Despite the fact that Hispanic and black heart failure (HF) patients usually fair worse than white patients in terms of cardiovascular risk factors, when hospitals participated in the American Heart Associations Get with the Guidelines HF quality improvement programs, outcomes were similar across all racial and ethnic groups, according to the results of a study published in the April issue of the American Heart Journal.

NEW ORLEANS--While calcium channel blockers (CCB) have been previously recommended as a first-line treatment strategy for diabetic, hypertension patients, currently, ACE inhibitors and ARBs have been shown to be more efficacious. Results of the NAGOYA HEART study, presented as a late-breaking clinical trial April 5, showed that while valsartan reduced the risk of congestive heart failure compared with amlodipine-based treatment, results were similar for the two treatments in terms of cardiovascular outcomes.

NEW ORLEANS--In heart failure (HF) patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) on medical therapy, CABG should now be considered to reduce cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, as patients have similar outcomes to contemporary medical therapy, concluded the researchers of the STICH trial presented April 4 as a late-breaking clinical trial at the 60th annual American College of Cardiology (ACC) conference.

Sickle cell trait is a condition most commonly found in African-Americans, and being diagnosed with the condition doesnt usually cause room for concern. However, evidence presented during a poster session at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) scientific sessions in New Orleans suggests that the condition may have some association with sudden cardiac death, specifically in young athletes.

End-stage heart failure (HF) patients can be treated safely and effectively by the HeartWare Ventricular Assist System and see an improved quality of life and neurocognitive function, according to a study published in the March 22 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Why do some heart failure (HF) patients spiral downhill quickly while others do not? The answer may lie in how hard the autonomic nervous system is compensating to mask symptoms and measuring that stress could better triage patients to receive implantable devices.

Medtronic has released positive earnings in its financial results for its third quarter of fiscal year 2011, which ended Jan. 28. The revenue and earnings were strongly bolstered by strong returns in its cardiac and vascular group, but the company restated its intention to sell off external defibrillator unit Physio-Control.

Remote patient monitoring for chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have demonstrated successful outcomes. The evidence for heart failure (HF) monitoring, however, is less definitive. Yet, newer approaches may turn things around.