Sep 8, 2017
Inflammatory hypothesis confirmed: Landmark randomized clinical trial of high-risk patients finds that a drug targeting inflammation reduced risk of major adverse cardiovascular events.
Investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital today announced results of a clinical trial culminating from 25 years of cardiovascular research work. At the European Society of Cardiology meeting and in a paper published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine, Paul M. Ridker, MD, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at BWH, and colleagues presented findings from CANTOS (Canakinumab Anti-inflammatory Thrombosis Outcomes Study), a trial designed to test whether reducing inflammation among people who have had a prior heart attack can reduce risk of another cardiovascular event in the future. The team reports a significant reduction in risk of recurrent heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular death among participants who received a targeted anti-inflammatory drug that lowered inflammation but had no effects on cholesterol. (more…)
Sep 8, 2017
Poor sleep is associated with ischaemic heart disease and stroke, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. The observational study in nearly 13,000 people revealed different patterns of sleep disturbance between the two conditions, with ischaemic heart disease being linked to shorter sleep and brief moments of waking up.
“Poor sleep is associated with cardiovascular diseases such as ischaemic heart disease and stroke but the kind of sleep disturbances that are most risky is not well documented,” said lead researcher Dr Nobuo Sasaki, of the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Casualty Council, Japan. “‘Poor sleep’ includes too short or too long sleep, difficulty falling asleep, and difficulty maintaining sleep.” (more…)
Sep 8, 2017
University of Adelaide researchers have shown that it is possible for stroke patients to improve motor function using special training involving connecting brain signals with a computer.
In a “proof-of-principle” study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the researchers described how this brain-computer interface (BCI) produced a 36% improvement in motor function of a stroke-damaged hand. (more…)
Sep 2, 2017
New analysis shows that in a high-risk population, achieving ultra-low LDL cholesterol levels, down to <10 mg/dL, safely results in additional lowering of risk of cardiovascular events.
A newer class of cholesterol lowering drugs known as PCSK9 inhibitors has emerged as an effective treatment for drastically lowering LDL cholesterol beyond current treatment targets. Earlier this year, results from a clinical trial led by investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that the PCSK9 inhibitor evolocumab, when added to statin therapy, resulted in a significant reduction in the risk for cardiovascular events and was safe. (more…)
Aug 30, 2017
Anticoagulants are recommended for atrial fibrillation due to the high risk of stroke. However, bleeding complications can occur as a side effect. Researchers in Japan examined several types of anticoagulants and found that the rates of thrombus formation are different according to the type of drug. This difference may be related to the risk of side effects, especially intracranial bleeding.
Atrial fibrillation is an arrhythmia signified by rapid and irregular beating of the upper chambers of the heart (atria). Anticoagulant therapy is recommended for atrial fibrillation because thrombi formed by stagnated blood in the atrium can cause stroke. In addition to the conventional anticoagulant warfarin, direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have become widely used. DOACs can selectively inhibit coagulation factors, whereas warfarin cannot. (more…)
Aug 30, 2017
Closure of the left atrial appendage during heart surgery protects the brain, according to late-breaking research presented in a Hot Line LBCT Session at ESC Congress. The results suggest that closure should be routinely added to open heart surgery.
“This is the first randomised study to show that closure of the left atrial appendage during open heart surgery effectively protects against brain infarctions and stroke,” said Assoc Prof Helena Domínguez, the cardiologist who designed the study. (more…)
Aug 30, 2017
New research presented at ESC Congress today shows, for the first time, that blood pressure control is pivotal in reducing major bleeding and stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).
The range of variability in a patient’s systolic blood pressure (SBP) from visit to visit was strongly associated with their risk of adverse outcomes, reported Dr Marco Proietti, MD, from the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Birmingham.
“Our findings suggest that consistency in blood pressure control, beyond the single measurement, is very important, and this appears to be the case across all types of AF patients, irrespective of age, blood pressure history, blood pressure level or clotting risk,” said Dr. Proietti. (more…)
Aug 25, 2017
Stroke Alliance for Europe (SAFE) and European Stroke Organisation (ESO) signed the Memorandum of Understanding in Prague this spring, at the first day of the ESOC 2017.
In this video of Prof. Valeria Caso and Jon Barrick (SAFE) are being interviewed about the decision their organisations have made and how it will affect the future of stroke prevention, treatment and care in Europe.
Aug 20, 2017
Research led by the head of the Barrow Neurological Institute and published in the July 20, 2017 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine reveals that subarachnoid hemorrhages, which are caused by ruptured brain aneurysms, account for 5-10 percent of all strokes and are best managed by experienced and dedicated experts at high-volume centers with neurosurgeons, endovascular surgeons and stroke neurologists.
The article was co-authored by Barrow President and CEO Michael T. Lawton, M.D. and G. Edward Vates, M.D., Ph.D, of the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Department of Neurosurgery. “Subarachnoid hemorrhage victims tend to be younger than typical stroke victims, and they risk a greater loss of productive life,” Dr. Lawton said. “It is critical that they receive the best treatment for aneurysms — like the multidisciplinary team approach and state-of-the-art therapy like that offered at Barrow.” (more…)
Aug 18, 2017
A new University of Liverpool study, published in Wiley Brain and Behaviour, identifies simple measures that could substantially improve the quality of life of stroke survivors with visual impairments.
About two thirds of stroke survivors have visual impairment which typically relates to impaired central or peripheral vision, eye movement abnormalities, or visual perceptual defects.
Symptoms can include blurred or altered vision, double or jumbled vision, loss of visual field, reading difficulty, inability to recognize familiar objects or people and glare. Post stroke visual impairment (PSVI) is currently an under researched area. (more…)
