A study presented at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Session found a remote postpartum blood pressure monitoring program was feasible and linked to higher rates of primary care provider visits and BP control among women with persistent hypertension. By extending monitoring from six weeks to one year, 92% of participants achieved a BP of 140/90 mm Hg or less, compared with 71% of women in the six-week program.

Heart failure is a more common complication than stroke after atrial fibrillation, according to a study in the British Medical Journal. The lifetime risk of post-AFib complications was higher in men, while the lifetime risk of post-AFib stroke was higher in women than men.

A study published in JAMA Network Open found that people who get less than six hours of sleep per night may carry a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Investigators looked at more than 10 years of UK Biobank data from 247,867 adults and concluded that those with a five-hour sleep duration had a 16% greater risk of developing diabetes, and those getting three to four hours had a 41% higher risk compared to individuals who got seven to eight hours of rest.

A study found that people over 60 who take reverse transcriptase inhibitors to suppress HIV were less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, and certain genetic mechanisms may explain the association, according to researchers. The findings were published in the journal Pharmaceuticals.

A heart failure telehealth program helped rural Navajo Nation patients increase their use of guideline-directed medical therapy, researchers reported in JAMA Internal Medicine. At study's end, most eligible patients were on appropriate medications, and 81% of those needing quadruple therapy were taking it. The model was applied to adults with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, and researchers said the program could be used effectively in other areas where care access is limited.

Independent reviewers from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine said evidence suggests that there is a causal link between Pfizer's and Moderna's messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccines and myocarditis risk. The vaccines do not cause Bell's palsy, Guillain-Barre syndrome, infertility, myocardial infarction or thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, according to the report commissioned by HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration.

Visit the COVID-19 Resource Center for relevant, accurate and up-to-date information as well as expert perspectives about the safety, efficacy and importance of COVID-19 vaccines.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said maternal health outcomes would improve in rural areas if more states expanded Medicaid eligibility. "I think if we expand Medicaid in some of the states that haven't yet done it, about a million and a half more Americans, many of them women who want to deliver a baby, would have access to earlier care and not wait until it's a difficult circumstance in the delivery," Becerra said at a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing.

A House committee today is scheduled to discuss a number of privacy-related bills, including the American Privacy Rights Act, among other legislation, which would allow consumers to access, delete or correct data collected by companies and would give people more control of their health care data that isn't covered by HIPAA. However, HIPAA-covered organizations are largely exempt from the measure but would have to comply with data security provisions.

The FDA announced recalls of two implantable blood-pumping devices for people with end-stage heart failure, Thoratec's HeartMate II and HeartMate 3, as the devices have been linked to 14 deaths and at least 273 cases of injury. The products are not being taken off the market, as there are few other options for these patients.

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Registration is now open for the 2024 ANCC Transition to Practice Symposium, April 29-May 1 held at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel. Join us for this three-day immersive experience that will invigorate you with best practices, insightful discussions, and implementation tools. A pre-conference on April 28 will host two workshops for practice transition and fellowship accreditation (separate registration fees apply). The program will showcase a selection of 45 concurrent sessions, 20 thought-provoking posters, more than 180 speakers including three keynotes, a welcome reception, an award celebration and plenty of networking opportunities. Registration is just $599 and ANA members save $50. Register now.