http://phys.org/news177618963.html Medicine & Health Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:40:01 EST news177618963 Among patients undergoing cardiac surgery, post-operative stroke occurred in approximately 2 percent, was not correlated with significant carotid artery narrowing, but was more common among patients who had combined cardiac and carotid procedures, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Neurology. http://phys.org/news172166381.html Medicine & Health Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:10:03 EST news172166381 (PhysOrg.com) -- Men with angina are twice as likely to have a heart attack and almost three times as likely to suffer a heart disease-related death than women with the same condition, finds a study published on bmj.com today (August 7). http://phys.org/news168867652.html Medicine & Health Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:00:01 EST news168867652 A new study suggests that blood transfusions for hospitalized cardiac patients should be a last resort because they double the risk of infection and increase by four times the risk of death. http://phys.org/news168696993.html Medicine & Health Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:17:00 EST news168696993 A novel class of drugs composed of single strands of DNA or RNA, called aptamers, can bind protein targets with a high strength and specificity and are currently in clinical development as treatments for a broad range of common diseases, as described in a comprehensive review article published online ahead of print in Oligonucleotides, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. http://phys.org/news168696592.html Chemistry Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:10:36 EST news168696592 A study of almost 25,000 coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients has shown that receiving blood from another person is associated with a two-fold increase in post-operative infection rates. The research, published in the open access journal BMC Medicine, also found considerable hospital variation in transfusion practices. http://phys.org/news168245851.html Medicine & Health Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:58:55 EST news168245851 Health and population trends could increase demand for cardiothoracic surgeons in the United States far greater than the supply - diminishing and delaying care, according to a report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. http://phys.org/news167936202.html Medicine & Health Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:10:02 EST news167936202 cognitive behavior therapy and supportive stress management—appear more effective than usual care for treating depression after coronary artery bypass surgery, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. http://phys.org/news158254628.html Medicine & Health Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:37:27 EST news158254628 (PhysOrg.com) -- Statins, used widely to treat elevated cholesterol, have been shown to prevent progression of coronary narrowing and to have other beneficial effects on the heart, such as reducing inflammation, that are independent of cholesterol. http://phys.org/news154630899.html Medicine & Health Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:02:11 EST news154630899 States that dropped regulations overseeing the performance of two common heart procedures showed no increase in death rates, according to researchers at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), Rice University and Duke University Medical Center. The findings are available online in the journal Health Services Research. http://phys.org/news152279091.html Medicine & Health Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:45:18 EST news152279091