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Survivorship improving for acute liver failure patients, 16-year analysis led

DALLAS - April 5, 2016 - More patients hospitalized with acute liver failure - often the result of acetaminophen overdose - are surviving, including those who receive a liver transplant and those who don't, an analysis led by a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher showed.

Researchers compared more than 2,000 patients with acute liver failure (ALF) - those hospitalized between 1998 and 2005 to those hospitalized with ALF between 2006 and 2013. They assessed survivorship in each group after 21 days of being hospitalized and found:

No improvements with losmapimod after heart attack

CHICAGO (April 4, 2016) -- Patients taking losmapimod, an anti-inflammatory drug currently being developed, for 12 weeks following a heart attack did not show improvements in the trial's primary endpoint, the rate of cardiovascular death, subsequent heart attack or urgent coronary revascularization, which includes placement of a stent or coronary artery bypass surgery, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 65th Annual Scientific Session.

Mixed results on benefits of antiarrhythmic drugs for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

CHICAGO (April 4, 2016) -- Paramedics often give heart rhythm stabilizing drugs to patients who are suffering out-of-hospital cardiac arrest when they fail to regain a stable heart rhythm after electrical shock treatment. In a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 65th Annual Scientific Session, these drugs, specifically amiodarone and lidocaine, did not significantly improve such patients' likelihood of surviving to hospital discharge overall.

Colonoscopies and mammograms top list of 'most-shopped' health care services

Boston, MA - Colonoscopies, mammograms, and childbirth services are the most searched-for medical services when it comes to cost information--and millennials with higher annual deductible spending are the most frequent comparison shoppers--according to an analysis of a large national health insurance plan database by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The study appears in the April issue of Health Affairs.

Other top searched-for services in the study included MRIs, vasectomies, physician office visits, and other non-emergency services.

Penn study suggests Yelp reviews can enhance government reports on hospital quality

PHILADELPHIA - Yelp reviews of hospitals cover topics not found in the federal government's survey of patients' hospital experiences, according to the results of a new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The additional information, which the authors say tends to be strongly linked to positive or negative reviews from Yelp contributors, could influence patient decision making on where to receive hospital care, and provide valuable information to hospital administrators, caregivers, and policymakers.

Report reviews 10 years of shared decision making at Massachusetts General Hospital

The health care system has come a long way from the "doctor knows best" approach of decades ago, and the importance of involving patients in decisions about their medical care - particularly in situations when there is more than one treatment option - is broadly acknowledged. At Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a formal Shared Decision Making Program was instituted in 2005 to provide decision aids - booklets, videos and online resources - to patients to help them learn about their options and participate in decisions about their care.

Engaging patients and the public with health care evidence

At a time when public health agencies and health care providers are striving to make health care and health policy decisions on the basis of evidence, it is important for patients and the public to engage with the production, consumption and evaluation of evidence too. But such engagement is challenging, write Hastings Center scholars in the April issue of Health Affairs, because "evidence alone is never definitive," People will prioritize different values, and weigh risks and benefits differently.

No benefit from addition of aliskiren to 'gold standard' ACE inhibitor

CHICAGO (April 4, 2016) -- In one of the largest trials ever conducted in patients who have heart failure with reduced ejection fraction--a measure of the heart's ability to pump blood--the investigational drug aliskiren failed to show superiority over full-dose treatment with the existing "gold standard" therapy, the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor enalapril, researchers reported at the American College of Cardiology's 65th Annual Scientific Session.

Rate, rhythm control equally effective in post-operative atrial fibrillation

CHICAGO (April 4, 2016) -- In the first large randomized trial to directly compare two approaches to preventing a type of abnormal heart rhythm that is the most common complication of heart surgery, the two strategies--controlling heart rate and controlling heart rhythm--performed equally well, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 65th Annual Scientific Session.

Stem cell therapy improves outcomes in severe heart failure

CHICAGO (April 4, 2016) -- A new stem cell therapy significantly improved long-term health outcomes in patients with severe and end-stage heart failure in a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 65th Annual Scientific Session.

UCI personalized ratings app may improve patient's choice of nursing home

Orange, Calif., April 4, 2016 -- A new app created at the University of California, Irvine can improve a patient's choice of a nursing home. This is important, because when rating quality measures for nursing homes, patients and experts at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) usually don't agree on what is best, leading UCI researchers to conclude that patients may benefit from a more personalized approach to choosing a nursing home.

New device for heart failure patients fails to improve primary outcomes

CHICAGO (April 4, 2016) -- A new implantable medical device intended to help patients with heart failure by stimulating the vagus nerve did not significantly reduce rates of heart failure-related hospitalization or death from any cause in a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 65th Annual Scientific Session.

Two atrial fibrillation ablation techniques equal on efficacy and safety

CHICAGO (April 4, 2016) -- Two established techniques for correcting the root cause of the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation show similar effects and safety outcomes, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 65th Annual Scientific Session.

Trial drug ineffective in preventing contrast-induced kidney injury

CHICAGO (April 4, 2016) -- Patients treated with CMX-2043--an investigational drug that has previously shown some ability to protect heart muscle from damage during stenting--saw no improved protection in their kidneys compared to placebo, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 65th Annual Scientific Session.

Vitamin D improves heart function, study finds

A daily dose of vitamin D3 improves heart function in people with chronic heart failure, a five-year University of Leeds research project has found.

Dr Klaus Witte, from the School of Medicine and Consultant Cardiologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, led the study, known as VINDICATE.

He said: "This is a significant breakthrough for patients. It is the first evidence that vitamin D3 can improve heart function of people with heart muscle weakness - known as heart failure. These findings could make a significant difference to the care of heart failure patients."