Cardiovascular

Update from heart transplant recipient Alyssa Sandeen’s family: Alyssa Sandeen, 23, of Mankato, Minn., who received her second heart transplant on Thursday, June 27, is doing well, according to her father, Chris, and her surgeon, Richard Daly, M.D.  Alyssa remains in the intensive care unit at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., which Dr. Daly says is to be expected at this point in her recovery. This is Alyssa’s second heart transplant. She received her first heart transplant when she was 8 years old, and at age 19 she received a kidney from her mother, Lisa. Dr. Daly and Alyssa’s parents continue to express gratitude to the family of Alyssa’s donor. Chris Sandeen says, “Without organ donors Alyssa wouldn't be here. We are so grateful.” People across the world have been following Alyssa’s story on her Facebook page, Alyssa Sandeen Is A Blessing. Her family will update followers on the page, as well as Alyssa’s CaringBridge page. Journalist Note: The Sandeen family is working with Mayo Clinic to release periodic updates. Sound bites with Chris Sandeen and Dr. Daly are available in the downloads.   http://youtu.be/ZraOsOLLjic

THIS WEEK'S TOP STORY Heart attack symptoms: Know what's a medical emergency Watch for these heart attack symptoms EXPERT ANSWERS Tanning beds: Safer than the sun? Tanning beds don't offer a safe alternative to natural sunlight HEALTHY RECIPES Red, white and blue parfait Ginger-marinated grilled portobello mushrooms Chicken and coleslaw wrap Tasty apple pie HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK Treat mosquito bites Bitten by one of those pesky little bloodsuckers? Don't scratch. Apply a hydrocortisone cream, calamine lotion or a paste. To make a paste, take about 1 teaspoon (about 5 milliliters) of water and mix with an equal volume of dry meat tenderizer. Apply several times a day until your symptoms subside. A cold pack or baggie filled with crushed ice may help too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXOEeZAVtvw&feature=youtu.be&hd=1 Alyssa Sandeen, 23, of Mankato, Minn., received a heart transplant on Thursday, June 27; she has been hospitalized at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., since November 2012. “We are very happy for her, to get this second chance – this gift of life,” said Alyssa’s dad, Chris Sandeen, less than 24 hours after her transplant. This is Alyssa’s second heart transplant. She received her first heart transplant when she was 8 years old. At age 19, she received a kidney from her mother, Lisa. Richard Daly, M.D., Alyssa’s heart transplant surgeon, said today that Alyssa’s new heart is working well and her vital signs are very good. He cautioned, though, that it is too early to make predictions on her recovery. Dr. Daly and Alyssa’s parents expressed gratitude to the family of Alyssa’s donor. “Without organ donors, Alyssa wouldn’t be here,” Chris Sandeen said. “We are so grateful.” Many people across the world have been following Alyssa’s story on her Facebook page, Alyssa Sandeen Is A Blessing and her family will update followers on the page, as well as Alyssa’s CaringBridge page.   Journalists: The next media update will be posted the week of Monday, July 1.  Sound bites with Chris Sandeen are in the downloads. B-roll and sound bites from an interview with Alyssa taped in Feb. 2013 are also available in the downloads

In a world where some research findings take a decade or more to surface in the world of patients, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is trying to whittle that time of translation down to a single year. That includes several rounds of preclinical studies and then a phase one clinical trial to determine efficacy by the end of the twelve months.  Jordan Miller, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic researcher in surgery and physiology, says, “This is highly significant, not only because of the speed of the process, but the impact that it may have on prolonging lives. We have a year to determine if there’s a positive change in experimental models and in patients. If so, we move on with more studies.” Mayo Clinic is one of only nine awardees of a new type of research grant, one that takes an existing but unused drug from a participating pharmaceutical company and studies it for a different disease or condition.  

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I just read that the treadmill stress test is no longer recommended. What’s the reasoning behind this? I’ve had the test before, and it seems like a good way to find heart problems. ANSWER: A treadmill stress test can be helpful if a doctor suspects someone has heart problems or if a person is at high risk for heart disease. However, this test is no longer recommended for people at low risk for heart disease who do not have symptoms. For that group, the test is not needed because assessing risk factors such as age, smoking, cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes and family history has been shown to be nearly as effective in identifying an individual’s potential for heart disease. A treadmill stress test gathers information about how well your heart works as you exercise. Because exercise makes your heart pump harder and faster than it does during most daily activities, the test may be able to reveal problems within your heart that might not be noticeable otherwise.

THIS WEEK'S TOP STORY Travel workout: Fitness tips for business travelers When you're traveling for work, you can stick to your fitness routine. Use these simple travel workout tips to maintain your fitness program. Expert Answers Belly fat in men: Why weight loss matters Belly fat in women: Taking — and keeping — it off Menopause weight gain: Stop the middle-aged spread Prescription weight-loss drugs: Can they help you? Fight stress with restorative sleep HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK Fitness tips for menopause: Why fitness counts  Regular physical activity is crucial for women facing menopause. The benefits are many, including preventing weight gain, reducing the risk of breast cancer, strengthening bones and boosting your mood.

In the largest study of its kind, Mayo Clinic researchers found that people who have obstructive sleep apnea – when a person stops breathing ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIrgp_d7zmA Mayo Clinic is announcing the first stem cell clinical trial for pediatric congenital heart disease in the United States. The trial aims to determine ...

Common over-the-counter pain relievers, like ibuprofen, may raise your risk of having a heart attack. That's the finding in a new report in the respected medical journal The Lancet. The review boiled down hundreds of earlier studies that followed more than 350,000 patients. It found that people taking four 200 milligram ibuprofen pills three times a day for a year, a common dosage for arthritis patients,  increased their risk of heart attack significantly. Mayo Clinic cardiovascular specialist Stephen Kopecky, M.D., says it's something doctors have known about for years.  Similar concerns lead to the banning of certain brand name Cox-2 inhibitor pain medications in 2004. However, Dr. Kopecky (ko PET skee) says the lack of lawsuits against generic drug manufacturers has allowed over-the-counter pain relievers to avoid the same scrutiny.  Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Kopecky are available in the downloads.

Peripheral arterial disease is a common circulation problem in which reduced blood flow can lead to complications that jeopardize the limbs, possibly even requiring amputation. ...

THIS WEEK'S TOP STORY Oral health: A window to your overall health Taking care of your oral health is an investment in your overall health. Here's why. Expert Answers When to brush your teeth Oral health: Brush up on dental care basics Video: What happens during obstructive sleep apnea? Heart attack Dust mite allergy HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK Organic foods: What the labels mean If you're interested in buying organic food products, make sure you understand the labels and what they mean: 100 percent organic. This means the product is completely organic or made of all organic ingredients. These may carry a small U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic seal. Organic. This means that at least 95 percent of the ingredients are organically produced. These products can also carry the USDA seal. Made with organic ingredients. This means that the food product contains at least 70 percent organic ingredients. These can't carry the USDA seal.

Using a one-of-a-kind computer-aided program, Mayo Clinic has developed and implemented a Mayo-wide electronic warning system to identify patients at risk of QT-related deaths from an abnormality in the ...