 Flu Shots Tied to Lower Risk of Cardiac Events
Influenza vaccination was associated with a reduced risk of major adverse cardiovascular events among patients at high risk for heart disease, a meta-analysis showed.
In pooled results from five published, randomized trials, the event rate in the first year of follow-up was 2.9% in those who received flu vaccine and 4.7% in those who didn't (risk ratio 0.64, 95% CI 0.48-0.86), according to Jacob Udell, MD, MPH, of the University of Toronto, and colleagues.
And the apparent benefit was even greater among those with a history of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the year before randomization (RR 0.45, 95% CI 0.32-0.63), the researchers reported in the Oct. 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. FULL STORY»
Protocol Speeds ED Discharge for Chest Pain
A 2-hour diagnostic protocol for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the emergency department boosted early discharge of low-risk patients, a trial showed.
Almost twice as many patients appropriately went home within 6 hours when assessed with the protocol for discharge if the modified Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (MI) score was zero, and 0- and 2-hour electrocardiography and troponin tests came back negative compared with standard assessment using prolonged observation with the troponin test at 6 to 12 hours after onset of pain. FULL STORY» |
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