Heart Bypass Surgery: Deadly Delays Sep 23, 2008
23, 2008) Delaying elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery may be a significant risk factor for post-operative death ... In British Columbia, Canada, recommended maximum waiting times for CABG surgery are six weeks for semi-urgent cases and twelve weeks for cases that are non-urgent ... Surprisingly, however, until now there have been no direct estimates of the benefits gained from performing CABG surgery in a timely manner. (Science Daily)
A stitch in time saves lives Sep 20, 2008
Many health care systems now use priority wait lists for scheduling elective coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery, but there have not yet been any direct estimates of reductions in in-hospital mortality rate afforded by ensuring that the operation is performed within recommended time periods ... We used a population-based registry to identify patients with established coronary artery disease who underwent isolated CABG in British Columbia, Canada ... We studied whether postoperative... (BioMed Central)
Mortality rate after bypass surgery down in Pennsylvania Sep 19, 2008
The report also noted that patient readmission rates following CABG surgery have declined from 13. 3 percent in 2000 to 10. (Bizjournals.com)
Drug-Releasing Stents Decrease Repeat Cardiac Procedures Jun 25, 2008
2 percent, coronary artery bypass graft [CABG]). In the drug-eluting stent era group, 19. (Newsmax)
Aurora Health Care Top Quality System in Nation in Medicare, Premier Healthcare Alliance Pay-For-Performance Project Jun 18, 2008
" About the Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration project The Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration is the first national project of its kind, designed to determine if economic incentives to hospitals are effective at improving the quality of inpatient care. Through the project, which was launched in 2003 and extended by CMS for an additional three years, Premier collects a set of more than 30 evidence-based clinical quality measures from over 250 hospitals across the country. The quality... (PR Newswire)
Patients Arriving At Hospitals In Off Hours Get Slower, Less Care Apr 23, 2008
After adjusting for baseline characteristics, patients arriving during off hours were 7 percent less likely to undergo primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and 6 percent less likely to undergo PCI or another type of revascularization called coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) compared with patients arriving during regular hours. "Emergency angioplasty, or PCI, is the preferred procedure after an ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, which is a heart attack caused by a... (Science Daily)
Heart Surgery Results Good in Low-Volume Hospitals Apr 23, 2008
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The rate of in-hospital deaths after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery has steadily declined since 1997, and the proportion of CABG procedures performed at low-volume institutions has increased, according to a report in the April Archives of Surgery. Previous studies have repeatedly demonstrated that the outcome of CABG procedures is better when performed in hospitals that have a high volume of these surgeries ... However, the patterns observed in the... (MEDLINEplus)
Heart Bypass Surgery Doesn't Cause Mental Decline Apr 4, 2008
For many years, assumptions have lingered that Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Grafting (CABG) produces measurable cognitive impairment, either because of the surgery or use of cardiopulmonary bypass ... Thus, despite improvements in surgical procedures, the weight of evidence across decades of clinical research has continued to suggest that CABG produces some degree of cognitive impairment. (Newsmax)
Allon Reports 2007 Audited Operating Results and Updates 2008 Plans Mar 19, 2008
- Commencement of the randomized stage of the Phase II clinical trial evaluating AL-208 (intravenous) as a treatment for the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) that commonly results from coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery ... - Complete enrolment and dosing, analyze data and release results of a Phase II clinical trial evaluating the safety, tolerability and effect of AL-208 as treatment for MCI resulting from ischemic damage during CABG surgery. (CCNMatthews Press Releases)
New 300mg Loading Dose Tablet for Plavix(R) Receives Positive Opinion From the European Committee for Medicinal Products (CHMP) Mar 5, 2008
About Plavix(R) Plavix(R) is an antiplatelet agent which prevents platelets from sticking together and forming clots in the arteries and is the only widely available prescription antiplatelet approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke across the entire spectrum of ACS. Plavix(R) is indicated for the reduction of atherothrombotic events in patients with a history of recent MI, recent stroke or established peripheral arterial disease (P.A.D.) Plavix(R) is also indicated for patients... (PR Newswire)
Aprotinin during Coronary-Artery Bypass Grafting and Risk of Death Feb 21, 2008
Background Aprotinin (Trasylol) is used to mitigate bleeding during coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG) ... Methods Using electronic administrative records of the Premier Perspective Comparative Database, we studied hospitalized patients with operating-room charges for the use of aprotinin (33,517 patients) or aminocaproic acid (44,682 patients) on the day CABG was performed ... We tabulated the numbers of patients with a hospital-discharge status of death and performed three types of... (New England Journal of Medicine)
Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery Promising In 90-Year-Olds Feb 8, 2008
7, 2008) Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is becoming increasingly common, and appears to be a viable treatment, among individuals in their 90s, according to a study published in the American Journal of Cardiology ... CABG surgery creates new pathways around narrowed and blocked arteries, allowing sufficient delivery of blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the heart ... Our results indicate that nonagenarians who are currently selected for CABG procedures can achieve years of life... (Science Daily)
Downsized Heart Aids Bypass Surgery Jan 30, 2008
the Hopkins team found that by combining so-called coronary artery bypass grafting, known as CABG, with surgical ventricular restoration, or SVR, in patients with advanced heart failure, the likelihood of subsequent heart problems was 24 percent, compared to 55 percent in those undergoing CABG alone ... Conte, an associate professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and its Heart Institute, cautions that not all CABG patients can benefit from SVR and that the... (Science Daily)
Newsweek: The debate isn't over yet Jan 24, 2008
One of the studies, the first of its kind, pits drug-eluting stents against coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) operations and finds that the devices are not as effective as the surgery ... "Drug-eluting stents are much less invasive than CABG, so people who didn't want to be cut open and laid up for a long time favored them," says , a health policy analyst at SUNY Albany and the lead researcher on the other new study. (MSNBC -- Health)
Drug-Eluting Stents vs. CABG Jan 24, 2008
Background Numerous studies have compared the outcomes of two competing interventions for multivessel coronary artery disease: coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG) and coronary stenting ... Methods We identified patients with multivessel disease who received drug-eluting stents or underwent CABG in New York State between October 1, 2003, and December 31, 2004, and we compared adverse outcomes (death, death or myocardial infarction, or repeat revascularization) through December 31, 2005, after... (New England Journal of Medicine)
Canadian Trial Of Heart Surgery Drug Trasylol Halted Oct 27, 2007
The trial is called BART, Blood Conservation using Antifibrinolytics: A Randomized Trial in High-Risk Cardiac Surgery Patients, and involves 3000 high risk cardiac patients having either a repeat operation for coronary heart bypass graft (CABG) or an operation to replace an aortic valve, or combined valves or valve/CABG procedures. The drug company said it had issued new guidance to physicians and healthcare providers using Trasylol (aprotinin injection) to treat patients having coronary artery... (Medical News Today)
Voltaren Gel receives FDA approval as first topical prescription treatment for osteoarthritis pain Oct 23, 2007
Voltaren Gel is contraindicated for the treatment of peri-operative pain in the setting of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Voltaren Gel should not be used in combination with other oral NSAIDs or aspirin because of the potential for increased adverse effects. (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
What we doMario Petrou is a cardiac and transplant surgeon Oct 21, 2007
This is a coronary artery bypass grafting, also known as CABG (pronounced cabbage) ... Its use for CABG has been shown over the years to provide the best survival benefit ... This can include patients referred for CABG or valve replacement as well as transplant patients. (BBC News -- UK)
Coronary Artery Revascularization Sep 24, 2007
Whether a patient receives percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) depends on many factors ... With involvement of two or more vessels, CABG is preferred because it already takes enough time to thread just one balloon catheter for PTCA. ... Tortuosity of Vessels: If the artery is straight enough, the cardiologist should be able to maneuver a balloon cathether into it and perform PTCA. Otherwise, CABG is the better option. (Suite101.com)
Pay for Performance, Version 2.0? Aug 9, 2007
"Old wine in a new bottle." "A financial gamble." "An early glimpse of the next generation of pay for performance." All these appraisals have been applied to Geisinger Health System's new approach to elective coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG), which has been described with words rarely invoked in health care, such as "promise" and "guarantee." Geisinger, an integrated health care delivery system in northeastern Pennsylvania, promises that 40 key processes will be completed for every patient... (New England Journal of Medicine)
Researchers To Develop Method For Treating Heart Failure And Depression Simultaneously Jul 31, 2007
Since 2004, he and his co-principal study investigator, Charles F. Reynolds III, M.D., UPMC Professor of Geriatric Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and their research team have been recruiting patients from several Pittsburgh-area hospitals, including UPMC Presbyterian and UPMC Passavant, into the first NIH-funded clinical trial titled, "Bypassing the Blues," designed to examine the impact of treating depressive symptoms following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)... (Science Daily)
* Taiwan Quick Take Jul 17, 2007
At the invitation of the Japanese Association of Cardiovascular Surgery, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital took part in the 9th annual symposium of the Japanese off-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) association in Tokyo via satellite hookup. More than 300 heart doctors took part in the symposium, during which they watched surgeries conducted live in Taiwan and Japan. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Race-based Differences in Revascularization after MI Jun 14, 2007
3% of blacks had either PCI or CABG, but 50 ... 3% of black patients eventually had PCI or CABG compared with 25. (MedPage Today)
Blacks Less Likely to Get Angioplasty After Heart Attack Jun 13, 2007
The most common type of revascularization is coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) ... Less than one-fifth of U.S. acute-care hospitals provide coronary revascularization, and many Medicare beneficiaries are initially admitted to hospitals that don't provide CABG or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI, formerly known as angioplasty). (Forbes)
Health Canada's approval of an expanded indication for PLAVIX(R) (clopidogrel bisulfate) now offers protection from all types of heart attacks Jun 5, 2007
In secondary prevention with early and long-term use, PLAVIX has been shown to decrease the rate of atherothrombotic events (cardiovascular death, MI, ischemic stroke, refractory ischemia) when taken in combination with ASA in patients with ACS without ST segment elevation (unstable angina or non-Q-wave myocardial infarction) including patients who are to be managed medically and those who are to be managed with percutaneous coronary intervention (with or without stent) or coronary artery bypass... (Canada Newswire)
Cardiome And Astellas Announce Positive Results From ACT 2 Trial Jun 4, 2007
The trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of the intravenous formulation of vernakalant hydrochloride ("vernakalant (iv)") for the treatment of patients who developed atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter between 24 hours and 7 days following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) or valve replacement surgery ... The study was focused on the treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter occurring after CABG or valve replacement surgery. (Canada Newswire)
'Tables link' to heart death cut Apr 24, 2007
The death rate for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients after public disclosure was significantly lower than it had been before, falling from 2. 4% to 1. (BBC News -- UK)
More Women Surviving Heart Surgery Apr 12, 2007
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - There has been a marked decline in early death after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG), particularly in women, study results indicate. Nevertheless, women remain at higher risk of early death after CABG than men, owing in part to the smaller size of their coronary arteries ... Researchers evaluated gender differences and trends in 30-day mortality after CABG in all adults who had the procedure between 1991 and 2004 in the province of British Columbia, Canada. (MEDLINEplus)
Critics blast PM's health targets as 'soft' Apr 5, 2007
Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Common waiting-times benchmarks, meaning the typical time recommended by medical specialists. (Globe and Mail -- National)
Trust 'must improve heart surgery' Mar 28, 2007
The Healthcare Commission started investigating in November 2005 after it emerged that the number of trust patients who died between April 2002 and March 2005 after their first coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) was more than double the national average - 4 ... The report said: "The cardiothoracic unit had rates of mortality for CABG that were higher than other comparable units and that should have prompted an open and questioning response to make certain that everything was being done to... (Channel 4 News)
Bone Mineral Loss Seen in Men After Heart Surgery Mar 22, 2007
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In the year following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), bone mineral content declines significantly in men, according to findings published in the American Journal of Cardiology ... Dr. Larry E. Miller, of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and colleagues evaluated changes in bone mineral and body composition in 26 men, between the ages of 50 and 79 years, who underwent CABG. In each patient, blockages were removed in more than one coronary... (MEDLINEplus)
Heart of Darkness Mar 14, 2007
Also of interest to the vice president's people may be the ticklish question of whether heart surgery itself, most notably coronary artery bypass grafting (typically referred to as cabg, or "cabbage," surgery), has a long-term impact on cognitive function ... Such personality changes are extremely common in the short term and may persist indefinitely for some, as the Cleveland Clinic notes in its literature on the subject: "Long-term deficits in mental functioning--such as an inability to... (Ocnus.net)
Symptoms Of Depression Linked To Early Stages Of Artery Disease Feb 21, 2007
(January 25, 2005) -- People with symptoms of clinical depression who undergo coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) have long been known to be at a higher risk of death, hospital readmissions and cardiac events. But does. (Science Daily)
Blacks Likely to Get Less Experienced Surgeons Jan 24, 2007
Until recently, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) was usually performed with a heart-lung machine, which allows the heart to be stopped while the bypass grafts are sewn in place ... Performing CABG "off-pump," while the heart is beating normally, is technically demanding and many surgeons are still gaining experience with the technique ... The new findings are based on a study of 15,313 CABG patients who were entered in the New York State Cardiac Surgery Reporting System, which covers all... (MEDLINEplus)
Lawsuits may get settled Jan 5, 2007
An unnecessary CABG should be considered assault with a deadly weapon. I was told I needed a quintuple bypass or I could die in three months. (Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, VA)
Transfusions Blamed for Deaths After Bypass Jan 4, 2007
Moreover, this may explain in part why women are more likely than men to die after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), since women more commonly need transfusions than men do ... "To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to state that ... transfusions may be the reason why women have a greater post-CABG mortality than men," Dr. Mary A. M. Rogers, from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, said in a statement ... In a study of Michigan Medicare beneficiaries, 88 percent of... (MEDLINEplus)
Studies led by Rhode Island Hospital confirm safety and efficacy Nov 18, 2006
Of those patients with stents, the results of the study show some differences in DES (6509 patients) versus bare metal stents (BMS" 397 patients) outcomes. At one-year of follow-up, death occurred in 5.9 percent of BMS patients and 3.1 percent of DES patients. The rate of myocardial infarction (MI) was 3.5 percent for BMS and 2.4 percent for DES. Stent thrombosis, or clotting of the stent, showed no significant difference between BMS and DES (0.8 percent versus 0.6 percent respectively).... (EurekAlert!)
Biggest story from Poconos is health care Nov 5, 2006
The ESSA Heart and Vascular Institute will soon be ready to offer CABG, more commonly known as open heart surgery. Never mind the myriad of highly skilled nurses and technicians the procedure requires. (Scranton Times, PA)
Breathing Training Benefits Heart-Surgery Patients Oct 25, 2006
Patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) who are at high risk for pulmonary complications, such as pneumonia, reduced that risk by performing breathing exercises and receiving respiratory muscle training before surgery. "We found that preventive physical therapy given to patients at high risk of postoperative pulmonary complications before CABG surgery decreased the incidence of atelectasis [collapse of the lung] and pneumonia significantly, and shortened the duration of... (Yahoo News -- Heart Disease & Cardiovascular Disorders)
Pre-operative Breathing Training Helps Decrease Risk Of Complications Following Bypass Surgery Oct 24, 2006
Despite improvements in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and care around the time of the operation, the rate of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) has remained stable, possibly because CABG surgery is now performed in more fragile (high-risk) patients at greater risk of PPCs ... The prehospitalization period before CABG surgery could be used to improve a patient's pulmonary condition ... The effectiveness of preoperative inspiratory (breathing in) muscle training (IMT) in... (Science Daily)
World First: Young Patient With Completely Blocked Yet Vital Heart Artery Successfully Treated Sep 26, 2006
(November 18, 2005) -- Combining robotically assisted coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) with stented angioplasty shows promise for treating extensive coronary artery disease, researchers reported at the American Heart. . (Science Daily)
Doctors know best when it comes to treating chronic coronary artery disease Aug 30, 2006
The physicians examined them and then, after conferring with a second cardiologist, recommended one of the three potential treatments: medication, noninvasive angioplasty using balloons and/or stents to open clogged arteries, or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery to reroute blood through new vessels grafted into place. After the cardiologists made their recommendations, the patients were randomly assigned to receive a treatment. (EurekAlert!)
Allon Files CTA to Add Canadian Sites to Phase II Clinical Trial Aug 2, 2006
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(CCNMatthews - Aug. 2, 2006) - Allon Therapeutics Inc. (TSX: - ), The Neuro Protection Company(TM), today announced that it has filed a Clinical Trial Application (CTA) with Health Canada to gain approval to begin recruiting Canadian patients into its ongoing Phase II human clinical trial evaluating the Company's product AL-208 as a treatment for the mild cognitive impairment that commonly occurs following coronary artery bypass graft (MCI post-CABG) surgery ... The... (CCNMatthews Press Releases)
Hardening of Arteries Significantly Reduced by Vegetable Diet Jun 19, 2006
Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgeryuses a vein from another part of the body to bypass a severely blocked coronary artery. PREVENTION. (SeniorJournal.com)
Case School Of Engineering Professor Applies Virtual Reality To Train Brain And Heart Surgeons Mar 3, 2006
" Another undertaking Cavusoglu's "robotic beating heart surgery" project is also advancing surgical science. In a joint program with the University of California at Berkeley funded by the National Science Foundation, Cavusoglu and several Case doctoral students are building a prototype robot that will allow surgeons to routinely perform open surgery on a beating rather than a stopped heart, minimizing risk to the patient. Designed to stabilize and track the heart's motion, the robot would... (Science Daily)
State makes push for death rate data Feb 19, 2006
It is noteworthy and gratifying that this surgeon has had no CABG (coronary artery bypass graft) mortalities thus far in 2005," according to a report sent to the health department on Dec. 28, 2005. The department asked the hospital for information on Dec. 19, after being notified by the hospital of its 2004 mortality rate, Dreyer said.The January report referred to Moses as ''an outlier surgeon," a term Moses' lawyer, Paul Cirel, objected to in an interview. He said the hospital found no... (Boston Globe)
FDA's Public Health Advisory for Trasylol - full coverage Feb 9, 2006
On January 26, 2006, The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published an article by Mangano et al. reporting an association of Trasylol (aprotinin injection) with serious renal toxicity and ischemic events (myocardial infarction and stroke) in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG) ... The study reported in the NEJM was an observational study of patients undergoing CABG who received either Trasylol, one of two other drugs intended to decrease peri-operative... (Food Consumer)
Stereotypical Attitudes Lead to Health Inequities Jan 7, 2006
Dr. Michele van Ryn from University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, and colleagues evaluated the factors associated with whether or not doctors recommended coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) for heart patients ... Only 21 percent of black men were recommended for CABG, the investigators report, compared with 40 percent of white and Hispanic men ... Physicians' recommendation for CABG was significantly associated with their perception that the patient wanted a physically active... (MEDLINEplus)
