Articles from 2001...

12/31/01 - Cardiac MRI - another step closer
A new study is encouraging, but MRI is still not ready for prime time in diagnosing coronary artery disease.

12/17/01 - How alcohol protects the heart
Two new studies add to the controversy

12/10/01 - Metabolic Syndrome X
Common, deadly, treatable, and often missed

12/03/01 - Statins good, antioxidants bad?
Yet another study suggests this is true - should you believe it?

11/26/01 - Should EVERYONE be on statins?
In the largest trial yet, statins slash risk of heart attack and stroke.

11/26/01 - Antioxidants wash out
In a massive trial, antioxidant vitamins fail to prevent heart disease

11/12/01 - Inflammation may cause heart attacks
New evidence supports the theory that inflammation may cause heart attacks

11/05/01 - Before you buy statins
Are you being started on statins for your cholesterol? Here's what you should know

10/22/01 - Antidepressants may prevent heart attacks
A new study offers more evidence that treating depression might save lives in heart patients

10/15/01 - Doctors urged to improve risk assessment
And if they won't do it, you can do it yourself.

10/08/01 - ACE inhibitors improve heart failure
The ACE inhibitor ramipril improves the heart muscle in patients with heart failure

10/01/01 - Is Diabetes Preventable
A new study suggests that over 90% of type 2 diabetes in women is related to a less than healthy lifestyle.

09/24/01 - Is Exercise the Elixir of Youth?
A new study shows that moderate amounts of aerobic exercise can literally "roll back the clock."

09/14/01 - Stress and heart disease
Revisiting the relationship between stress and heart disease is especially appropriate in view of the events of this week. 

09/07/01 - Drug-coated stents - hold your horses
Drug coated stents may indeed revolutionize cardiac therapy, but probably not for another 2 years

09/03/01 - Dysautonomia
100 years ago women with "neurasthenia" would quietly take to their beds and die.  Now patients are demanding treatment, while some doctors long for the good old days.

08/27/01 - Mitral valve prolapse (MVP)
Mitral valve prolapse is still being overdiagnosed.  If you've been diagnosed with MVP, make sure your doctor has it right. 

08/20/01 - Antioxidants: Bad for the heart?
A new study, questioning conventional wisdom, suggests caution in using antioxidant supplements

08/13/01 - The Baycol recall - what it means
What does the recall of Baycol mean to patients taking this drug, and those taking other statins?

08/06/01 - Preventing stroke in atrial fibrillation
A new technique helps to predict the risk of stroke, and helps doctors decide when to anticoagulate

07/30/01 - Hormone Replacement Therapy and Heart Disease
New recommendations from the AHA reflect caution with HRT in women with heart disease.

07/23/01 - So you want to participate in research
What you should think about, and where you should look

07/16/01 - New hope for people with heart failure
Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) will soon be available

07/05/01 - The AbioCor artificial heart - first implant raises expectations
An update to a previous article. The first recipient is doing well so far.

07/02/01 - Dick Cheney has an ICD - and maybe so should you
As usual, he merely got routine care, and the press is asking the wrong questions

06/25/01 - Hypertension - new treatment goals
New evidence from clinical studies suggests that doctors should change their treatment goals for high blood pressure

06/18/01 - Raising your HDL levels
With all the emphasis on lowering the bad cholesterol, let's not forget to raise the good cholesterol

06/11/01 - Trans fatty acids and the heart
What are trans fatty acids, where do they come from, and how can we avoid them?

06/04/01 - Robotic heart surgery - a status report
Robotic heart surgery takes another step forward

05/29/01 - Update on treating cholesterol and triglycerides
Revised guidelines have been issued for the first time in 8 years. Here's the scoop.

05/21/01 - Good news on atrial fibrillation
Recent studies move us closer to finally being able to treat this difficult arrhythmia

05/14/01 - Say nuts to heart disease
A recent study confirms that adding nuts to your diet can help prevent heart disease

05/07/01 - Inappropriate sinus tachycardia
It’s a real medical problem, and not “in your head.”  Here’s what you need to know.

04/30/01 - Does your doctor meet the guidelines?
Before you have that angioplasty or stent, make sure your doctor meets the new standards.

04/23/01 - The AbioCor Artificial Heart
Why expectations should be kept in check

04/16/01 - Aortic Stenosis
Its causes, diagnosis, and treatment

04/09/01 - Long QT Syndrome - LQTS
A review of this inherited cause of syncope and sudden death

04/02/01 - Non-prescription cholesterol lowering
Before you buy that expensive "magic potion" to treat your cholesterol, read this.

03/26/01 - Hang on. Help is on the way.
Revolutionary approaches to heart disease are being developed, and some are right around the corner.  Here’s what to expect during the next few years.

03/19/01 - Pacemakers - a review
What they do, how they work, and what it means to have one

03/12/01 - Cardiac MRI - Ready for prime time?
A summary of cardiac MRI - where it stands today, and what it is likely to be used for

03/07/01 - Restenosis - The Other Dick Cheney disease
A review of restenosis - its causes, its prevention, its treatment; and a musing of whether the stress of the job is just too much for Mr. Cheney.

03/05/01 - Secret Cardiology - EECP
Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP) is a promising new therapy for coronary artery disease.  It’s effective, safe, non-invasive – and ignored by many cardiologists.

03/02/01 - Salt Wars: The latest salvo
So - is salt bad for you or not?  The latest data suggests we may have spent the last 100 years arguing about the wrong thing.

02/26/01 - Chest pain
What it feels like, what might be causing it, how it should be evaluated, and when to treat it as an emergency

02/22/01 - Oh, oh.  Alcohol really is good for the heart
New data suggests it’s the alcohol itself – not lifestyle, socioeconomic status, or flavenoids - that protects against coronary artery disease.  

02/19/01 - Don't be so sure it's Pump Head
Depression after heart surgery or heart attack is common, treatable, and dangerous if unrecognized.  And now it’s likely to be written off as “Pump Head.” 

02/14/01 - Transcript of live chat with noted heart failure expert, Dr. Jonathan Sackner-Bernstein
Recorded February 13, 2001 

02/11/01 - Heart Failure Awareness Week
Educate yourself - and your doctor if necessary - on the latest and best ways to treat heart failure.

02/08/01 - Pump Head - Mental impairment after bypass surgery
A new study shows cognitive deficits after bypass surgery.  What does this study mean to people with coronary artery disease?

02/05/01 - Palpitations
How to find out what's causing them, and what to do about it.

02/01/01 - Bundle branch block
Its cause, its significance, and its treatment

01/29/01 - Coronary artery radiation revisited
We revisit coronary artery radiation therapy in view of recent publicity

01/22/01 - Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - HCM
A review of its causes, diagnosis, and treatment, with emphasis on the prevention of sudden death

01/15/01 - PVCs - premature ventricular complexes
How PVCs are like bear droppings, and what it means to you

01/08/01 - How to survive a heart attack: After the first day
Here’s what’s supposed to happen after the first day of a heart attack.  Make sure it happens to you.

01/01/01 - Heart Disease - Top 10 Advances of the Millennium (well, so far)
Sure, the millennium's only a year old.  But it's been quite a year in heart disease research.

More features from 2000