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New issue of CVIA: Special focus on electrophysiology

The new journal Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications (CVIA) has just published its second issue, with a special focus on Electrophysiology. CVIA is the official journal of the Great Wall International Congress of Cardiology (GW-ICC) and its first issue was published in October 2015 to coincide with the 26th GW-ICC in Beijing, China.

The CVIA Special Issue on Electrophysiology has been Guest Edited by Dr. Jamie B. Conti of the University of Florida and brings together contributions from leading cardiologists from the United States and China.

Life-threatening bowel ischemia can often be treated by balloon angioplasty

Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) can be successfully treated with endovascular therapy such as balloon angioplasty, according to research from the University of Eastern Finland. The study also found that AMI is a more common cause of abdominal pain among the elderly than generally thought; however, it is difficult to diagnose before bowel damage develops.

Voting restrictions stir anger, mobilize more Democrats to polls

ANN ARBOR -- In recent years, many states have passed laws that make it more difficult for people to register and vote.

But while these laws may be disenfranchising some minority voters -- many of whom support the Democratic Party -- they also may be having the unintended consequence of angering many voters, mobilizing them to go to the polls and cast their ballot, according to a new University of Michigan study.

This effect may explain why, to date, there has been no evidence of turnout declines in states with these new laws.

Colorado visitors using marijuana more likely to end up in emergency room

Emergency department visits involving cannabis use are increasing among out-of-state visitors
Adverse side effects of cannabis include anxiety, hallucinations, palpitations and vomiting
Other states with legal marijuana could face similar problems

CHICAGO --- Out-of-towners using marijuana in Colorado -- which has legally allowed sales of the drug in retail dispensaries since 2014 -- are ending up in the emergency room at an increasing rate, reports a new study from Northwestern Medicine and the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Study shows financial engineering could make life-saving drugs more available, affordable

Stratospheric costs for therapies not yet covered by insurance put some drugs out of reach for many patients
Securitized consumer healthcare loans could spread the cost of therapies over many years
More patients could have access to drugs while generating returns to investors

How does COPD care by physicians compare with nurse practitioners/physician assistants?

Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston investigated differences in care given to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients by medical doctors compared with nurse practitioners and physician assistants. This study is currently available in the journal, PLOS ONE.

The United States is experiencing a shortage of primary care physicians; stemming from growth in the population of older adults, increased rates of chronic diseases and an additional 13 million newly insured patients needing medical services under the Affordable Care Act.

Ketamine for the difficult-to-sedate ER patient

WASHINGTON --For the small segment of the emergency population whose acute behavioral disturbance does not respond to traditional sedation, ketamine appears to be effective and safe, according to an Australian study published online last Thursday in Annals of Emergency Medicine ("Ketamine for Difficult to Sedate Severe Acute Behavioral Disturbance in the Emergency Department").

Monitoring & support help patients and primary care physicians dealing with chronic pain

BOSTON, MA - Within the past 10 years, the prescription of opioids for the treatment of chronic pain has increased and the abuse of opioid medications leading to addiction has been described as epidemic. Primary care practitioners (PCPs) are increasingly concerned regarding the misuse of opioid medications, and many PCPs have little training in the area of pain management.

How to tackle the Zika virus

Health officials, drug companies, governments and the public are scrambling to understand and combat the Zika virus. The virus was first identified almost 70 years ago, but little is known about it. And now, officials suspect it could be related to a rise in microcephaly cases in affected countries. An article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, details the scientific challenges ahead.

Quality of care for in-hospital cardiac arrest varies among US hospitals

Adherence to recommended care following an in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) varies significantly among U.S. hospitals, and patients treated at hospitals with greater adherence to these recommendations have higher survival rates, according to a study published online by JAMA Cardiology.

Cardiovascular disease risk prediction models appear to work well in black adults

Although cardiovascular disease risk prediction models are developed with predominantly white populations, application of models to a large black population finds that they work well in black individuals and are not easily improved on, suggesting that a unique risk calculator for black adults may not be necessary, according to a study published online by JAMA Cardiology.

Quality of care for in-hospital cardiac arrest varies among US hospitals

Adherence to recommended care following an in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) varies significantly among U.S. hospitals, and patients treated at hospitals with greater adherence to these recommendations have higher survival rates, according to a study published online by JAMA Cardiology.

Cardiovascular disease risk prediction models appear to work well in black adults

Although cardiovascular disease risk prediction models are developed with predominantly white populations, application of models to a large black population finds that they work well in black individuals and are not easily improved on, suggesting that a unique risk calculator for black adults may not be necessary, according to a study published online by JAMA Cardiology.

UT Dallas study: NCAA athletes need more coaching on academics and career options

NCAA athletes need more coaching on the long odds of playing professionally and the importance of academics to their future success.

That was the bottom line of a new UT Dallas study that analyzed surveys of 19,000 male and female student-athletes at more than 1,100 colleges and universities in all three NCAA divisions to determine how various factors impacted their academic performance. The study, by two School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences (EPPS) faculty members, was published in the journal Social Science Quarterly.

Cardiologists use 3-D printing to personalize treatment for heart disease

University of Melbourne doctors and engineers are using supercomputers to create 3D models from patients with heart disease, with photos from a camera thinner than a human hair.

The images, gathered during a routine angiogram, are fed into a supercomputer. Within 24 hours, a model of a person's artery is 3D printed. This gives cardiologists crucial information about the behaviour of blood flow and the precise structure of the artery from the inside.