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‘Reverse CPR’ performed on back could better restore blood flow

A pilot study of the first proposed major change in decades to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) suggests that performing the maneuver while patients are on their stomachs offers far better restoration of blood flow and blood pressure than the standard practice of keeping patients on their backs. The feasibility study of so-called reverse CPR, conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins and Columbia universities, appears in the June issue of the journal Resuscitation. CPR in the prone position was tested at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center on six critically ill patients already in intensive care units whose hearts had stopped, and who had failed to respond to standard CPR for at least a half-hour.

Diabetes, blood pressure increase risk of eye disease among blacks

People of African ancestry who have high blood pressure and high blood plasma glucose levels are at increased risk for diabetic retinopathy, and those with diabetes and high blood pressure are at increased risk for elevated intraocular pressure. These are the conclusions of two studies appearing in the May issue of Ophthalmology, the clinical journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Eye M.D. Association.

Even Mildly High Blood Pressure Increases Risk of Stroke

People with only mildly elevated systolic blood pressure have a high risk of stroke similar to those with significantly raised systolic or diastolic blood pressure, long-term follow-up of a large national population sample has shown. Moreover, the study found that the increase in stroke risk was not confined to those over 65, conventionally considered most stroke-prone: Systolic hypertension increased the risk of all types of strokes in participants as young as 45.