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A proportion of unexplained foetal deaths may be linked to mutations associated with susceptibility to long QT syndrome (LQTS), according to a study¹ published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Patients admitted as emergencies should only transfer out of the acute medical unit to a ward area that has facilities to meet their clinical needs, according to a new toolkit, launched recently by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) for the recognition and care of seriously ill patients.

A new stress test protocol that investigates reducing the use of perfusion imaging in low risk patients undergoing single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging for possible angina symptoms was found to be diagnostically safe in a study¹ reported at the International Conference on Nuclear Cardiology and Cardiac CT (ICNC11), held in Berlin, Germany, May 5–May 8.

Demanding physical work has a detrimental effect on an individual’s risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to two studies presented at this year’s EuroPRevent 2013 congress.

The brakes should be put on plans for routine dementia screening, according to a recent announcement from Dr Chris Fox (Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, UK) at a TEDMED Live healthcare conference in Bristol.

Long-term exposure to fine particle matter (PM) air pollution, in part derived from traffic pollution, is associated with atherosclerosis independent of traffic noise, according to a study¹ presented at the EuroPRevent 2013 congress in Rome.

Hospital episode statistics can be used as an effective outcome measure in the epidemiology of circulatory disease, according to a study¹ published recently in Clinical Epidemiology. The study also asserts the potential importance of physical inactivity in the disease process.

A new heart valves framework agreement has been launched recently by NHS Supply Chain, to coincide with the British Heart Foundation’s National Heart Month.

The lack of quinidine accessibility in many countries is a serious medical hazard at the global level, probably related to serious arrhythmias, according to a study¹ published recently in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

A practical guide on the use of the new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) has been produced by the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The guide aims to summarise existing information on different drugs, to answer clinical questions that fall outside what drug companies can legally answer, and to make distinctions between the different drugs.