Do heart attack treatments change depending where you live?

Source: British Heart Foundation

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Date of publication: July 2016

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell: The care that you receive after a heart attack will vary greatly depending on where you live, a 10-year-long study suggested today.

This variation in care was largely due to differences in the delivery of heart attack treatments between hospitals.

The most frequently missed interventions were dietary advice, advice to help people to stop smoking and the prescription of a type of anti-clotting drug known as P2Y12 inhibitors, such as clopidogrel when indicated, which was associated with potentially avoidable deaths.

Some regions are only providing optimal care in just over 10 per cent of cases, the study funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) found.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS library if you cannot access the full text. Follow this link to find your local NHS library.

Acknowledgement:    British Heart Foundation

Will listening to Mozart reduce your blood pressure?

Source: British Heart Foundation

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Date of publication: June 2016

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell: A small study has found that listening to Mozart for 25 minutes could reduce your blood pressure. Is it time for doctors to prescribe a daily dose of classical music? We look behind the headlines.

The research, published in the journal Deutsches Arzteblatt International found that listening to music by Mozart (pictured) and Strauss for 25 minutes lowered both systolic blood pressure (this is when your heart contracts and blood is forced through the arteries) and diastolic blood pressure (when the heart is at rest between beats). If they regularly listened to Mozart, Strauss or ABBA it still reduced their blood pressure in the study.

However, it’s important to note that this study was very small – it looked at just 120 people, of which half were the control group who didn’t listen to music, so only 20 people were in each group that listened to each musician (Mozart, Strauss, or ABBA).

Length of publication: 1 webpage

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS library if you cannot access the full text. Follow this link to find your local NHS library.

Acknowledgement:    British Heart Foundation

Study finds link between saturated fats and early death

Source: NHS Choices – Behind the Headlines

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Date of publication: July 2016

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell: A major study involving more than 80,000 women would seem to contradict recent high-profile reports that a diet rich in saturated fat is safe.

The latest – a long-term study conducted in the US including more than 120,000 people – found that swapping saturated fat and / or trans fats for polyunsaturated fat such as olive oil could reduce the risk of dying by 27%.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS library if you cannot access the full text. Follow this link to find your local NHS library.

Acknowledgement:    NHS Choices – Behind the Headlines

Study says there’s no link between cholesterol and heart disease

Source: NHS Choices – Behind the Headlines

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Date of publication: June 2016

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell: “Controversial report claims there’s no link between ‘bad cholesterol’ and heart disease,” the Daily Mail reports, while The Times states: “Bad cholesterol ‘helps you live longer’,”.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS library if you cannot access the full text. Follow this link to find your local NHS library.

Acknowledgement:    NHS Choices – Behind the Headlines

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