New research finds ongoing treatment with ticagrelor safe and effective in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

New research finds ongoing treatment with ticagrelor safe and effective in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Because of improved management at the acute stage, the risk of dying in hospital after a heart attack has decreased by about 50% in the past 10 years.

Although medication which decreases the risk of angina attacks (chest pain caused by blockage of the arteries that supply the heart), are frequently prescribed in patients who have sustained a myocardial infarction, the possible influence of medication on long-term survival is not known, with the exception of beta-blocking agents, which have been shown to decrease mortality in clinical trials performed 30 years ago.

New research published online today in Circulation Research found that injections of adult patients' own CD34+ stem cells reduced reports of angina episodes and improved exercise tolerance time in patients with chronic, severe refractory angina (severe chest discomfort that did not respond to other therapeutic options).