Areas with a higher number of fast food restaurants have more heart attacks, according to research presented at the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ) 2019 annual meeting, Aug. 8-11 in Adelaide, Australia. The study also found that for every additional fast food outlet, there were four additional heart attacks per 100,000 people each year.

The amount of opioids prescribed for patients after heart and lung surgery has a direct relationship with the risk for opioid dependency and “persistent opioid use” several months after the operation, according to new research. The study is published online in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

Increasing incidence of cardiovascular diseases worldwide is creating growth opportunities for the global cardiovascular stents market, predicts Fortune Business Insights in a new study.

In a study that spanned two and a half decades and looked at data from more than 4,700 participants, Johns Hopkins researchers have added to evidence that abnormal blood pressure in midlife persisting into late life increases the likelihood of developing dementia. Although not designed to show cause and effect, the study suggests that maintaining a healthy blood pressure throughout life may be one way to help decrease one’s risk of losing brain function.

Healthcare data breaches are currently being reported at a rate of more than one a day, according to a new report from the nonprofit Institute for Healthcare IT (IHIT). And for those who think it can’t happen to them, the odds are not in their favor. Breaches reported between 2009 and 2018 have resulted in the theft or exposure of almost 190 million healthcare records, a number equal to 59 percent of the U.S. population, according to the HIPAA Journal.