`Off hours` limit access to AED`s in cardiac arrest

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http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/811211?nlid=33911_1985&src=wnl_edit_medn_card&uac=81911MR&spon=2

From 1994 to 2011, there were 1864 cardiac arrests in public locations. Of these cardiac arrests, 62% occurred on weekends, in the evening, or during the     night.

Regardless of the accessibility of AEDs, nearly 30% of all cardiac arrests occurred within 100 m of a public defibrillator. Similarly, 30.5% of cardiac     arrests during workday hours occurred within 100 m of an AED, as did 27.8% of all cardiac arrests occurring in the evening, during the night, and on     weekends. “Thus, assuming all AEDs were accessible 24 hours per day, seven days a week, nearly 30% of all cardiac arrests in public locations could be     reached by an AED within a few minutes on weekdays and weekends,” report the investigators.

However, of the 537 cardiac arrests that occurred within 100 m of an AED, there was no access to the device in 180 cases. During workday hours, the limited     accessibility to the AEDs decreased coverage of the cardiac arrests by 4.1%. During the evening, night-time, and weekend hours, limited accessibility to the     devices reduced coverage of the cardiac arrests by 53.4%.

Happy hearts: Positivity plus exercise linked to lower CVD mortality

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http://www.theheart.org/article/1582941.do?utm_medium=email&utm_source=20130916_heartwire&utm_campaign=newsletter

Patients with higher levels of positive affect, which reflects a pleasurable response to the environment and typically includes feelings of happiness, joy, excitement, contentment and enthusiasm, had a 42% lower risk of all-cause mortality at five years and were 50% more likely to participate in an exercise program than those with lower levels of positive affect.

Researchers: Protein Linked to Sudden Cardiac Death

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http://www.newsday.com/news/health/researchers-protein-linked-to-sudden-cardiac-death-1.6032402

Sudden cardiac death most often strikes in the morning, between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., followed by a smaller peak in the late afternoon. Scientists have long believed that there’s a link between sudden cardiac death, the leading cause of heart attacks, and people’s circadian rhythm, the 24-hour body clock in the brain that regulates sleep cycles.

It turns out that people with low KLF15 levels are the ones that are most susceptible to these sudden-death episodes that occur in the early morning hours

5 Keys to Success for Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Programmes

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http://ohsonline.com/articles/2013/08/21/5-keys-to-success-for-automated-external-defibrillator.aspx?admgarea=news

Why It Matters Quick and appropriate response to cardiac arrest using an AED and performing CPR can significantly improve the chances for survival. In some workplace locations, success rates approach 60% versus 7-10% typically found when employees have to wait for EMS response prior to receiving early defibrillation

Risk of heart attack high for fit middle-aged men

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http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/07/30/risk-heart-attack-high-fit-middle-aged-men

Although daily physical activity has benefits and can prevent and treat many diseases, including heart disease and obesity, researchers now suspect there may be a point at which too much exertion can become dangerous, even deadly, especially for middle-aged men.

The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, states that a person is seven times more likely to have heart problems while exercising than at rest.

Fast heart rate, a ticking time bomb!

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http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/806498_1?nlid=31971_325

In middle-aged and elderly subjects with no apparent heart disease, all measures of increased Heart Rate are associated with increased mortality and Cardio Vascular risk; however, night-time HR has the strongest prognostic value. The clinical implications based on this study could be a greater attention to night-time HR and the possibility of intervention based on its value.

 

 

Tea and coffee lower blood pressure, good news for caffeine lovers!!

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http://www.theheart.org/article/1553207.do?utm_medium=email&utm_source=20130619_heartwire&utm_campaign=newsletter

After adjustments to the French research the study that included these and other potential confounding variables, found both coffee and tea consumption was associated with a significant reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as other variables