2012 Top 10 Advances in Heart Disease and Stroke Research

DALLAS, Dec. 17, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Resuscitation, cell regeneration, a new high blood pressure treatment and developments in devices for treating stroke are among the key scientific findings that make up this year's top cardiovascular and stroke research identified by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.

"At this time of year, it's gratifying to reflect on scientific progress in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and stroke," said Donna Arnett, Ph.D., president of the American Heart Association. "Cardiovascular disease research is truly helping people lead longer, healthier lives and the American Heart Association is pleased to be at the forefront of supporting, promoting and translating many important discoveries into practice."

The association has been compiling an annual list of the top 10 major advances in heart disease and stroke research since 1996.

The association's top research advances for 2012 include:

1. Extended CPR saves lives

The effect of the duration of CPR on meaningful recovery is uncertain. A study of hospitals using the Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation quality improvement program found survival was higher for cardiac arrest patients who received CPR for a longer amount of time. Patients at hospitals with the longest median duration of 25 minutes for resuscitation efforts had a 12 percent higher likelihood of being revived compared with patients at hospitals with the shortest median time of 16 minutes. Patients who survived after longer efforts did not appear to have substantially worse neurological function vs. patients who responded early. This study's unique findings raise critical questions about resuscitation duration and have the potential to change medical practice.

Goldberger, et al: Duration of resuscitation efforts and survival after in-hospital cardiac arrest: an observational study. Lancet 380:1473-1481, 2012. http://www.thelancet.com.

Funding: American Heart Association, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the NIH.

2. Converting "non-beating" heart cells into "beating" heart cells

Myogenesis (methods for growing new heart muscle) is an emerging frontier, with promise that robust approaches can be found to replace heart muscle lost or injured in heart attacks or other disorders, or not appropriately formed as is the case with some types of congenital heart disease.

View post:
2012 Top 10 Advances in Heart Disease and Stroke Research