Text messages are saving Swedes from cardiac arrest

Sweden has found a faster way to treat people experiencing cardiac emergencies through a text message and a few thousand volunteers. A program called SMSlivräddare - or SMSLifesaver - solicits people who have been trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). When a Stockholm resident dials 112 for emergency services, a text message is sent to all volunteers within 500 meters of the person in need. The volunteer then arrives at the location within the crucial first minutes to perform lifesaving CPR. The odds for surviving cardiac arrest drop 10% for every minute it takes first responders to arrive. "The traditional emergency services, especially the ambulance - they have problems in the Stockholm area," said Dr. Mårten Rosenqvist, a professor of cardiology and spokesman for the group. "First there are not so many, second there is heavy traffic in Stockholm, and third, they are usually occupied by doing other things: transporting patients to the emergency room, or transporting patients between hospitals." With ambulance resources stretched thin, the average response time is some eight minutes, allowing SMSlivräddare volunteers to reach victims before ambulances in 54% of cases

Food binge may cause long-term body fat increase (Sweden)

"A moment on the lips can actually mean a lifetime on the hips, according to Swedish researchers, who found that binging on food seems to have a long term effect on body weight. People who gorged on fast food for four weeks and did little exercise put on an average of 6.4kg of weight. Two years later, signs of increased body fat were still apparent, says the Linkoping University study. The Swedish researchers studied a group of 18 adults with an average age of 26. During the study, the details of which were published in the journal Nutrition & Metabolism, the 18 participants had their physical activity limited to 5,000 steps per day, considered to be tantamount to a sedentary lifestyle"

New treatment method in sight in cardiac surgery (Sweden)

"A joint clinical trial conducted by the University Hospital and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, found that an element in human blood, fibrinogen, is likely more vital to the blood's clotting ability in connection with heart surgery than previously considered. If the patients also receive a dose of fibrinogen prior to the procedure, this reduces the risk of haemorrhage during and after surgery. These results may open the door to new strategies in reducing bleeding complications in cardiac surgery. Each year over 7,000 Swedes undergo open-heart surgery, most commonly a coronary artery bypass or a valve replacement. It's a major procedure during which the heart and lungs are stopped and their functions are temporarily replaced by a heart-lung machine, or CPB pump." - Science Centric

People with fewer teeth prone to die of heart disease: study (Sweden)

"People with dented smiles run a far greater risk of dying of heart disease than those who still have all their pearly whites, a Swedish researcher said Monday. "Cardiovascular disease and in particular coronary heart disease is closely related to the number of teeth" that a person has left, Anders Holmlund told AFP, explaining the results of a Swedish study to be published in the Journal of Periodontology. "A person with fewer than 10 of their own teeth has a seven times higher risk for death by coronary heart disease than a person of the same age and of the same sex with more than 25 teeth left," Holmlund said. Although many studies published in the past 15 years have showed a link between oral health and cardiovascular disease, Holmlund's study shows a direct relationship between cardiovascular disease and the number of teeth in a person's mouth. The study, conducted with colleagues Gunnar Holm and Lars Lind, surveyed 7,674 women and men, most suffering from periodontal disease, for an average of 12 years, and examined the cause of death of the 629 people who died during the period. For 299 of the subjects, the cause of death was cardiovascular disease" - AFP

Overweight men at higher risk of heart attack, stroke, premature death (Sweden)

"Overweight or obese middle-aged men are at a higher risk of heart attack, stroke and premature death - even if they don't have the metabolic syndrome, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. 'Previous studies have put forward the existence of a 'metabolically healthy' subgroup of obese individuals who are at no increased cardiovascular risk, but if you follow them long enough, you find out there appears to be no such thing as metabolically healthy obesity,' said Johan Ärnlöv, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of cardiovascular epidemiology at Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden. When previous studies have examined the occurrence of heart disease risk with obesity and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) - a cluster of risk factors associated with the development of heart disease and diabetes - obese people without MetS have not portrayed an increased risk. However, these studies followed people for 13 years or less and it is possible that the increase in risk in the obese without the MetS becomes more evident after 10-15 years, Ärnlöv said. The current 30-year study involved 1,758 men born between 1920 and 1924 in Uppsala. Each underwent a health evaluation at age 50, and those who had diabetes or had been hospitalized for heart disease were not included"

Cardiovascular fitness may sharpen mind (Sweden)

"A healthy body may be the first step to achieving a healthy mind and appetite for learning. A large new study links cardiovascular fitness in early adulthood to increased intelligence, better performance on cognitive tests, and higher educational achievement later in life. Researchers say the results suggest that promoting physical and cardiovascular fitness as a public health strategy could maximize educational achievement as well as prevent disease at the societal level. "We believe the present results provide scientific support for educational policies to maintain or increase physical education in school curricula as a means to stem the growing trend toward a sedentary lifestyle, which is accompanied by an increased risk for diseases and perhaps intellectual and academic underachievement," write researchers Maria Aberg and colleagues of the University of Gothenburg in Gothenburg, Sweden in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study followed more than 1 million men born in 1950 through 1976 who were enlisted for military service in Sweden at age 18. The sample included 3,147 twin pairs, of which 1,432 were identical. - webMD

Dentists urged to look for cardiac risk (Sweden)

"Dentists can play key roles in identifying people at risk of fatal heart attacks and referring them for further evaluation, doctors in Sweden suggest. Dentists are encouraged to use HeartScore, a computerized system that calculates the risk of a person dying of a heart attack within a 10-year period, the European Society of Cardiology said in a release Thursday. HeartScore measures cardiovascular disease risk in people ages 40-65 by factoring the person's age, sex, blood pressure and smoking status. People with HeartScores of 10 percent or higher, meaning they had at least a 10-percent risk of having a fatal heart attack or stroke within a 10-year period, were told by dentists to see a doctor about their condition. Using HeartScore, which was tested in Sweden, dentists can identify patients who are unaware they need medical intervention, the American Dental Association said in a release Thursday. Dentists "may find themselves in an opportune position to enhance the overall health and well-being of their patients," the association said" - UPI

Chocolate-lovers found to have increased survival rates after heart attack (Sweden)

"In a study that will provide comfort to chocoholics everywhere, researchers in Sweden have found evidence that people who eat chocolate have increased survival rates after a heart attack. And it may be that the more they eat, the better. Scientists followed 1,169 nondiabetic men and women who had been hospitalized for a first heart attack. Each filled out a standardized health questionnaire that included a question about chocolate consumption in the past 12 months. Chocolate contains flavonoid antioxidants that are widely believed to have beneficial cardiovascular effects. The patients had a health examination three months after their discharge from the hospital, and researchers followed them for the next eight years using Swedish national registries of hospitalizations and deaths. After controlling for age, sex, obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, education and other factors, they found that the more chocolate people consumed, the more likely they were to survive. The results are reported in the September issue of The Journal of Internal Medicine." - Sun Sentinel

Sweden to fight ban on tobacco tea bags

Sweden is fighting to end a European ban on "snus", a moist tobacco popular across Scandinavia that is sucked rather than chewed or smoked. The tea bag-like pouches are placed under the user's lip and quickly deliver a nicotine rush to the blood and a strong salt and herbs flavour in the mouth. While cigarette sales have tumbled by 50 per cent in Sweden over the past 30 years, snus is on the up, with sales rising from 2,500 tonnes a year in the 1970s to almost 7,500 tonnes last year. Sweden is the only EU member state where sales are permitted after it obtained an exemption when the European Union banned snus in 1992. Ewa Bjoerling, Sweden's trade minister, said the ban was discriminatory as other forms of "oral" tobacco were allowed. But health experts have warned consuming tobacco in this way is dangerous and highly addictive - Telegraph

Middle-aged women experience more stress but have lower blood pressure (Sweden)

"Both blood pressure and serum lipid levels have improved in Swedish middle-aged women during the past 30 years. Levels of perceived mental stress, however, have increased significantly. These are the of a thesis presented at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The study is part of the Prospective Population Study of Women in Gothenburg, Sweden. This study was initiated at the end of the 1960s, when 1,462 middle-aged women were examined, and interviewed about their lifestyle and other matters. These women have subsequently been followed up into the 21st century, as well as compared with new generations of middle-aged women who have been examined at later dates, as part of the Prospective Population Study" - Science Centric

Taxis in Stockholm to be equipped with defibrillators

"More than 100 Stockholm taxis will be equipped with defibrillators and their drivers trained to help cardiac arrest victims, medical and taxi officials said on Friday. The taxis, which will also respond to emergency calls when they have no customers, are sometimes closer to the scene than an ambulance, according to Jeanette Lindstroem, who heads the project at Stockholm's biggest cab company Taxi Stockholm. "The sooner the patients get help the greater their chances of survival. We are out on the roads 24 hours a day. In the event of an emergency, we can get there quickly and begin life-saving measures," Lindstroem said" - MedIndia

EuroPRevent 2009

EuroPRevent 2009, the congress of the European Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, will this year mark the culmination of a five-year period of heart-healthy political activity in Europe which saw - in 2007 - the presentation of the European Heart Health Charter to the European Parliament. EuroPRevent 2009 will take place at the Stockholmsmassan in Stockholm, Sweden, from 6-9 May 2009

Middle age 'key for exercising'

Increasing activity levels in middle age can prolong life as much as giving up smoking, a study suggests. Swedish researchers from Uppsala University monitored more than 2,200 men from the age of 50. They found those who increased activity levels from 50 to 60 ended up living as long as those who were already exercising regularly by middle age. Public health experts said the findings showed it was never too late to start exercising. - BBC

Ambulance staff draw lots over heart patients - Sweden

Ambulance personnel in Malmö, Sweden, have been instructed to play a game of chance when deciding which treatment to apply to heart attack patients. The swipe of a card will decide how ambulance staff should proceed when treating cardiac arrest patient. Medical personnel will be presented with one of two options: the first will advise them to apply a traditional heart massage treatment; the second will instead recommend the use of a heart massage machine. "Morally, it doesn't feel good," ambulance nurse Björn Jadeland told local newspaper Sydsvenskan. Ambulance staff in the region are participating in a study designed to show whether the heart machine is more effective than humans at saving lives. Heart specialist Johan Silfverstolpe believes the machine, known as Lucas, has the advantage of being able to provide massage treatment for longer periods than ambulance personnel. Asked whether there was a risk that people might die if the card chose the wrong method, Silfverstolpe said: "One has to weigh up the gains from a study with the possible risks to the individual. In the long term we can save lives if we find that Lucas offers a better treatment." - The Local Europe

Bad bosses may damage your heart

Inconsiderate bosses not only make work stressful, they may also increase the risk of heart disease for their employees, experts believe. A Swedish team found a strong link between poor leadership and the risk of serious heart disease and heart attacks among more than 3,000 employed men. And the effect may be cumulative - the risk went up the longer an employee worked for the same company. The study is published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine" - BBC