Search Tag: Stroke

2015 07 May

A Canadian study published online in JAMA Neurology reveals that patients who had a stroke while hospitalised for another reason waited longer before being diagnosed and receiving treatment, compared with those who had strokes before entering the hospital. Researchers also found that patients with in-hospital stroke were more likely to have a comorbid...Read more

2015 03 May

New research suggests that atrial fibrillation or irregular heartbeat is associated with only one type of heart attack. The study was led by Elasyed Z. Soliman, MD, Director of the Epidemiological Cardiology Research Center at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and is published in the American Heart Association Journal Circulation. Atrial fibrillation...Read more

2015 30 Apr

Researchers from Johns Hopkins have found that specific altered function in the left atrium may signal stroke risk in those with atrial fibrillation, and, possibly, those without it. The findings have been reported in the Journal of the American Heart Association . The researchers performed sophisticated motion studies by using an imaging technique...Read more

2015 16 Apr

A letter by UCSF researchers published in JAMA Internal Medicine provides evidence that a quarter of all atrial fibrillation (AF) patients at the lowest risk for stroke receive unnecessary blood thinners from cardiology specialists. According to senior author Gregory Marcus, MD, MAS, director of clinical research in the UCSF Division of Cardiology,...Read more

2015 07 Apr

According to a study led by researchers from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, a nanotherapeutic medicine can half the growth of artery plaque cells resulting in the fast reduction of the inflammation that may cause a heart attack. The study has been published in Science Advances . "In just one week our novel cell proliferation-specific...Read more

2015 05 Apr

According to a new study "Demographic and Epidemiologic Drivers of Global Cardiovascular Mortality," published in The New England Journal of Medicine , cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of premature death in the world including heart attacks, strokes, and other circulatory diseases.  The research was led by the Institute for...Read more

2015 01 Apr

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association have recognised Harris Health System’s Ben Taub Hospital for its success in providing care for acute ischaemic strokes. The Houston-area hospital was awarded the Get With The Guidelines®- Stroke Gold Plus-Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Award for achieving a minimum of 85 percent adherence...Read more

2015 28 Mar

In a new research published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, scientists have developed a new risk score that can predict the 10-year risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke in people 40 years and older in any country of the world. The research was led by Dr. Goodarz Danaei, Assistant Professor of Global Health at the...Read more

2015 24 Mar

Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center (NC, USA) have found that the results of a blood test done immediately after heart surgery could be a meaningful indicator of postoperative stroke risk. The finding is published online in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery . An acutely elevated level of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) — a measure of kidney...Read more

2015 20 Mar

A new study shows that patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing coronary angiogram, a procedure used to assess blockages in the heart's arteries, had a significantly lower risk of major bleeding and death if their interventional cardiologist accessed the heart through an artery in the arm rather than the groin. Researchers said the results,...Read more

2015 17 Mar

According to a study published in The Journal of Clinical Hypertension , expanding blood pressure screenings to non-primary care settings can help identify more patients of hypertension and could also lead to better management and control of this health condition.  Researchers at Kaiser Permanente examined the health records of 1,076,000 patients...Read more

2015 06 Mar

During the 1990s, a class of drugs was identified as showing promise is the area of stroke. NMDA receptor antagonists were found to limit damage to the brain in animal models of stroke. However, the drugs were not tested in a clinical setting because of their side effects which included disorientation and hallucinations. Researchers have now found...Read more

2015 17 Feb

A six-year, multi-centre trial has found that the risk of recurrent stroke is higher in patients who have low blood flow to the back of the brain. The results of the National Institutes of Health-sponsored Vertebrobasilar Flow Evaluation and Risk of Transient Ischemic Attack and STROKE (VERiTAS) trial were presented at the International Stroke Conference...Read more

2015 15 Feb

Scientists report that it would be more effective to focus on the side of the brain where the injury did not occur to maximise stroke recovery. According to Dr. Adviye Ergul, Vascular Psychologist at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University, most studies focus on the stroke area and how to reduce the damage there. However,...Read more

2015 10 Feb

Researchers have found that blood pressure (BP)-lowering treatment among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and heart disease events and improved mortality. They noted that each 10-mm Hg lower systolic BP was associated with a lower risk of mortality, CVD events, coronary heart disease...Read more

2015 04 Feb

Although high blood pressure and diabetes are known to raise the risk of stroke, a longitudinal study has shown that, for middle-aged adults, heavy drinking may be one factor that increases this risk even more. Researchers found that consuming more than two alcoholic drinks a day during middle age raises the risk of stroke by more than a third. Their...Read more

2014 02 Dec

The results of the European analysis of a global cardiology survey highlight the fact that, despite an increase in the number of non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients compared to five years ago, 97 percent of cardiologists believe that there is still a delay in patients reaching diagnosis. The findings of the survey were released during...Read more

2014 20 Nov

The use of a stroke emergency mobile unit (STEMO) helped increase the percentage of stroke patients who received thrombolysis to break down blood clots within the so-called ‘golden hour', the 60 minutes from time of symptom onset to treatment, a window of time when treatment may be most effective, according to researchers in Germany. A STEMO is a specialised...Read more

2014 17 Nov

Misalignment between evidence-informed clinical care guideline recommendations and reimbursement policies has created care gaps that lead to suboptimal outcomes for patients denied access to guideline-based therapies. Stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AFib) is discussed as an example in a study which appears in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology...Read more

2014 08 Nov

Authors R Shakir President W Carroll First Vice-President W Grisold Secretary-Treasurer General World Federation of Neurology London, United Kingdom www.wfneurology.org @wfneurology   On 22July 2014, the World Federation of Neurology (WFN) launched World Brain Day, dedicated to bringing more attention...Read more

2014 05 Nov

According to a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine , patients with atrial fibrillation who take the blood thinner dabigatran are at higher risk for major bleeding and gastrointestinal bleeding than those who take warfarin. The findings indicate that more caution is needed when prescribing dabigatran to certain high-risk patients, said researchers...Read more

2014 28 Oct

Strokes are a major cause of death and long-term disability globally, including in developing countries. In China, strokes are also the leading cause of morbidity and mortality, with prevalence rates having risen sharply over the past decade. Several studies have shown that the capacity to identify stroke signs, knowledge of coping with stroke symptoms,...Read more

2014 14 Oct

According to a study presented at the annual Canadian Stroke Congress in Vancouver, a new and innovative patient management system implemented at the acute stroke unit of Kelowna (BC) General Hospital has reduced the number of stroke patient beds by more than 25 percent. It is estimated that this system is saving the hospital more than 1,000...Read more

2014 10 Oct

According to recent data presented at the Canadian Stroke Congress, people who have already had a stroke or a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) are at a high risk for a second similar event or other serious medical complications for the next five years. They need continuous follow-up and monitoring in order to manage this risk. The research was conducted...Read more

2014 08 Oct

The findings of a new study presented at the Canadian Stroke Congress indicate that delivery of care lags for people who have a stroke while hospitalised for another ailment compared to those who are admitted following strokes outside of hospitals. Such patients endure more delays in getting the right tests and the right drugs.  "Intuitively, you would...Read more

2014 22 Sep

Microvisk Ltd.'s (North Wales, UK) first-of-its kind medical device – a disposable diagnostic strip based on a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) – has been accredited for European sales, Bionow reported. “The achievement of CE marking of a medical diagnostic device based on a tiny MEMS sensor is a major milestone for Microvisk – and opens up...Read more

2014 17 Sep

Merck & Co. plans to seek US marketing approval next year for its long-delayed experimental osteoporosis drug odanacatib, Reuters reported. Although the drug proved effective in a late-stage trial, its use was associated with rare thigh-bone fractures seen with standard treatments. Osteoporosis is a bone-thinning disease primarily affecting postmenopausal...Read more

2014 02 Sep

Data from a recent study indicated that stroke patients treated at specialised units on the weekend have better outcomes when there is a higher registered nurse-to-bed ratio. The study, which covered 103 stroke units encompassing 56,666 stroke patients, was published in PLOS Medicine . Researchers investigated claims that mortality rates were higher...Read more

2014 25 Aug

A novel device designed to treat stroke more effectively could be made available in the near future. The device is placed onto the head like a sports visor or halo and uses ultrasound to quickly bust clots that cause stroke. It was developed by William Culp, MD, professor of neurology, surgery and radiology and vice chairman of research at the...Read more

2014 25 Aug

The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is currently reviewing the safety of alteplase, a clot-busting drug. The drug is to be reviewed for the treatment of strokes. The regulatory agency believes that the benefits of alteplase outweigh its risks but because there is a chance that some previous assessments may have been flawed,...Read more