Cardiovascular Health

The Target: Stroke initiative reduced the time before acute ischemic stroke patients were treated with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator, leading to reduced rates of in-hospital mortality and intracranial hemorrhage.

New atrial fibrillation treatment guidelines from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology clarify the role of novel oral anticoagulants and rate/rhythm control medications.

New guidelines from the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, and Heart Rhythm Society address use of new oral anticoagulants as well as warfarin to treat atrial fibrillation.

Patients who self-monitored their international normalized ratio weekly achieved significantly better control than those who did so less frequently, but all home monitoring patients performed well, according to a new study.

New study finds that use of azithromycin and levofloxacin are associated with significantly increased risk of death and serious arrhythmia, backing up a safety warning issued by the FDA in March 2013.

Researchers find that full implementation of recently released dyslipidemia management guidelines would help prevent 475,000 additional cardiovascular events.

A new review summarizes the natural history of cardiomyopathies presenting with atrial fibrillation and the importance of managing underlying pathologies.

Research from the United Kingdom suggests that getting the influenza vaccine, especially early in the flu season, significantly reduces one's risk of stroke.

Pharmacists can learn about educating patients on the risk of stroke in atrial fibrillation, monitoring anticoagulation therapy, and participating in disease management opportunities.

The influence of mental illness on adherence among patients who should be taking warfarin is not well understood.

A recent article summarizes current knowledge and discusses challenges related to atrial fibrillation and heart failure.

A new analysis explores the characteristics of patients with permanent versus non-permanent atrial fibrillation, as well as those whose condition is controlled versus uncontrolled.

Post-myocardial infarction patients who had each of their preventive medications on hand at least 80% of the time had significantly lower rates of major vascular events or revascularization than controls.

A new study estimates the costs of treating atrial fibrillation as well as the comparative costs of treating it with warfarin and newer oral anticoagulants.

The results of a recent study identified a relationship between cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline in postmenopausal women.

Atrial fibrillation patients were more likely to suffer a stroke within the first month of initiating treatment with warfarin when compared with those not using any antithrombotic therapy, according to the results of a recent study.

According to the results of a German study published in PLOS ONE, atrial fibrillation may increase the risk for depression.

A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine finds that premature atrial contraction count may improve atrial fibrillation risk model performance.

An overview of "Get with the Guidelines " AFIB," a quality-improvement program created by the American Heart Association for health care providers.

Chris Cannon, MD, FACC, discusses 3 research papers on atrial fibrillation in this video produced by the American College of Cardiology.

Compared with previous hypertension treatment guidelines, the JNC 8 guidelines advise higher blood pressure goals and less use of several types of antihypertensive medications.

OTC case studies involving vitamin E supplementation, omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, smoking cessation, and weight-loss medication.

Nutritional supplements should never be used as a replacement for prescription antihyperlipidemic agents.

Helping patients select an appropriate blood pressure monitor and ensuring that they are comfortable using it are crucial for heart health.

Using a benefit-based approach instead of a treat-to-target approach in determining how to treat hypertension could help prevent more cardiovascular events with less medication.

A systematic review of previous studies finds no evidence of decreased cognitive function associated with statin use.

Patients at high cardiovascular risk who took aspirin at night had significantly reduced platelet reactivity compared with those who took aspirin in the morning, according to the results of a study.

Patients who took beta-blockers during non-cardiac surgery had increased risk of acute coronary syndrome, decompensated heart failure, and arrhythmia, according to the results of a study.

Newly released lipid guidelines have introduced a variety of changes in how clinicians determine whether patients should receive statins.

New guidelines from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology eliminate strict LDL cholesterol targets and include stroke risk in determining whether patients should take statins.