Suffering from cardiac arrest while staying in a hospital might be more deadly than receiving such a fit at a crowded airport, according to a new study.
Being a nurse, I find this hard to believe. I would think that we would respond quicker and get CPR and an ET tube in place quicker than an innocent bystander looking for the AED on the wall. I can not remember more than a 3-4 minute lag or down time for any code situation that I have ever personally been involved in. And what if the person needs to be trached or …read more

I am asking for your expertise and experiences tonight! Has anyone out there tried the Chantix drug to cease their nasty ol’ smoking habit? I know that with every single cardiac patient we do the whole stop smoking spiel and are now offering up a huge number of prescriptions for this “magic” little medicine.
I am curious if number one it worked for you? Number two… any side effects or issues with it? I have seen a lot, and I mean a lot, of patients lately having anxiety and severe panic attacks, heart palpitations and that isn’t even the tip of …read more

The future of heart surgery may involve this little caterpillar-like robot called HeartLander. It inches along on the surface of your heart and is capable of performing:

ablation for atrial fibrillation
lead placement for biventricular pacing
delivery of myocardial regenerative treatments

Watch the videos and learn more at Guardian Unlimited. Is it just me or does it look really huge and awkward stomping on the pig heart?!

Need an organ transplant? All it takes is money and the willingness to take risks. Buying an organ, however, doesn’t guarantee a long, healthy life. I’d be afraid of any infectious diseases that may come from purchased organs but sometimes you have to choose the lesser of two evils. Here’s how much a heart would cost you in various countries around the world.

Colombia – $90,000
China – $130,000 – 160,000
South Africa – $290,000
South Korea – $290,000
Taiwan – $290,000
Singapore – $290,000

I wonder why the most common price is $290,000. Perhaps a body broker effect.
via Wired

Welcome to Saturday! Seems like it would be an appropriate time to let you know that if you can control yourself, don’t have a heart attack this weekend. Come to think of it, if you can control yourself that well, don’t have a heart attack at all.
A study of New Jersey hospitals between 1987 and 2002 has found that heart-attack patients on the weekends were more likely to die one day after admission. The effect continued at one month, six months, and a year later. One reason given for their higher mortality rate is that doctors are less …read more

Today at Genetics and Health, I’ve got an interview with ER nurse Kim McAllister of Emergiblog. In the interview, we talked about Beatrice Vance, the woman who died of a heart attack while waiting in her local hospital’s emergency room. Come take a look to see what Kim thinks of the tragic situation.

Our second letter in the Dear Doctor series comes from Aaron Brazell, tech manager extraordinaire who hasn’t got a minute to spare.
Dear Doctor,
Why do you make me wait to see you? Don’t you know my time is as valuable as yours?
Aaron
/me gets out the time calculator
Have you got a Dear Doctor letter to share? Email me!

Grand Rounds Vol. 2, Number 50 is up today at Clinical Cases and Images. Dr. Wes contributed a post about cardiologist Dr. B and his counterintuitive approach to heart disease. I won’t spoil it by posting an excerpt here although it’s a definite must-read for anyone wondering about death by heart disease or cancer.
Dr. Wes: Perfecting Social Graces

Dr. Tara Smith at Aetiology is hosting this week’s Grand Rounds Vol 2 (33). As a fellow epidemiologist, I couldn’t be more impressed by Aetiology. If all public health practitioners could communicate as well as Tara, we would hardly have the confusion over what’s safe or dangerous, healthy or not.

In case you had any doubts about the trustworthiness of information here at A Hearty Life, I have previously posted a full disclosure all about me and this blog. This blog is also listed in the Genetics and Health Honor Roll. Now, an independent body, the Health On the Net Foundation has certified A Hearty Life to adhere to their code of conduct for medical and health websites. You can see the seal in the sidebar.
For other health and medical bloggers interested in becoming certified, I’d recommend answering the full disclosure questions needed to join the G&H Honor …read more