Study shows
evidence that BP should be measured in both arms
Washington: A new study has suggested that there is an
association between a difference in interarm systolic blood pressure and a
significant increased risk for future cardiovascular events, leading
researchers to recommend expanded clinical use of interarm blood pressure
measurement.
Measuring interarm blood pressure involves taking two
readings, one for each arm.
Increased interarm systolic blood pressure differences are
defined as 10 mmHg or greater, and while a link between interarm blood pressure
and cardiovascular risk was suspected, little data existed to support the
hypothesis until now.
The new study, led by Ido Weinberg, MD, Institute for Heart
Vascular and Stroke Care, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, examined
3,390 participants aged 40 years and older from the Framingham Heart Study.
All subjects were free of cardiovascular disease at
baseline, but investigators found that participants with higher interarm
systolic blood pressure differences were at a much higher risk for future
cardiovascular events than those with less than a 10 mm Hg difference between
arms.
Researchers also found that participants with elevated
interarm blood pressure difference were older, had a greater prevalence of
diabetes mellitus, higher systolic blood pressure, and a higher total
cholesterol level.
The study is published in the American Journal of
Medicine.
26.02.2014
3D-printed
heart aids life-saving surgery on US baby
Washington:
A newly developed 3D-printed heart has helped doctors perform a life-saving
heart surgery on a 14-month old infant in the US.
Researchers
from the University of Louisville and Kosair Children's Hospital created a 3D
printed model of the organ 1.5 times its actual size that helped the surgeons
to prepare for the surgery.
Built
in three pieces using a flexible filament, the printing reportedly took around
20 hours and cost USD 600.
Roland
Lian Cung Bawi of Owensboro, Kentucky, was born with four congenital heart
defects and his doctors were looking for greater insights into his condition
prior to a February 10 operation.
Philip
Dydynski, chief of radiology at Kosair Children's Hospital wondered if a 3D
model of the child's heart could be constructed using a template created by
images from a CT scan to allow doctors to better plan and prepare for his
surgery.
The
result was a model heart 1.5 times the size of the child's.
Once
the model was built, Erle Austin III, cardiothoracic surgeon at Louisville, was
able to develop a surgical plan and complete the heart repair with only one
operation.
"I
found the model to be a game changer in planning to do surgery on a complex
congenital heart defect," he said.
Roland
was released from Kosair Children's Hospital on February 14. His prognosis is
good, doctors said.
26.02.2014
The
problem is not the problem, the problem is our attitude about the problem
Jack Sparrow
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