Heart failure treatment Entresto recommended for approval in Europe Entresto, a combination of valsartan and sacubitril, could receive a marketing authorisation after a recommendation from the European Medicines Agency.…
England’s MOT health test for people aged 40-74 years is ineffective, say researchers The NHS health check programme is ineffective and wastes £450m a year that could be better spent promoting healthy eating, according to research published in the Journal of Public Health. …
Lowering target systolic blood pressure to 120mmHg could reduce rates of cardiovascular disease A target systolic blood pressure of 120mmHg — rather than 140mmHg — reduces rates of cardiovascular disease and risk of death in hypertensive patients aged 50 years and over, a study shows.…
Non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome: an update Risk stratification and ongoing care is important in non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome, the new collective term for unstable angina and non-ST elevation myocardial infarction.…
Low dose beta blockers as effective as high dose after heart attack Patients who received target doses of beta blocker therapy after a heart attack did not have improved survival over patients receiving lower doses, finds new research.…
PCSK9 inhibitors herald new era of cholesterol lowering The launch of the first cholesterol-lowering drug since statins could herald a whole new approach to preventing heart disease.…
Tranexamic acid can cut the need for blood transfusions after surgery A hospital reduced the need for red blood cell transfusions by 40% for patients undergoing a full knee or hip replacement when they routinely gave them tranexamic acid, according to new research.…
Stopping antihypertensives does not slow cognitive decline in older patients In patients over 75 years, low blood pressure can worsen cognitive decline, but researchers found that stopping antihypertensives did not help.…
Midday nappers have lower blood pressure levels and take fewer medications Research examining the lifestyle habits of hypertensive patients in Greece has suggested that taking a nap can improve blood pressure.…
Sacubitril/valsartan combination fast-tracked to heart failure patients A drug to reduce the risk of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in adults with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction is being fast-tracked to patients under the UK’s Early Access to Medicines Scheme.…