Heart Surgery News and Research

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Heart surgery is done to correct problems with the heart. More than half a million heart surgeries are done each year in the United States for a variety of heart problems. Heart surgery is used to correct heart problems in children and adults. This article discusses heart surgeries for adults. For more information about heart surgeries for children, see the Diseases and Conditions Index articles on congenital heart defects, holes in the heart, and tetralogy of Fallot.

The most common type of heart surgery for adults is coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). During CABG, surgeons use healthy arteries or veins taken from another part of the body to bypass (that is, go around) blocked arteries. CABG relieves chest pain and reduces the risk of heart attack.

TAVR demonstrates lower risk and improved outcomes compared to SAVR in low-risk patients

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) was found to bring no increased risks and was associated with substantial decreased rates of death or stroke at one year in low-risk patients, compared with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR), according to findings presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session.

8 Apr 2024

DEPOSITION trial evaluates the use of topical tranexamic acid during heart surgery

Administering tranexamic acid (TxA), a drug used to reduce bleeding during heart surgery, topically rather than intravenously did not meet its primary endpoint of reducing seizures and was stopped early due to an increased risk of bleeding events, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session.

8 Apr 2024

Having a ruff day? Study says spending time with dogs can help

How interacting with dogs affects the emotions and psychophysiology of humans using an electroencephalogram.

29 Mar 2024

A mom’s $97,000 question: How was her baby’s air-ambulance ride not medically necessary?

Sara England was putting together Ghostbusters costumes for Halloween when she noticed her baby wasn't doing well.

25 Mar 2024

Lab-synthesized heparin to transform drug manufacturing

Heparin, the world's most widely used blood thinner, is used during procedures ranging from kidney dialysis to open heart surgery.

18 Mar 2024

Intravascular imaging during PCI in heart disease patients improves survival, reduces adverse outcomes

Using intravascular imaging to guide stent implantation during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in heart disease patients significantly improves survival and reduces adverse cardiovascular events compared to angiography-guided PCI alone, the most commonly used method.

14 Mar 2024

NIH study reveals elevated cholesterol levels among American Indian youth

More than 70% of American Indian young adults aged 20-39 and 50% of American Indian teens have cholesterol levels or elevated fat in the blood that put them at risk for cardiovascular disease, suggests a study supported by the National Institutes of Health.

6 Mar 2024

Intravascular imaging improves survival in heart disease patients undergoing stent placement

22 Feb 2024

Bridging the gap in pediatric heart care with advanced devices

Ochsner Children's Hospital, ranked among the top hospitals in the nation for pediatric cardiology and congenital heart surgery, is raising awareness of the need for more pediatric-specific heart devices.

20 Feb 2024

A century of progress: American Heart Association's historic journey and future directions

Dramatic advances in the understanding and treatment of cardiovascular diseases have saved millions of lives in the 100 years since the founding in 1924 of the American Heart Association, the world's leading voluntary organization focused on heart and brain health for all.

13 Feb 2024

Hospital size not the only factor in pediatric heart surgery outcomes

A study of pediatric heart surgery centers across the United States has demonstrated that, when it comes to successful surgery, it's not just the size of the program that matters in determining quality outcomes.

29 Jan 2024

A certain type of chemotherapy found to improve the immune system's ability to fight off bladder cancer

Tisch Cancer Institute researchers discovered that a certain type of chemotherapy improves the immune system's ability to fight off bladder cancer, particularly when combined with immunotherapy, according to a study published in Cell Reports Medicine in January.

27 Jan 2024

Socioeconomic barriers hinder prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart defects

Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart defects – the most common birth defects in the United States – is associated with improved outcomes.

18 Dec 2023

New AI tool accurately predicts how patients would fare after surgeries

An artificial intelligence (AI) tool developed by investigators at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai and colleagues at two other institutions accurately predicted how patients would fare after surgeries and procedures.

18 Dec 2023

Researchers encourage flexible approach to blood transfusion decisions for heart attack patients with anemia

A National Institutes of Health-supported study found that the type of transfusion approach used to support adults who developed anemia after a heart attack did not make a significant difference in their likelihood of having another heart attack or dying within 30 days.

13 Nov 2023

Diagnosing early-stage lung cancer with CT screening improves survival rate

Diagnosing early-stage lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening drastically improves its cure rate measured over a 20-year period, according to a large-scale international study by Mount Sinai researchers published in Radiology.

7 Nov 2023

Pulsed field ablation safe and effective for women with atrial fibrillation

Women with atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing a procedure called pulsed field ablation (PFA) have just as good outcomes as men with AF undergoing the same procedure, according to a large-scale international study led by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

1 Nov 2023