NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The use of statin (cholesterol lowering agent) by elderly patients suffering from “atherosclerosis” or clogged arteries, remains least favorable despite improvements in the last 10 years, according to a study conducted in Canada.

Many practice guidelines suggest the use of statins in people with atherosclerosis or chronic heart diseases (CHD), but several studies have also shown, under utilization of statins in this context, the researcher noted in the Journal of Vascular Surgery this month.

Dr. Subodh Verma from St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, and colleagues analyzed trends in statin use among elderly patients with atherosclerosis in Ontario. (more…)

Chicago- A new resuscitation technique, which involves a round of two hundred chest compressions prior to a defibrillator shock, can increase the survival rate of persons when they experience a cardiac arrest, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.

In Arizona, rescue teams who employed the new technique of resuscitation on people who have had a cardiac arrest outside the hospital saw the survival rate triple when compared to that of the standard approach.

“Cardiac arrest is extremely common but the survival rate is very low,” said Dr. Bentley Bobrow, whose study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The new study was conducted in two cities in Arizona and it included 2,460 persons who had cardiac arrest outside of the hospital. About 1,799 people received treatment before the emergency personnel got trained in the new technique, which is named as minimally interrupted cardiac resuscitation (MIRC).

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In modern medical research, organ transplantation plays a vital role. Though, it was started stage by stage, it has reached to its pinnacle. Now, you can get your heart, liver and kidney transplanted. Some of the miraculous medical achievements saved many lives around the world. Thanks to the medical community and the facilities provided by the hospitals.

Chinese Surgeons Transplant Heart, Liver, Kidney on Same Patient
Xian (China) Feb 3 (Xinhua) - A team of doctors has successfully carried out heart, liver and kidney transplants on a patient first time in the medical history of the country - A Chinese hospital said.

The operation took about 16 hours to get completed. Dou Kefeng of the Xijing Hospital said, “47-year-old female patient is doing fine”.

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