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Abstract: Background: Methamphetamine use is an increasing problem in the United States. Despite the similarities to cocaine in clinical presentation, methamphetamine effects on the cardiovascular system are not as clearly understood. Objectives: The purpose of this retrospective review is to evaluate the cardiovascular outcomes of methamphetamine exposures reported to both the California Poison Control System (CPCS) and two Level 1 trauma centers. Methods: CPCS records from 2000−2009, as well as inpatient and emergency department charts from two Level 1 trauma centers during the time frame of 2000−2004 were reviewed. Charts of adults with coded methamphetamine exposures were included. Results: Records of 2356 adults with methamphetamine exposure were assigned levels of severity according to National Poison Data System Medical Outcomes Criteria. Out of the combined charts reviewed from the CPCS data and hospital registries, 584 cases were coded as minor effects, 450 as moderate effects, 208 as major effects, and 28 as deaths. Of the included 1270 cases, 627 electrocardiograms (ECGs) were analyzed. Together, troponins and ECGs showed evidence of myocardial ischemia in 82 total cases, which is 6.5% of the cases reviewed. Cocaine was a co-ingestant in 10 of the 82 cases. Conclusions: This study presents a large cohort of methamphetamine users. The study found that chest pain and myocardial ischemia were reported in a number of cases. Although no true incidence can be taken from this dataset, it provides a large-scale review of methamphetamine use and its possible association with acute coronary syndromes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article reports on the smallpox vaccination of the U.S. military personnel and health workers in the U.S. It says that the campaign was initiated by the U.S. Federal government to counter possible bioterrorism attack. However, it says that the vaccination have several complications including cardiac inflammation, dilated cardiomyopathy and myocardial ischemia.

Literature regarding cardiac deaths in hemorrhagic stroke patients is few. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and risk factors of cardiac death in hemorrhagic stroke patients. We used the multiple causes of death database from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging Online Data of the United States. We identified death certificates from 2006 to 2010 with hemorrhagic stroke (International Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code I60-62), or ischemic stroke (ICD-10 code I63), and evaluated the frequency and risk factors of reporting MI (ICD-10 code I20-25) or arrhythmias (ICD-10 code I44-45, I47-49) as the main cause of death in these populations. Over the five-year period, 224,359 death certificates that mentioned hemorrhagic stroke were identified, and the cause of death was MI in 8.95% and arrhythmia in 7.28% patients. With autopsy confirmation, the incidences of MI and arrhythmias in the hemorrhagic stroke group were still lower than the ischemic group. The odds ratio of reporting arrhythmias as a cause of death in hospitalized population was higher. A substantial percentage of hemorrhagic stroke patients had cardiac death. Greater efforts are needed to closely monitor high-risk groups such as females and the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]