Cardiac Surgery News and Research

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Substance use disorder can complicate postoperative valvular heart disease, shows study

Patients who suffer from infective endocarditis (IE) and struggle with substance use disorder (SUD) have a 240% increased risk of dying within 6 months to 5 years after valve surgery compared to other IE patients, according to a study published online today in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

17 Oct 2019

Medstar Washington Hospital Center now offers innovative technology to diagnose lung conditions

MedStar Washington Hospital Center became first in the Mid-Atlantic region to offer a new innovation designed to allow physicians to diagnose small peripheral lung nodules with greater precision and accuracy.

16 Oct 2019

More patients may opt for minimally invasive heart valve procedure

Since August, when the Food and Drug Administration approved a minimally invasive heart valve procedure for an expanded group of patients with aortic stenosis, Raj Makkar, MD, vice president of Cardiovascular Innovation and Intervention at Cedars-Sinai, says many more patients are opting for the procedure known as transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

15 Oct 2019

Cardiothoracic surgeons receive fellowship grants for new robotic programs

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) - along with its charitable arm, The Thoracic Surgery Foundation (TSF) - recently awarded $125,000 in fellowship grants to five standout cardiothoracic surgeons interested in launching new robotic cardiac surgery programs at their institutions.

10 Oct 2019

Melatonin may not help prevent delirium following major cardiac surgery

Delirium is observed in approximately 15% of hospitalized older adults, and it is more common in the critically ill and in those undergoing major surgery, such as heart surgery.

9 Oct 2019

Automated machine learning can provide faster, more accurate results for cardiac MRI scans

Cardiac MRI analysis can be performed significantly faster with similar precision to experts when using automated machine learning, according to new research published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, an American Heart Association journal.

24 Sep 2019

New AI technology has potential to detect early signs of heart attack

Technology developed using artificial intelligence could identify people at high risk of a fatal heart attack at least 5 years before it strikes, according to new research funded by the British Heart Foundation.

3 Sep 2019

Study shows microRNA can protect the heart from reperfusion injury

Heart muscle can continue to die even after restoring blood following a heart attack, and scientists have new evidence that one way to help it live is by boosting levels of a tiny RNA that helped the heart form.

27 Aug 2019

Researchers discover mechanism behind how intense light can protect against heart attacks

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have found that intense light amplifies a specific gene that bolsters blood vessels and offers protection against heart attacks.

8 Aug 2019

New gel reduces post-surgery scar tissue in animals

Researchers at Stanford University have found that spraying a gel on the internal tissues of animals after cardiac surgery greatly reduces adhesions, fibrous bands that form between internal organs and tissues. Adhesions can cause serious, even fatal, complications.

8 Aug 2019

Debunking the 'July effect' for heart surgery

The notion that more medical errors occur in July compared to other months due to an influx of new medical school graduates starting their in-hospital training does not apply to heart surgery, according to research in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, published by Elsevier.

31 Jul 2019

U-M partnership paves way for new method to treat acute aortic dissection

When a patient comes to the hospital with acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD), a tearing of the inner lining of the aorta, surgeons typically perform an immediate open repair to prevent death from aortic rupture.

17 Jul 2019

Keck School of Medicine of USC to recruit patients typically underrepresented in clinical trials

A highly competitive $4.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute will support Keck School of Medicine of USC efforts to recruit patients from underrepresented populations into cardiac surgery clinical trials.

16 Jul 2019

Implanted device uses microcurrent to exercise heart muscle in cardiomyopathy patients

In a study conducted by MedUni Vienna/Vienna General Hospital, a new type of device has been successfully used for the very first time to strengthen the weakened heart muscle in cardiomyopathy patients.

16 Jul 2019

Restrictive approach to blood cell transfusions safe for patients undergoing cardiac surgery

In a recent clinical trial of higher risk patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, a restrictive approach to blood cell transfusions resulted in fewer transfusions without putting patients at increased risk of acute kidney injury.

21 Jun 2019

Miracle machine makes heroic rescues — and leaves patients in limbo

The latest miracle machine in modern medicine — whose use has skyrocketed in recent years — is saving people from the brink of death: adults whose lungs have been ravaged by the flu; a trucker who was trapped underwater in a crash; a man whose heart had stopped working for an astonishing seven hours.

18 Jun 2019

Ochsner Hospital for Children joins national consortium to provide solutions for hypoplastic left heart syndrome

Mayo Clinic's Todd and Karen Wanek Family Program for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and Ochsner Hospital for Children are collaborating within a consortium to provide solutions for patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare and complex form of congenital heart disease in which the left side of the heart is severely underdeveloped.

17 Jun 2019

Urinary DKK3 can improve prediction of AKI

A new renal biomarker was presented at the ERA-EDTA Congress last year: that shows that urinary DKK3 might help to identify patients who are at risk of progressive chronic kidney disease.

17 Jun 2019

Mortality risk after heart bypass surgery four times higher in patients with high body fat mass

New research presented at this year's Euroanaesthesia congress in Vienna, Austria (1-3 June) shows that mortality in patients who had undergone heart bypass surgery was over 4 times higher in individuals with a high body fat mass, while body mass index (BMI) by itself was not associated with an increase in mortality.

3 Jun 2019

Mount Sinai receives highest quality rating for adult cardiac valve surgery

The New York State Department of Health awarded The Mount Sinai Hospital its highest quality rating for adult cardiac valve surgery in 2019.

28 May 2019