Month: December 2016

The Associated Press via The Huffington Post
From Jan. 12: Sudden cardiac arrest may not always be so sudden: New research suggests a lot of people may ignore potentially life-saving warning signs hours, days, even a few weeks before they collapse. Cardiac arrest claims about 350,000 U.S. lives a year. It’s not a heart attack, but worse: The heart abruptly stops beating, its electrical activity knocked out of rhythm.  READ MORE

Medical News Today
From Aug. 9: The high levels of caffeine in energy drinks may lead to cardiac complications, suggests a case report in the Journal of Addiction Medicine. The case adds to previous reports of adverse cardiovascular events related to consuming energy drinks, including abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias).  READ MORE

Johns Hopkins University
From Oct. 18: Taking calcium supplements may be bad news for your heart, according to a new study conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine and elsewhere. While a calcium-rich diet could actually benefit the heart, the study found that taking calcium in supplement form seems to increase the risk of plaque buildup in arteries and heart damage.  READ MORE

UPI
From Sept. 6: While many heart conditions can be predicted and monitored based on warning signs, sudden cardiac death occurs in many patients without prior signs, making it difficult to reduce the number of people who die from it with no warning. Researchers have identified 12 markers for risk that could make it easier to prevent sudden cardiac death, according to a new study published in the journal Circulation.  READ MORE

HealthDay News
From Feb. 23: The once-maligned egg may not be a heartbreaker after all, new research suggests. Finnish researchers say that even carriers of a gene — called APOE4 — that increases sensitivity to dietary cholesterol don’t seem to have anything to fear when it comes to the impact of eggs, or any other dietary cholesterol, on heart health. The findings were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  READ MORE

Newsmax Media
From April 5: In the past few months, three famous people — Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Frank Sinatra Jr., and comedian Garry Shandling — have all died with shocking suddenness, even though they appeared to be healthy just hours before. But the condition that caused their deaths — sudden cardiac arrest — is common and sometimes even predictable.  READ MORE

Medical News Today
From April 19: Two new studies published in The BMJ have raised questions about current resuscitation guidelines for patients who experience in-hospital cardiac arrest, with researchers identifying some practices that may be hindering patient survival. Previous resuscitation guidelines in the U.S. recommended that cardiac arrest patients should receive “stacked” shocks — one defibrillation attempt after another with minimal delays in between.  READ MORE

USA Today
From May 17: When Joe Thomas came inside from working on his yard in early April, he felt something he never had before. His chest was tightening and he was having trouble breathing. “I could tell something was off,” the 46-year-old said. His wife and 12-year-old daughter were at a nearby grocery store when they got his phone call. They knew something was up because he normally texted instead.  READ MORE

Journey of Emergency Medical Services
From May 3: A 19-year-old male is a known heroin abuser to his friends and family, and after much encouragement he successfully completes rehab and comes home. In honor of his return, his friends invite him to a house party to celebrate. Initially, the night is going well, but soon his friends become concerned when no one can find him.  READ MORE

National Public Radio
From July 26: When Mario Oikonomides was 38 years old he had a massive heart attack. About a month later, after he’d recuperated from the emergency, his doctors sent him to a cardiac rehabilitation program, where he learned about the role physical activity can play in reducing cardiac risk. “I never exercised before,” Oikonomides says. “I became addicted to exercising.”  READ MORE