Patients who have suffered a previous heart attack remain at increased risk for another myocardial infarction (MI), cardiovascular death or stroke, with no indication of the risk level waning over time. According to new research, the optimal dose of ticagrelor shows consistent benefits in reducing ischemic risk over five-plus years in heart attack patients, while its added risk for major bleeding events abates over time.

For the first time, researchers have shown that lowering inflammation, regardless of cholesterol levels, can help prevent recurrent heart attacks.

August 24, 2017 — AstraZeneca today announced results from a new sub-analysis of data from the Phase III PEGASUS-TIMI 54 trial demonstrating a 29% risk reduction in CV death (p=0.0041) from treatment with Brilinta (ticagrelor) 60mg twice daily, versus placebo, in patients taking lowdose aspirin but still at high risk of an atherothrombotic event, a major cause of acute coronary syndrome and CV death.

Despite proven survival benefits, roughly two-thirds of heart attack patients forego cardiac rehabilitation, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

National organizations, state governments and local communities have attempted to battle out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) by supporting public awareness and improving preparedness, most notably through CPR training and use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs). A recent study—published online July 31 in Resuscitation, the journal of the European Resuscitation Council—examined the effectiveness of the Minnesota Heart Safe Communities program.

New-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) demonstrate long-term safety in women with acute myocardial ischemia (MI), with increased benefits for more severe cases of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), according to a new study.

For the first time, researchers have employed local gene therapy to boost myocardial blood flow in areas that have impaired perfusion reserves. They have also determined that elevated plasma Lp(a) can serve as a biomarker to identify those individuals with refractory angina (RA) who can benefit from the experimental therapy, gene transfer of VEGF-DΔNΔC.

A registry analysis found that approximately one-third of patients who currently have acute coronary syndrome would have qualified for the IMPROVE-IT trial, which enrolled patients between 2005 and 2010.