The existence of certain risk factors at the time children are diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may signal a worse prognosis, according to a study published online Sept. 3 in The Lancet. Researchers found that diagnosis at younger than one year of age, inborn errors of metabolism, mixed types of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, low body weight, congestive heart failure or abnormal structure or function of the left ventricle as indicated by echocardiography were associated with a higher risk of death or heart transplantation. 

For patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) lead implantations, certain characteristics can predict the risk of cardiac perforation. Based on data from the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR), researchers found that older age, female sex and left bundle branch block (LBBB) were among the perforation predictors in patients with ICDs.

Although door-to-balloon times have considerably decreased across the country, the rate of in-hospital mortality among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has not, according to a study published Sept. 5 in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Drug-eluting stents (DES) are safer and more effective than bare-metal stents in women with coronary artery disease, according to the results of an international study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2013 in Amsterdam and simultaneously published online Sept. 2 in The Lancet. Women who received newer DES experienced fewer deaths or heart attacks than women with older DES or bare-metal stents.

CABG guided by fractional flow reserve (FFR) was associated with fewer grafts, anastomoses and on-pump surgeries compared with grafts guided by angiography, according to a study published online Aug. 28 in Circulation.

The American Heart Association (AHA) will present 19 special reports in addition to late-breaking clinical trials Nov. 17-19 at its scientific sessions in Dallas.

September often marks the transition back to school. In the world of medical research, it heralds the start of conference season.

Less may be more when it comes to improving medication adherence in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). In the Use of a Multidrug Pill in Reducing Cardiovascular Events (UMPIRE) trial, patients were more likely to continue their drug regimens on a long-term basis if they used fixed-dose combinations. These “polypills” also improved systolic blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.