February 01, 2021
New data on infective endocarditis (IE) among people who inject drugs run counter to long-held stereotypes about the condition for example, a sizeable proportion of cases affect the heart’s left side, occur in prosthetic valves, and arise from organisms other than
Staphylococcus aureus.
Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
According to the study authors, the series represents the largest of its kind to date in this patient group and should drive home the point that while there are well-known features of “classical” IE in injection-drug users, understanding some of the “not so typical” findings will be key to patient management.
February 01, 2021
Use of low-dose rivaroxaban (Xarelto; Bayer/Janssen) plus aspirin improves outcomes in patients with chronic atherosclerotic vascular disease irrespective of body size, a secondary analysis of the COMPASS trial shows.
In that trial, combining rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily and aspirin 100 mg per day reduced the composite of CV death, stroke, or MI at the cost of more major bleeding, and those effects did not vary significantly across categories of body weight or body mass index (BMI), researchers led by Tomasz Guzik, MD, PhD (University of Glasgow, Scotland), report.
The results, published in the February 9, 2021, issue of the
Journal of the American College of Cardiology, “show that this combination of a vascular dose of rivaroxaban with aspirin can be safely used across a broad range of body weights and does not necessitate dose adjustments,” Guzik told TCTMD.
No Need to Adjust Rivaroxaban Dose for Overweight Heart Disease Patients medscape.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from medscape.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
February 01, 2021
In people with no history of CV disease, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels can predict a higher risk of developing CV disease across various blood pressure and pulse pressure ranges, new data from the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities (ARIC) study suggest.
The findings raise the possibility of using NT-proBNP tests, which have typically been restricted to the diagnosis and management of heart failure (HF), in the setting of hypertension, researchers say.
Additional information on individual risk could help clinicians refine decisions about therapy, said lead author Aliza Hussain, MD (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX). The most recent hypertension guidelines recommend a treatment goal of less than 130/80 mm Hg across patient groups, she noted, but making a decision to get more aggressive in patients with only moderate hypertension has been a tough sell.
By Charlyn Fargo Ware | @NutritionRd
February 1, 2021
| 11:25 a.m.
Your body needs some inflammation to fight infection and speed healing. But too much for too long can push your immune system to attack healthy organs and tissues. This can lead to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis and irritable bowel diseases.
A study published recently in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests diet’s impact on heart health is partly related to inflammation. The study found that higher levels of inflammatory markers were associated with higher risks of cardiovascular disease. Our dietary choices can increase or decrease levels of these compounds.