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Cardiovascular disease (including heart attack and stroke) is the leading cause of death in Australia. Statistics show that 53,000
Australians died of cardiovascular disease in 1996, about 1 death every 10 minutes.
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What's New?
Heart Diseases
Angina
Heart attack
Stroke
Coronary artery disease
Congestive heart failure
Atrial fibrillation
Arrhythmias
Cardiac arrest
Spironolactone reduces heart failure deaths by 30%
Aggressive Lipitor therapy reduces cardiac events
Elderly AMI patients show better survival with angioplasty
Sustained release metoprolol in heart failure
Mitral-valve prolapse not as common as previously thought
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Features and Background
New treatment for "hole in the heart"
A nonsurgical treatment for closure of atrial septal defect is now available. The so-called "clam shell" closure is achieved using an expandable metal mesh disc which straddles the defect in the atrial septum thereby preventing abnormal blood flow across from the left to the right atrium.
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Catheter techniques replace open heart surgery for heart rhythm problems.
Ablation of abnormal heart
tissue, that forms the substrate for arrhythmias, can now be performed with
catheters passed to the heart from the groins. About 1 in 2000 people are born with an abnormal pathway connecting the upper and lower chambers of the heart, leading to episodes of rapid heart beating. Previously this was only treatable with life-long drug therapy or open heart surgery.
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Stents utilised for blocked arteries in peripheral blood vessels as well as the heart
Coronary artery stents have been around for about 8 years now and have improved the success of balloon angioplasty. Doctors at St Vincent's are now treating blockages in the carotid arteries as well as in the renal and leg vessels. This "day procedure" may soon replace the traditional surgical approach.
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Innovations in heart surgery - the "minimally invasive approach"
Rather than having a large incision in the middle of the chest, "keyhole surgery" can now be offered to many patients requiring coronary artery bypass and more complex valve surgery.
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Lives saved by implantable defibrillator
Recent studies in the USA (AVID, MADIT) have suggested that a significant number of lives can be saved by implanting an automatic defibrillator in patients who have survived a cardiac arrest or are deemed to be at high risk of this. These devices are slightly larger than pacemakers, but carry a price tag around \\$20-30,000.
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Successful return for laser heart therapy?
For those patients with severe angina who are not suitable for heart bypass surgery, laser myocardial revascularization (or "TMLR") may offer them a lifeline. Initial studies at St Vincent's show improved pain control and function in many patients offered this new form of surgery.
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New use for an "old" drug - heart failure patients live longer
A class of drugs previously avoided in patients with heart failure has been shown to improve life quality and prolong life in these people. The "betablockers" carvedilol and metoprolol are becoming routine treatment for all grades of heart failure with encouraging results. Heart failure research is being carried out ...
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Heart News
