When The World's First Heart Transplant Operation Was?

Heart transplant operations are not uncommon nowadays. With the current available technology and know-how, performing a heart transplant is not really a big issue, as long as there is suitable organ.

But, do you know when the world’s first heart transplant operation was?

Medical history was indeed rewritten 40 years ago in the middle of the night at a Cape Town hospital. Christiaan Barnard, a South African surgeon, was the very first doctor who carried out the heart transplant.

The patient in the first heart transplant is Louis Washkansky, a 53-year-old diabetic with incurable heart disease who had suffered three heart attacks.

Dr. Barnard had already practised the basic surgical technique for the transplant in the laboratory. But the technique was pioneered by other surgeons on animals. What he needed was just one donor to put this knowledge into practice.

On the night of the December 2, 1967, a 25-year-old woman was fatally injured in a car accident. Her blood type matched that of Washkansky's and her father agreed that her heart could be donated for the surgery. However Washkansky did not survive for long and died 18 days later after developing double pneumonia as a result of the immuno-suppressive drugs he was taking.

Dr. Barnard had never thought that he could turn himself from a unknown surgeon in South Africa to a renowned surgeon around the world. The failure in operation had, however, made him the target of criticism for rushing into the operation when so little was still known about immuno-suppression.
Nevertheless, the criticism did not prevent this type of operation from becoming popular; some 100 heart transplant attempts were carried out in the following year.

Professor Barnard was described by his colleagues as a very dynamic and exciting person, and they found him very challenging to work for. While continuing transplanting heart, he was pioneering other techniques such as 'piggyback' transplanting in which a second heart was put into a patient while leaving the first in place. He also became the first to carry out a heart-lung transplant.

Having no one to conform, Professor Barnard admitted he had often practiced passive euthanasia and regularly clashed with South Africa's government over apartheid issues.

Professor Barnard died from an asthma attack in 2001 while on holiday in Cyprus, at the age of 78.

Watching TV May Increase Blood Pressure Among Obese Children!

The issue of childhood overweight and obesity is a big problem for most countries. This is because obesity has long been identified as a risk factor for developing heart disease.

Watching TV is another problem among children who spend long hours sitting in front of the TV set instead of doing some physical exercises. But, are you aware that spending long hours in front of TV is more likely to raise blood pressure of obese children? This is the finding of a recent study conducted by the University of California, San Diego and published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The researchers believe that increased psychological stress and junk food eaten while watching TV could be the factors that lead to the rising blood pressure.

The study found that obese children who watched 2 to 4 hours of TV each day were 2.5 times more likely than their peers who watched less TV to have high blood pressure, and kids who watched more than 4 hours daily had more than triple the risk of having high blood pressure.

There is no doubt that TV watching time clearly influences obesity, which can ultimately contribute to high blood pressure. In order to investigate this relationship, 546 children between 4 and 17 years old, who were seeking treatment for obesity, were evaluated. 43 per cent had high blood pressure.

Most of the study participants with high blood pressure watched 2 hours or more of television. The researchers also found that time spent watching television was also associated with the severity of obesity. While watching TV, kids may also be eating more fatty and salty foods that could directly contribute to high blood pressure.

In addition, children who watch more TV experience more perceived psychological stress. Evidence shows that stress can alter how the brain communicates with other organs, affecting blood pressure and body fat accumulation and distribution.

As such, it is essential to limit children's TV viewing to less than 2 hours a day, which is also the recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is even important for children who are overweight and obese.

Another issue that that blood pressure is often ‘not measured’ in children. Even if it is measured, it is ‘often not done correctly’. Perhaps it is time for the parents of children to take up this issue with their child's doctor.

Higher Heart Disease Risk For Takers Of Oral Contraceptives!

Taking oral contraceptives is a common measure adopted by women to avoid pregnancy. But a recent study revealed that women who use oral contraceptives will subject to a higher risk of having hardened arteries being developed. It is known that hardened arteries can lead to heart attack or stroke.

The research was conducted by the University of Ghent in Belgium and presented on November 6, 2007 at a meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida. According to the report, women who used the hormones were more likely to have plaques, or a build-up of fatty tissue, on their arteries than women who didn't use oral contraceptives.

A total of 1,300 Belgian women between the ages of 35 and 55 were taken into the study, 81 percent of them had used oral contraceptives for an average period of 13 years. The researchers used ultrasound scans to look at the femoral artery in the leg and the carotid artery in the neck. To their surprise, they found incidence of atherosclerosis among these otherwise healthy women who had taken the pill. They also noted that the rates of the disease increased dramatically with every decade of usage, rising by between 20 and 30 per cent for every 10 years of use.

It is known that atherosclerosis, or furring of the arteries, typically occurs with age. Heart attack or stroke are some of the possible complications that occur when unstable pieces of plaque break off and block a blood vessel leading to the heart or brain.

As a matter of fact, the first generation of women who did use this form of birth control are now entering their 60s and the findings could mean that we are on the cusp of an increase in heart disease among them.

It is hoped that women should not suddenly stop taking the pills. Instead, they should look at reducing other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. They should watch their blood pressure and cholesterol levels, exercise and eat right. Meanwhile, if they can also limit their exposure to oral contraceptives, it would be good, too.

How Does Alcohol Lower Blood Sugar?

Diabetes is not only a risk factor of heart disease but also a serious medical disorder. Diabetics who do not have their blood sugar levels managed properly will lead them to many other complications and in some serious situations, blindness, amputation and even death can just happen to them.

In the past, drinking alcohol beverages has been known to lower blood sugar levels in diabetics. And now, results of a new study on animal, conducted by a group of researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, revealed the mechanisms involved. The findings that were published in the journal Endocrinology show that alcohol produces a massive redistribution of blood flow within the pancreas.

According to what was observed in the study, alcohol seems to send more blood to a region of the pancreas called the islets. The islets contain cells whose main function is to produce insulin, the key hormone that lowers blood sugar levels in the body.

Using various techniques, the researchers showed that pancreatic islet blood flow is increased by about 4 folds in rats after an injection of ethanol. Overall blood flow to pancreas, by contrast, was not affected. The alcohol injection also led to increased insulin secretion, resulting in low glucose levels.

Further study also showed that alcohol induced pancreatic blood flow changes by affecting a chemical called nitric oxide and the vagus nerve, a nerve that is responsible for sending many important signals in the body.

Based on the results obtained from the study, the researchers recommend doctors to advise their diabetic patients, especially those with liver problems, to be very careful with alcohol, if they are taking drugs to lower blood glucose, since these drugs may increase the effects of alcohol.

Knowing Heart Disease Risk May Prompt You Adopting Heart-Healthy Lifestyle

In order to reduce the risk of a heart attack and heart-related death, one should try to lower levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) while raising levels of good cholesterol (HDL). Regretfully, most patients do not obediently follow recommendation from their doctors so as to change their lifestyle or taking their cholesterol reducing medications.

However, when the doctor tells the patients who are at risk of coronary heart disease exactly what their risk is and how they can help lower their risk, they seem to respond better to preventive treatment. This is the findings of a recent study conducted by a group of researchers at the McGill University in Montreal, Quebec and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The researchers actually found that people who had discussed openly with their doctor about their coronary risk profile achieved better improvement in their cholesterol levels than those who did not discussed with their doctor. As found out by the study, about one-third of people, who are not convinced that they need their cholesterol medications, stop taking them.

In order to ascertain whether boosting patients' knowledge of their heart risk profile might help them to adopt heart-healthy lifestyle, the researchers randomly assigned 3,053 adults being treated for cholesterol problems into 2 groups: one group received usual care while the other group received a 1-page computer printout displaying the probability that they will develop heart disease in the next 8 years based on their current lifestyle, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and other risk indicators. The printout group also received ongoing feedback on how much they could cut their risk through lifestyle modification and drug therapy.

There were 2,687 patients completed the 12-month study. Those in the intervention group who kept track of their heart risk profile had small but significantly greater improvements in their cholesterol profiles.

In addition to communicating risk, there are also other means that can be used to improve adherence to heart-healthy lifestyle. These include enhancing self-monitoring and using support of family and friends.

Are Americans Having Heart Problem Because Of 9/11?

9/11 attack, occurred 6 years ago, had still borne deeply in our memory. It had undoubtedly created fears of terrorism to Americans. The psychological stress thus developed had also given heart problems to Americans even if they had no direct personal connection to the attacks on New York and Washington; this is what researchers have found.

A study, conducted by the University of California, Irvine and published in the January 2008 edition of the Archives of General Psychiatry, reported that there was a 53 percent increase in heart problems, such as high blood pressure and stroke in a 3-years period after Sept 11, 2001. The study is the first of its kind to demonstrate the long-term effect of the 9/11 attacks on cardiac health.

The 3-year study involved 1,500 adults surveyed at random whose health information had been recorded before the attacks. Researchers quizzed participants about their stress responses in the weeks after the attacks and issued annual follow-up questions ending in late 2004.

Most participants, who had no pre-existing heart problems, watched the attacks on live television while one-third had no personal connection to them. The results persisted even when risk factors such as smoking and obesity were taken into account.

It seems that the media exposure for 9/11 attacks helped to convey enough stress to people who responded in a way that contributed to their cardiovascular problems. Chronic worriers were the most at risk from heart problems, as revealed in the report.

How Many Youngsters Do Not Take Fast Food?

Have you ever asked youngsters whether they like to take fast food? 'Yes!’ I bet this was the answer you got from them most of the time. This is not surprising because in Singapore, a latest survey has revealed that 9 out of 10 Singaporean adolescents eat at Western fast-food restaurants and among them, more than three-quarters do so once a week.

During October 2007, a group of master's students at the National Institute of Education (NIE) conducted a survey of 265 students aged between 12 and 19, and reported that the youngsters actually base their food choices on 3 main factors: taste, appeal and convenience.

Taking too much fast food will not only put extra weight on the body but also raise the risk of heart disease and many medical conditions. These young people are just not getting enough information on how unhealthy and unbalanced these trans fat-laden fast foods were. They missed out on important information regarding what they are actually eating and whether it is good for them. Once the youngsters have developed unhealthy lifestyles, they will actually suffer when they grow older because they will get sick too young and they will spend more on the medical expenses.

This is, indeed, a serious problem. Data shows that 9 percent of children in Singapore are overweight, and 3 to 5 percent are obese. People with BMI between 25 and 30 are classified as overweight and above 30 as obese. BMI (Body Mass Index) is a measure of body fat based on one's height and weight. Nevertheless, Singapore is not alone as the fast-food phenomenon has already swept across Asia.

Schools have already taken steps to encourage school children to take up more physical activities during school hours. Therefore, the biggest problem in schools lies not in lack of exercise during school hours, but what children do after school. As such, schools will have to work with the community and parents to address the issue.

Aspirin May Not Be Effective For Women In Lowering Risk Of Heart Attack

Aspirin therapy has widely been used to prevent heart attacks for both men and women. But there may be considerable variation between men and women in the effectiveness of aspirin therapy in reducing the risk of heart attacks.

A recent study, conducted by a group of researchers from University of British Columbia, Vancouver and published online in BMC Medicine, indicated that women may be much less responsive to aspirin than men.

By identifying 23 clinical trials, the researchers examined the effectiveness of aspirin therapy in preventing heart attacks for a total of 113,494 participants. The researchers reported that aspirin therapy, when compared to placebo, provided a modest reduction in the risk of non-fatal heart attacks (28 percent), but did not reduce the risk of fatal heart attacks.

However, considerable variation in the effectiveness of aspirin across the trials was noted. It was found that roughly 27 per cent of the total variation in reports of non-fatal heart attacks could actually be explained by the proportion of men and women in the trial.

According to what the researchers had found, studies that included men had the largest risk reduction in non-fatal heart attacks (38 percent), while trials that mostly included women failed to show a significant reduction in the risk of non-fatal heart attack.

Based on the data analyzed, the researchers concluded that aspirin is less efficacious in women for the reduction of heart attacks. They also raised the possibility that women are more susceptible to aspirin resistance.