Cardiovascular/Stroke

One-quarter of diagnostic catheterizations for suspected coronary artery disease are unnecessary
One-quarter of patients undergoing diagnostic catheterizations (DC) for suspected coronary artery disease in New York were rated as inappropriate for the procedure primarily because they were relatively healthy, a recent study finds.

In the study published in January's Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions, University at Albany School of Public Health and New York State Department of Health researcher Edward Hannan examined New York's Cardiac Diagnostic Catheterization Database to identify patients undergoing DC for coronary artery disease between 2010 and 2011. MedicalXpress

Adding Non-Statin Leads to Even Lower LDL (CME/CE)
Adding other drugs to lower-intensity statin therapy can lower LDL cholesterol as well as or better than higher-intensity statin therapy, but the effects on long-term outcomes remain uncertain, a systematic review showed.

A low-intensity statin plus a bile acid sequestrant reduced LDL cholesterol levels by 0% to 14% more than moderate-intensity statin monotherapy in high-risk patients with hyperlipidemia, according to Kimberly Gudzune, MD, MPH, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and colleagues.

And compared with high-intensity statin therapy, a moderate-intensity statin plus ezetimibe (Zetia) dropped LDL cholesterol levels up to 15% more in patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and up to 21% more in patients with diabetes, the researchers reported online in Annals of Internal Medicine. MedPage Today

New imaging technique can diagnose common heart condition
A new imaging technique for measuring blood flow in the heart and vessels can diagnose a common congenital heart abnormality, bicuspid aortic valve, and may lead to better prediction of complications. A Northwestern Medicine team reported the finding in the journal Circulation. In the study, the authors demonstrated for the first time a previously unknown relationship between heart valve abnormalities, blood flow changes in the heart and aortic disease. They showed that blood flow changes were driven by specific types of abnormal aortic valves, and they were able to directly associate blood flow patterns with aortic diseases. Eurekalert!

Exercise targets cellular powerhouses to improve heart function
Whether lifting weights in a gym or just walking around the block, exercise has many benefits, such as helping people lose weight and build stronger muscles. Some studies suggest that it may reduce the risk of developing cancer and other diseases. Researchers now report in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research that moderate, long-term physical activity appears to improve cardiovascular health in mice by targeting the heart cells' powerhouses — the mitochondria. Eurekalert!

Weather changes may be linked with stroke hospitalization, death
Stroke hospitalization and death rates may rise and fall with changes in environmental temperature and dew point, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2014. Eurekalert!