PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Updated AHA/ACCF guidelines for unstable angina include newest blood-thinning drug

American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation focused update

2012-07-17
(Press-News.org) Ticagrelor, a blood-thinning drug approved by the FDA in 2011, should be considered along with older blood thinners clopidogrel and prasugrel for treating patients who are experiencing chest pain or some heart attacks, according to joint updated guidelines issued by the American Heart Association (AHA) Task Force on Practice Guidelines and the American College of Cardiology (ACCF) Foundation.

The "focused update" on unstable angina (chest pain) or a specific kind of heart attack known as non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) is published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The panel continues to recommend that all patients receive aspirin immediately after hospitalization, continuing as long as it is tolerated. Among the other new recommendations: Patients unable to take aspirin may receive prasugrel for artery-opening procedures since research on the medication is restricted to those patients. Ticagrelor or clopidogrel may be given whether patients receive medical therapy alone or are also having an invasive procedure; Patients undergoing invasive procedures should receive both aspirin and another antiplatelet medication; Patients undergoing medical treatment only should receive aspirin indefinitely and clopidogrel or ticagrelor for up to or at least 12 months.

The AHA and ACCF issue focused updates when pivotal new data are reported that may affect changes to current recommendations and meet specific criteria. One year after the last update, the biggest change is the recommendation to consider ticagrelor as a treatment option in addition to clopidogrel and prasugrel. The panel's report highlights both the benefits (anti-clotting action) and risks (bleeding) of the new drug.

"We have put it on equal footing with two other antiplatelet medications, clopidogrel and prasugrel," said Hani Jneid, M.D., lead author of the update and an assistant professor of medicine and director of interventional cardiology research at Baylor College of Medicine, and an interventional cardiologist at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston.

Unstable angina occurs when the heart muscle doesn't get enough blood flow and oxygen because a coronary artery is partially blocked. In NSTEMI, there are also abnormal heart enzymes, indicating that some damage to heart muscle is already occurring.

"These conditions are very common and carry a high risk of death and recurrent heart attacks," Jneid said. "The AHA and ACCF constantly update their guidelines so that physicians can provide patients with the most appropriate, aggressive therapy with the goal of improving health and survival." To continue to improve the treatment of these important conditions, the panel encourages clinicians and hospitals to participate in a quality of care data registry designed to track and measure outcomes, complications and adherence to evidence-based recommendations.

"While this focused update of the guidelines provides important guidance to clinicians, our recommendations are not substitutes for a physician's own clinical judgments and the tailoring of therapy based on individual variability and a patient's presentation and clinical diagnosis," Jneid said.

INFORMATION:

Visit the American Heart Association's website for information on the signs and symptoms of a heart attack; heart attack; unstable angina; anticoagulants and antiplatets and aspirin.

Co-authors are Jeffrey L. Anderson, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.H.A.,; R. Scott Wright, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.H.A.; Cynthia D. Adams, R.N., Ph.D., F.A.H.A.; Charles R. Bridges, M.D., Sc.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.H.A.; Donald E. Casey, Jr, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., F.A.C.P., F.A.H.A.: Steven M. Ettinger, M.D., F.A.C.C.; Francis M. Fesmire, M.D., F.A.C.E.P.; Theodore G. Ganiats, M.D.; A. Michael Lincoff, M.D., F.A.C.C.; Eric D. Peterson, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.C., F.A.H.A.; George J. Philippides, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.H.A.; Pierre Theroux, M.D., .FA.C.C., F.A.H.A.; Nanette K. Wenger, M.D., M.A.C.C., F.A.H.A.; and James Patrick Zidar, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association receives funding mostly from individuals. Foundations and corporations donate as well, and fund specific programs and events. Strict policies are enforced to prevent these relationships from influencing the association's science content. Financial information for the American Heart Association, including a list of contributions from pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers, is available at www.heart.org/corporatefunding.

The American College of Cardiology is transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health through continuous quality improvement, patient-centered care, payment innovation and professionalism. The College is a 40,000-member nonprofit medical society comprised of physicians, surgeons, nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists and practice managers, and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet its stringent qualifications. The College is a leader in the formulation of health policy, standards and guidelines, and is a staunch supporter of cardiovascular research. The ACC provides professional education and operates national registries for the measurement and improvement of quality care. More information about the association is available online at www.cardiosource.org/ACC.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Frail, older adults with high blood pressure may have lower risk of mortality

2012-07-17
CORVALLIS, Ore. – A new study suggests that higher blood pressure is associated with lower mortality in extremely frail, elderly adults. The study, published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association's (JAMA) Archives of Internal Medicine, looked at a nationally representative group of 2,340 adults ages 65 and older. The researchers found that lower blood pressure protected healthier, robust older adults but the same may not be true for their more frail counterparts. Lead author Michelle Odden, a public health epidemiologist at Oregon State University, ...

Study examines patient experience at safety-net hospitals

2012-07-17
CHICAGO – A study suggests that safety-net hospitals (SNHs), which typically care for poor patients, performed more poorly than other hospitals on nearly every measure of patient experience and that could have financial consequences as hospital payments are connected to performance, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication. Value-based purchasing (VBP), a program run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), now ties part of each hospital's payments to its performance on a set of quality measures. ...

Gold nanoparticles could treat prostate cancer with fewer side effects than chemotherapy

2012-07-17
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Currently, large doses of chemotherapy are required when treating certain forms of cancer, resulting in toxic side effects. The chemicals enter the body and work to destroy or shrink the tumor, but also harm vital organs and drastically affect bodily functions. Now, University of Missouri scientists have found a more efficient way of targeting prostate tumors by using gold nanoparticles and a compound found in tea leaves. This new treatment would require doses that are thousands of times smaller than chemotherapy and do not travel through the body inflicting ...

Pioneering self-contained 'smart village' offers world model for rural poverty relief

2012-07-17
An innovative, high-tech "smart village" built in Malaysia provides a potential global template for addressing rural poverty in a sustainable environment, say international experts meeting in California's Silicon Valley. Rimbunan Kaseh, a model community built north-east of Kuala Lumpur, consists of 100 affordable homes, high-tech educational, training and recreational facilities, and a creative, closed-loop agricultural system designed to provide both food and supplementary income for villagers. Malaysian Dato' Tan Say Jim detailed the project Monday at a special meeting ...

Study examines health-care expenditures after bariatric surgery

2012-07-17
CHICAGO – A study suggests bariatric surgery to treat obesity was not associated with reduced health care expenditures three years after the procedure in a group of predominantly older men, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Surgery, a JAMA Network publication. Bariatric surgery is the most effective way to induce weight loss in the severely obese. As demand for the procedure has increased, the numbers of nonwhite, older and male patients with a greater prevalence of obesity-related diseases have increased, although the related health care expenditure ...

Study suggests racial disparities may exist in larynx preservation therapy for cancer

2012-07-17
CHICAGO – A study of laryngeal (voice box) cancers suggests that racial disparities may exist with black patients less likely to undergo larynx preservation than white patients, according to a report published by Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, a JAMA Network publication. Annually about 12,000 cases of laryngeal cancer are diagnosed in the United States, and the standard of care historically has been total laryngectomy (removal of the voice box) followed by radiation for locally advanced cancer. However, studies have now resulted in widespread acceptance ...

Study finds increases in restrictions on indoor tanning in several countries

2012-07-17
CHICAGO – Restrictions on indoor tanning, which studies suggest is linked to skin cancer, appear to have increased in several countries since 2003, according to a study published Online First by Archives of Dermatology, a JAMA Network publication. The number of countries with nationwide indoor tanning legislation restricting young people 18 years or younger increased from two countries (France and Brazil) in 2003 to 11 countries in 2011. The 11 countries were France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Belgium, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Brazil, according ...

New study reveals racial disparities in voice box-preserving cancer treatment

2012-07-17
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) —A new epidemiological study led by UC Davis researchers reveals significant racial disparities in the use of non-surgical larynx-preservation therapy for locally advanced laryngeal cancer. A review of medical records between 1991 and 2008 from across the country reveals that over 80 percent of white patients received radiation treatment combined with chemotherapy that preserves the larynx, or voice box. Only 74.5 percent of African American patients received this same treatment, with the remainder undergoing surgery that removed the larynx altogether, ...

Open for business: Open access journals reaching the same scientific impact as subscription journals

2012-07-17
BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine is pleased to be able to add scientific rigour to the debate about open access research, by publishing an article which compares the scientific impact of open access with traditional subscription publishing and has found that both of these publishing business models produce high quality peer reviewed articles. The debate about who should pay for scientific publishing is of continuing importance to the scientific community but also to the general public who not only often pay for the research though charitable contributions, ...

Rodent robbers good for tropical trees

2012-07-17
There's no honor among thieves when it comes to rodent robbers—which turns out to be a good thing for tropical trees that depend on animals to spread their seeds. Results of a yearlong study in Panama, published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of July 16, suggest that thieving rodents helped the black palm tree survive by taking over the seed-spreading role of the mighty mastodon and other extinct elephant-like creatures that are thought to have eaten these large seeds. "The question is how this tree managed to survive for 10,000 years ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Ideal nitrogen fertilizer rates in Corn Belt have been climbing for decades, Iowa State study shows

Survey suggests people with disabilities may feel disrespected by health care providers

U-Michigan, UC Riverside launch alliance to promote hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines

New insights into network power response: Unveiling multi-timescale characteristics

Simple algorithm helps improve treatment, reduce disparities in MS

Despite high employment rates, Black immigrants in the United States more likely to be uninsured, USC study shows

Research supports move toward better tailoring stroke rehabilitation

Imagining future events changes brain to improve healthy decision-making, new study indicates

Turning plastic waste into valuable resources: A new photocatalytic approach

Sea otters help kelp forests recover — but how fast depends on where they are

Study links intense energy bursts to ventilator-induced lung injury

Uncovering the protein complex critical to male fertility

Scientists discover how a naturally occurring mechanism hampers fertility

Integrated framework for ecological security: A case study of the Daqing river basin

New design paradigm boosts reconfigurable intelligent surface efficiency

Long-term cocaine use may increase impulsivity

How London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone is changing the school run

Breakthrough CRISPR-based test offers faster, more accurate diagnosis for fungal pneumonia

3D-printed knee implants improves quality and reliability

UC San Diego innovators to spotlight transformative science at SXSW 2025

Burning question: How to save an old-growth forest in Tahoe

SwRI, U-Michigan engineers create more effective burner to reduce methane emissions

Dental implants still functional after forty years

A hot droplet can bounce across a cool pan, too

Synthetic microbiome therapy suppresses bacterial infection without antibiotics

New mouse study: How to trick the body's metabolism

Rates of population-level child sexual abuse after a community-wide preventive intervention

Rural-urban disparities in cervical cancer incidence and mortality among US women

Tele-buprenorphine initiations for opioid use disorder without in-person relationships

Researchers reveal key mechanism behind bacterial cancer therapy

[Press-News.org] Updated AHA/ACCF guidelines for unstable angina include newest blood-thinning drug
American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation focused update