Our weekly roundup of the latest news in the world of health.

Hospitals are doing angioplasties faster on patients who are having heart attacks, a study published this week confirms. But that's not reducing deaths, the study found. Another new study found that the number of high school students using e-cigarettes, though small, doubled in just one year. A report published this week concluded that at least 200,000 U.S. deaths each year from heart attacks or stroke could be prevented. The nation's major group of pediatricians issued an appeal this week for early flu shots. The group said kids should get the vaccine as soon as possible.

Stay well.

This Issue:

Angioplasty Faster, but Death Rates Stable
Study: Twice as Many Teens Using E-Cigarettes
Report: Thousands of Heart-Attack, Stroke Deaths Preventable
Pediatrician Group Urges Early Flu Vaccine for Children

In the News:

Angioplasty Faster, but Death Rates Stable
People having heart attacks are getting treatment faster in hospitals, a new study shows. But death rates have not dropped, the study found. Many people having heart attacks receive angioplasty. This procedure uses a tiny balloon. It is inflated inside an artery to open up a blockage. Hospitals have tried to improve how fast they get the procedure done after someone reaches the hospital. This is called "door-to-balloon time." The new study included nearly 100,000 people treated for heart attacks. Researchers compared 2 periods of time. Between July 2005 and June 2006, the average door-to-balloon time was 83 minutes. That dropped to 67 minutes in the year from July 2008 through June 2009. In the first year, 60% of the patients had a door-to-balloon time of less than 90 minutes. That jumped to 83% in the last year of the study. But death rates in the hospital or within 30 days remained the same. Researchers said the delay before someone gets to the hospital may be more important. Quick treatment also may lead to less disability, such as heart failure. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study this week. HealthDay news wrote about it.

Study: Twice as Many Teens Using E-Cigarettes
Use of electronic cigarettes among teenagers has doubled in just a year, a new study finds. E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices. They use a liquid that contains nicotine. The device turns the liquid into vapor that can be inhaled. Teenagers can buy them because so far the sale of e-cigarettes is not restricted. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did the study. It was based on data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey, conducted each year. In the 2012 survey, about 10% of high school students said they had ever tried e-cigarettes. That's more than double the 4.7% who had tried them in 2011. Nearly 3% said they had used them in the last month, compared with 1.5% in 2011. The tobacco industry markets e-cigarettes as a way to help people quit smoking. But about 3 out of 4 teens who used them said they also smoked regular cigarettes. Public health officials said they feared that e-cigarettes were leading more teens to try nicotine and become addicted. The journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published the study this week. HealthDay News wrote about it.

Report: Thousands of Heart-Attack, Stroke Deaths Preventable
At least 200,000 deaths from heart disease and stroke each year are preventable, a new report says. More than half of these deaths occur in people under age 65. The overall rate of preventable deaths from heart disease and stroke went down by 29% between 2001 and 2010. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published the report this week. It was based on information collected in 2010. The report also found that blacks are nearly twice as likely as whites to die early from heart disease and stroke. Men have the highest risk of death. The number of avoidable deaths varies by region. Southern states have the highest preventable death rates. To save lives, people need to stop smoking, get more activity and eat less salt. Managing high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes is also key. Communities can help by providing safe places to exercise and smoke-free areas. HealthDay News wrote about the report.

Pediatrician Group Urges Early Flu Vaccine for Children
Children ages 6 months and older should get vaccinated against the seasonal flu as soon as the vaccine is available. This recommendation is from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). There are two vaccines this year. The trivalent vaccine protects against three strains of the virus. A new quadrivalent vaccine protects against the original three plus a fourth strain. The AAP is not recommending one vaccine over the other. It wants everyone to get vaccinated at the earliest chance so they are protected. The journal Pediatrics published the recommendations online. HealthDay News wrote about them this week.

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The above summaries are not intended to provide advice on personal medical matters, nor are they intended to be a substitute for consultation with a physician.