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New Guidance Says Doctors Should Discuss Vaping as One Option to Help Adults Quit Smoking

Quitting smoking is one of the best things a person can do for their health—but it's also one of the hardest habits to break. Many smokers make several attempts before they successfully quit, even when using medications or nicotine replacement products. Now, a panel of tobacco treatment experts is encouraging healthcare providers to expand the conversation about smoking cessation by discussing nicotine e-cigarettes as one possible option for adults who smoke cigarettes. The recommendations, published in JAMA , were developed by the Harm Reduction Work Group of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco’s Treatment Research Network. Rather than promoting vaping, the group says clinicians should focus on helping patients choose the quit-smoking method that best fits their individual circumstances. A Personalized Approach to Quitting Smoking cessation isn't the same for everyone. What works well for one person may not work for another, which is why the authors recommend mo...
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Higher Heart Rate at Rest Increases Risk of Atrial Fibrillation


New research shows that people with higher resting heart rate seem to be at increased risk for atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disturbance experienced by 2.2million Americans, according to statistics from the American Heart Association. Atrial fibrillation causes blood to circulate less effectively to the organs of the body, and can lead to blood clots and stroke.

The Losartan Intervention for End Point Reduction in Hypertension (LIFE) study, published in the December 2008 issue of Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, tracked 8828 patients with high blood pressure over a period of five years, evaluating heart rates at baseline, six months, and yearly.

The research found that resting heart rate greater than 84 beats per minute increased the risk of atrial fibrillation by sixty one percent. The study also showed that for every increase in resting heart rate of ten beats per minute, the risk of atrial fibrillation increased by nineteen percent.

The risk of developing atrial fibrillation from higher resting heart rate was found, independent of blood pressure lowering medication, and other health factors that contribute to mortality.

Dr Peter M Okin (Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY) and associates conducted the study, showing that higher resting heart rate alone can put people at risk for atrial fibrillation, even when there are no other discernible causes, such as infection or other acute illness.

Dr. Okin suggests, "Physicians should take a step back and ask, why is this happening? Heart rates go up for a reason. What else is going on that's putting the patient at risk?"

The study was supported by Merck in an effort to see if controlling blood pressure could reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation. The study included patients with high blood pressure, treated with either Losartan or Atenolol.

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Atrial Fib risk went up with rising heart rate in LIFE hypertension trial
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