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People with heart disease are more likely to become seriously ill from the flu and other respiratory illnesses, including the coronavirus. Yet, new research finds that only half of Americans with a history of heart disease or stroke report getting an annual flu shot, despite widespread recommendations to do so. Rates of vaccination were even lower among Blacks and Hispanics, according to data being presented at the American College of Cardiology s 70th Annual Scientific Session.
Researchers say the findings should renew efforts to assure flu vaccination is a routine part of quality cardiovascular care. As a nation, the U.S. health care system must do a better job protecting a population that is at very high risk for serious complications and death from the flu, said Varayini Pankayatselvan, MD, an internal medicine resident at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and the study s lead author. As physicians, it is our job to help patients take these simple but
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People who clock six to seven hours of sleep a night had the lowest chance of dying from a heart attack or stroke when compared with those who got less or more sleep, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology s 70th Annual Scientific Session. This trend remained true even after the research team accounted for other known conditions or risk factors for heart disease or stroke.
The study, according to researchers, is the first to explore the association between baseline cardiovascular risk and duration of sleep and adds to mounting evidence that sleep similar to diet, smoking and exercise may play a defining role in someone s cardiovascular risk.
Black patients from disadvantaged neighborhoods were significantly more likely to die within five years of surviving a heart attack compared with Black heart attack patients from wealthier neighborhoods and white patients of any socioeconomic means who survive a heart attack, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology s 70th Annual Scientific Session.
Breathing in secondhand cigarette smoke may leave you more vulnerable to heart failure, a condition where the heart isn t pumping as well as it should and has a hard time meeting the body s needs, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology s 70th Annual Scientific Session.
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Patients suffering a heart attack received percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a procedure to clear blocked arteries in the heart, an average of 10 minutes faster after clinicians and paramedics began using an app to facilitate efficient hospital intakes for these patients, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology s 70th Annual Scientific Session.
The study was conducted at Baystate Medical Center, a health system headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts, that, like many U.S. hospitals, serves patients across a wide geographic area. Before adopting the app, clinicians typically only had about five minutes of advance notice when a heart attack patient was en route, even if the patient had traveled a long distance. The app allowed clinicians to begin coordinating with paramedics much earlier, helping teams prepare for rapid response upon arrival.