Climbing above 4,000 meters can provoke abnormal heart rhythms in otherwise healthy mountaineers, with the abnormalities increasing with altitude, new research has shown.

More than 80 percent of stroke patients with a history of atrial fibrillation either received not enough or no anticoagulation therapy prior to having a stroke, according to a Duke Clinical Research Institute study. This revelation comes despite the drugs’ proven record of reducing stroke risk.

A new research study by the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute assesses relationships between county-level variation in Medicare beneficiary imaging resource consumption and measures of population economic status. The study, published online in the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR), found that in the Medicare population, imaging utilization and costs vary greatly at the county level, and far more than at the state level.

The most prevalent method for obtaining images of clogged coronary vessels is coronary angiography. For some patients, however, the contrast agents used in this process can cause health problems. A team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now demonstrated that the required quantity of these substances can be significantly reduced if monoenergetic X-rays from a miniature particle accelerator are used.

Metro Detroit cardiologists from five health systems have joined together to increase residents’ survival rate from heart attacks.