Failure to Diagnose a Heart Attack
January 17, 2008 15:46

A heart attack is also known as acute myocardial infarction, or AMI, and is caused by a rupture, due to plaque, which interrupts the blood supply to a part of the heart. As a result of the oxygen shortage, damage is caused and potential death of a heart tissue.... (Read Article)

Over 150,000 people at risk for failure to diagnose heart attack
July 24, 2007 14:33

These figures represent Britain but they could be anywhere. Heart failure affects about 900,000 patients annually and that number is expected to grow in the next 20 years. Thousands of men and women could be at risk of sudden death because of a failure to diagnose... (Read Article)

Kidney Disease Accelerates Heart Failure
July 17, 2007 14:37

Toss a coin in the air. Which would you rather have kidney disease or heart disease? Chances are if you have one, then you already have the other. Unfortunately, they go together like salt and pepper.

New research shows kidney disease somehow speeds up heart disease. Doctors have proven that heart disease can trigger kidney destruction. This could all be circumvented with urine and blood tests that cost less than $25.

Chronic kidney disease or CKD is a quiet epidemic: Many of the 19 million Americans estimated to have it don't know they do. The kidneys lose their ability to filter waste out of the bloodstream so slowly that symptoms aren't obvious until the organs are totally damaged. End-stage kidney failure is rising fast, with 400,000 people requiring dialysis or a transplant to survive, a toll that has doubled in each of the last two decades.

Source: http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_6228379

Does Antidepressant Venlafaxine Cause Heart Failure?
July 10, 2007 14:38

With venlafaxine and venlafaxine extended release (XR), patients' pulse rates increased by an average of 4 bpm (beats per minute); with placebo, the average increase was 1 bpm. Heart attacks occurred in at least 2 percent of patients taking venlafaxine XR.
Venlafaxine should be used with caution, particularly in dosages higher than 200 mg/d, patients with elevated pulse rates, and medical conditions causing elevated pulse rates.

The effect of venlafaxine in cardiac morbidity and mortality is a complex and controversial issue.

In patients without preexisting cardiac disease, venlafaxine has few cardiovascular effects and no effects on ECGs.

Specific case studies also describe cardiac morbidity associated with the administration of venlafaxine. Venlafaxine was strongly related and attributed to two cases of heart failure and interstitial pneumonia.

Physicians should obtain baseline blood pressure readings and check blood pressure regularly in patients taking any form of venlafaxine, particularly in those taking 225 mg/d or more. Increased blood pressure occurs most commonly within the first two months of stabilization with venlafaxine.

Source: http://www.abkhazia.com/content/view/526/67/

Diabetic Drug Avandia Caused Man's Heart Attack
July 3, 2007 14:39

On the very day that headlines vibrated all around the world that the diabetes drug Avandia causes heart attacks - a 60-year-old Texas man died from an Avandia fatal heart attack.Avandia, the brand name for Rosiglitazone, first gained approval from the U.S.... (Read Article)

Estrogen and Heart Disease: New Study Claims Estrogen Safe - You Be the Judge
June 24, 2007 14:35

Almost five years ago, women received the bad news that estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) increased their risks of heart attack and stroke. Today researchers have reversed their position.My question is: Who paid for this study and were there conflicts of interests... (Read Article)