The American Heart Association revealed its top cardiovascular advances for 2013 and 2014. These are not necessarily new technologies or medications that will stop people from having heart attacks and strokes. However, some of the research shows what causes these ailments and helps to isolate problems at an early age.
Endovascular Treatment
Endovascular treatment has been proven to open more blood vessels extending to the brain, which in turn, allows more blood flow. This is critical for stroke victims; however, the overall test results are still inconclusive. In fact, the tests were stopped due to the fact that there was no significant change in overall progress. The American Heart Association reports, that this may still be a viable option in the future as more tests are performed. Cardiovascular technologists should be aware of this kind of treatment for potential future applications.
Prevention
The American Heart Association, in conjunction with the American College of Cardiology, recently published the new heart disease and stroke prevention guidelines for doctors. These new guidelines focus on four main areas: cholesterol, lifestyle, obesity and risk assessment. As part of the report, they mention that obesity can be controlled much easier with long-term professional management. Patients would be admitted to a healthcare facility and taken care of fulltime. There, doctors and med techs would consistently monitor dietary intake, cholesterol levels and exercise.
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Many people don't feel the need to go through cardiac rehabilitation after they have been hospitalized for cardiovascular disease. There have been several new studies proving a significant positive outcome for those patients that choose to go through cardiac rehabilitation. It is therefore incumbent upon the staff to emphasize the importance of attending rehab after an incident. The problem here lies in the fact that most people have more important things to do — or so they say. The cardiovascular technician needs to try to convince the patient about the importance of staying.
The roles of medical technicians or cardiovascular technicians could change in the next few years. They may be expanding their roles to include studies as a dietician, a fitness trainer or a therapist. The medical field is a rapidly growing field; schools are continually updating their Cardiovascular Technologist Programs to reflect the new practices of today — and prepare for the practices of tomorrow.
