International Best Practices In Heart Health

A cardiologist offers seven simple steps to reduce the risk of heart attack, dementia, stroke, and other ailments. It’s all too easy to neglect our cardiovascular health until it’s too late. But even if you already have a cardiac diagnosis, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or a family history of heart disease, there are things you can do to improve your odds for a long, happy life. Board-certified cardiologist Dr. Sarah Samaan has treated thousands of patients and tirelessly kept pace with the latest research—and now, she condenses her best advice into this guide for cardio care, explaining how to: Take charge of your “numbers”—your weight, cholesterol, heart rate, and blood pressure Make heart-smart choices about food, exercise, and stress Work with your doctor to design the right treatment for you Tell which supplements and alternative therapies really make a difference Avoid vices that will harm your heart Put these best practices into action today, and you can decrease your risk of disease and dependence on medication, experience a wealth of positive “side effects” (from a smaller waistline to a happier outlook), and get closer to optimal heart health.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), once thought to be confined primarily to industrialized nations, has emerged as a major health threat in developing countries. Cardiovascular disease now accounts for nearly 30 percent of deaths in low and middle income countries each year, and is accompanied by significant economic repercussions. Yet most governments, global health institutions, and development agencies have largely overlooked CVD as they have invested in health in developing countries. Recognizing the gap between the compelling evidence of the global CVD burden and the investment needed to prevent and control CVD, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) turned to the IOM for advice on how to catalyze change. In this report, the IOM recommends that the NHLBI, development agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and governments work toward two essential goals: creating environments that promote heart healthy lifestyle choices and help reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and building public health infrastructure and health systems with the capacity to implement programs that will effectively detect and reduce risk and manage CVD. To meet these goals, the IOM recommends several steps, including improving cooperation and collaboration; implementing effective and feasible strategies; and informing efforts through research and health surveillance. Without better efforts to promote cardiovascular health, global health as a whole will be undermined.

The authoritative clinical handbook promoting excellence and best practice Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation in Practice is a comprehensive, practitioner-focused clinical handbook which provides internationally applicable evidence-based standards of good practice. Edited and written by a multidisciplinary team of experts from the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (BACPR), this book is invaluable for practitioners helping people with heart disease return to health. The text provides an overview of research findings, examines the core components of cardiac rehabilitation, and discusses how to support healthier lifestyles and reduce the risks of recurrence. Now in its second edition, this textbook has been fully revised to incorporate recent clinical evidence and align with current national and international guidelines. Increased emphasis is placed on an integrated approach to cardiac rehabilitation programmes, whilst six specified standards and six core components are presented to promote sustainable health outcomes. Describes how cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation programmes can be delivered to meet standards of good practice Covers a broad range of topics including: promoting health behaviour change to improve lifestyle risk factors, supporting psycho-social health, managing medical risk factors, and how to develop long-term health strategies Emphasises the importance of early programme commencement with assessment and reassessment of patient goals and outcomes, and gives examples of strategies to achieve these Discusses the role of programme audit and certification of meeting minimum standards of practice Looks to the future and how delivery of cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation programmes internationally will need to meet common challenges Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation in Practice is an indispensable resource for all health professionals involved in cardiac rehabilitation and cardiovascular disease prevention.

Hypertension is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, affecting nearly one in three Americans. It is prevalent in adults and endemic in the older adult population. Hypertension is a major contributor to cardiovascular morbidity and disability. Although there is a simple test to diagnose hypertension and relatively inexpensive drugs to treat it, the disease is often undiagnosed and uncontrolled. A Population-Based Policy and Systems Change Approach to the Prevention and Control Hypertension identifies a small set of high-priority areas in which public health officials can focus their efforts to accelerate progress in hypertension reduction and control. It offers several recommendations that embody a population-based approach grounded in the principles of measurement, system change, and accountability. The recommendations are designed to shift current hypertension reduction strategies from an individual-based approach to a population-based approach. They are also designed to improve the quality of care provided to individuals with hypertension and to strengthen the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's leadership in seeking a reduction in the sodium intake in the American diet to meet dietary guidelines. The book is an important resource for federal public health officials and organizations, especially the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as medical professionals and community health workers.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a screening tool called the Listing of Impairments to identify claimants who are so severely impaired that they cannot work at all and thus immediately qualify for benefits. In this report, the IOM makes several recommendations for improving SSA's capacity to determine disability benefits more quickly and efficiently using the Listings.

Cardiac arrest can strike a seemingly healthy individual of any age, race, ethnicity, or gender at any time in any location, often without warning. Cardiac arrest is the third leading cause of death in the United States, following cancer and heart disease. Four out of five cardiac arrests occur in the home, and more than 90 percent of individuals with cardiac arrest die before reaching the hospital. First and foremost, cardiac arrest treatment is a community issue - local resources and personnel must provide appropriate, high-quality care to save the life of a community member. Time between onset of arrest and provision of care is fundamental, and shortening this time is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of death and disability from cardiac arrest. Specific actions can be implemented now to decrease this time, and recent advances in science could lead to new discoveries in the causes of, and treatments for, cardiac arrest. However, specific barriers must first be addressed. Strategies to Improve Cardiac Arrest Survival examines the complete system of response to cardiac arrest in the United States and identifies opportunities within existing and new treatments, strategies, and research that promise to improve the survival and recovery of patients. The recommendations of Strategies to Improve Cardiac Arrest Survival provide high-priority actions to advance the field as a whole. This report will help citizens, government agencies, and private industry to improve health outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest across the United States.