Sudden Death Declining in Heart Failure

–Does the trend mean that ICDs are indicated less often? The incidence of sudden death in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction, in clinical trials, has declined significantly in the last 20 years, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that may impact inclination to recommend implantable cardioverter-defibrillators…

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Major Shift As Deaths From Cancer Overtake CV Disease In Western Europe

–In 12 high-income countries cancer is now a bigger cause of death than cardiovascular disease. In Europe as in the rest of the world cardiovascular (CV) disease remains the number one cause of death. But in 12 western European countries cancer now kills more people than CV disease. The finding, which likely presages a major…

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Get A Grip! Global Study Shows Grip Strength Is a Simple And Powerful Predictor Of Death

A large global study finds that grip strength is a simple, powerful, and broadly applicable test that can help predict the risk of death and cardiovascular disease. The new findings from the Prospective Urban-Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study were based on data from nearly 140,000 adults in 17 countries. The study participants had their grip strength…

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Global Cardiovascular Deaths Continue To Rise Despite Gains In Prevention And Treatment

Improvements in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease haven’t been able to prevent a worldwide rise in cardiovascular deaths in a growing and aging population, according to the authors of a paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Using mortality data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 the authors set out to “disentangle” the…

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Hypertension And Smoking Top List Of Global Risk Factors

Worldwide, hypertension and tobacco smoking are the single largest causes of death and disability, according to findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 (GBD 2010), the largest ever assessment and analysis of global health and disease. In an unprecedented move, the Lancet devoted an entire issue to the study, including seven separate articles and eight comments….

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State Of The Heart: AHA Publishes Year-End Statistical Update

Although deaths from cardiovascular disease have been declining for many years, continued progress is threatened by disturbing trends in US lifestyles. That’s the clear message from the American Heart Association’s year-end report, “Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update 2013,” published in Circulation. “Americans need to move a lot more, eat healthier and less, and manage risk…

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PCI Utilization Lower In States With Public Reporting Of Outcomes

In patients with acute MI, utilization of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is lower in states that publicly report outcomes data, according to a new study published in JAMA. Despite the difference in utilization, however, there was no difference in mortality between reporting and nonreporting states. Karen Joynt and colleagues used Medicare data to analyze PCI utilization and mortality…

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