From a heart healthy diet to surgery deaths
Hamilton study finds surgical patients being let down after they leave the operating room
Heart healthy diet
Updated recommendations for a heart healthy diet have been created by Hamilton researchers.
The guidelines were developed using several large global studies involving about 240,000 people from more than 50 countries by the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences.
It’s significant because previous recommendations were developed as much as 30 years ago and focused on high-income countries.
The new updated approach, discussed Aug. 28 at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Germany, applies to people around the world.
The work was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, PHRI, several pharmaceutical companies and health agencies or ministries of over 40 countries.
World Health Organization recommendations based on the Hamilton study can be found at www.who.int/en/news-room
Surgery deaths
Surgical patients are being let down after they leave the operating room, concludes a Hamilton study.
One in 56 patients in the study died within 30 days of noncardiac surgery found the researchers from the Population Health Research Institute of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences.
Almost all of the deaths occurred after leaving the operating room and one-quarter took place after discharge from the hospital.
More than 40,000 patients aged 45 or older from 14 countries were included in the study discussed Aug. 27 at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Germany.
The results showed most of the deaths were linked to cardiovascular causes. Other top complications were major bleeding and sepsis.
The study is significant because it shows cardiologists have a major role to play in improving patient safety including conducting tests to identify patients at risk and giving them treatment to prevent abnormal heart rhythms and blood clots, as well as lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
Funding came from Roche Diagnostics, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, the Academic Health Science Centres Alternative Funding Plan Innovation Fund Ontario, the Ontario government, PHRI, McMaster University, HHS and universities, and ministries and health agencies from a number of countries.
Cancer warning
Hamilton researchers warn that heart patients with major internal bleeding are substantially more likely to be diagnosed with cancer.
The COMPASS study of more than 27,000 patients in 33 countries concludes doctors should search for cancer when cardiovascular patients on blood thinners develop major gastrointestinal or genitourinary bleeding.
More than one in 10 patients with major bleeding were subsequently diagnosed with cancer, conclude researchers at the Population Health Research Institute of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences.
And more than 20 per cent of new cancer diagnosis were in patients who experienced bleeding revealed the results of the trial sponsored by Bayer AG and discussed Aug. 26 at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Germany.
It’s significant because it could potentially save lives if bleeding unmasks cancer.
Preventing dementia
McMaster University researchers have discovered unknown brain damage in four out of 10 patients with atrial fibrillation but no history of stroke.
The results could explain the association between dementia and atrial fibrillation found the research done in partnership with Swiss scientists.
The observational study of 2,415 Swiss patients aged 65 and older aims to understand why the quivering or irregular heartbeat increases the risk of cognitive dysfunction.
The answer could be that the brain damage triggers the cognitive decline, concludes the research funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and presented Aug. 26 at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Germany.
It’s significant because the results could be a first step toward developing ways to prevent dementia in atrial fibrillation patients
Managing chronic disease
How, when and where health care is delivered needs to change to improve treatment for the 43 per cent of Canadian seniors living with two or more chronic diseases, according to research involving McMaster University scientists.
Who is delivering the care also needs adjusting found the study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal Aug. 27.
Just over half of seniors with multiple chronic diseases receive appropriate care, despite being at increased risk for adverse outcomes and more frequent hospital visits. In addition, management of their conditions often focuses on only one disease.
Very little is known about the potential impact of interventions for managing multiple chronic diseases and no reviews have focused exclusively on seniors.
The researchers, funded by the provincial government, conducted a systematic review and metaanalysis to address these gaps by identifying what strategies work best.