Staffers and volunteers at the American Heart Association have compiled a list of what they believe were the most major advances in heart disease and stroke research in 2015.
The list includes a groundbreaking study that showed aggressive high blood pressure treatment could save lives; a study that indicated a therapy typically used to treat Type 2 diabetes could also be used to reduce heart complication-related deaths; and a program using stent retrievers could treat effects of severe strokes.
Also on the list were a new class of drugs to treat patients for high cholesterol that professionals called the most effective in many years; a study that showed CPR with rescue breaths could produce better outcomes than compression-only CPR; new research proving the burning of extra tissue during ablation to treat persistent atrial fibrillation was not always necessary; and a group of lifestyle studies focusing on the importance of total health and how it decreases the risk of heart disease.
The last stories on the list are about overlooked genetic snippets that may be helpful in controlling cholesterol and fat levels in the blood; a study that showed bridging before surgery was not necessary for the majority of patients with atrial fibrillation; and the process for the approval of dissolving heart stents, which are proceeding through clinical trials.
Detailed stories about each advance can be viewed at www.heart.org.
