National organizations, state governments and local communities have attempted to battle out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) by supporting public awareness and improving preparedness, most notably through CPR training and use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs). A recent study—published online July 31 in Resuscitation, the journal of the European Resuscitation Council—examined the effectiveness of the Minnesota Heart Safe Communities program.

New-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) demonstrate long-term safety in women with acute myocardial ischemia (MI), with increased benefits for more severe cases of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), according to a new study.

For the first time, researchers have employed local gene therapy to boost myocardial blood flow in areas that have impaired perfusion reserves. They have also determined that elevated plasma Lp(a) can serve as a biomarker to identify those individuals with refractory angina (RA) who can benefit from the experimental therapy, gene transfer of VEGF-DΔNΔC.

A registry analysis found that approximately one-third of patients who currently have acute coronary syndrome would have qualified for the IMPROVE-IT trial, which enrolled patients between 2005 and 2010.

Several medical societies recently released updated appropriate use criteria (AUC) for coronary revascularization in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS).