A Duke University Medical Center study found that over half of US cardiologists performing angioplasty procedures don't meet recommended minimum standards, leading to increased risk of complications and heart bypass operations. The study confirms the inverse relationship between physician experience and patient outcomes.
Research by Dr. Eric Peterson found stenting costs $13,000, exceeding Medicare's payment of $10,000 to $13,000. This expense may lead hospitals to lose money on each procedure, potentially reducing the treatment's popularity.
Researchers are testing a promising new vaccine against pancreatic cancer, which boasts one of cancer's poorest survival rates. The vaccine targets an abnormal variant of the ras gene, designed to stimulate an immune response against mutant ras protein.
Research reveals regional differences in US heart attack treatment, with the West Coast showing a balanced approach to resource utilization. The study found that patients in the Pacific states had lower costs for year-long care, while those in New England and Mid-Atlantic states stayed in hospital longer.
Researchers found that taking vitamins C and E before a high-fat meal can prevent impairment of blood vessel dilation. The study suggests that vitamins may influence minute-by-minute changes in blood vessels that lead to heart disease. Vitamins may blunt the process by releasing nitric oxide, which allows vessels to dilate.
Researchers at Caltech found that the brain uses temporal activity patterns of neurons to represent odors, with specificity arising from considerations of their timing. This coding principle may be common to most animals, including humans, and could have implications for understanding odor perception.
A Johns Hopkins study uses an atomic force microscope to probe living heart cells, revealing that actin plays a crucial role in maintaining cell elasticity. The findings suggest that measuring heart cells' elasticity may improve understanding of healthy and diseased cells, leading to better diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.
Two Duke University studies suggest that diabetics with severe coronary artery disease do equally well if they receive either angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery. The studies recommend considering factors other than diabetes when choosing a treatment.
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found that exercise treadmill tests and myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) are equally effective in detecting heart disease and predicting outcomes in women. This discovery will enable physicians to screen and treat their female patients more accurately.