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.

Transcatheter MitraClip system safe, effective for valve repair treatment

The commercial track record with transcatheter mitral valve repair, approved for patients at high risk for surgery, compares favorably with pre-approval reports, according to findings from a U.S. registry presented at the American College of Cardiology's 64th Annual Scientific Session.

18 Mar 2015

Clinical trial examines uncertainty about when to give blood transfusions after cardiac surgery

New research has shown that patients having heart surgery do not benefit if doctors wait until a patient has become substantially anaemic before giving a transfusion.

12 Mar 2015

Loyola gets AHA grant for cardiac research

The American Heart Association awarded Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine $735,516 in 2014 in new and continuing grants for cardiac research.

9 Mar 2015

Blood tests in heart surgery patients can lead to anemia, blood transfusions

Laboratory testing among patients undergoing cardiac surgery can lead to excessive bloodletting, which can increase the risk of developing hospital-acquired anemia and the need for blood transfusion, according to an article in the March 2015 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

2 Mar 2015

ACHA reports that nearly 2 million adults living with CHD in the U.S.

At one time, many children born with congenital heart disease (CHD) suffered from issues that carried fatal prognoses.

28 Feb 2015

STS releases first publicly accessible national report of surgical outcomes from CHSD

Continuing its commitment to increase public awareness and understanding of cardiothoracic surgical outcomes, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has released the first publicly accessible national report of surgical outcomes from its Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD).

27 Feb 2015

MJC ICM works out general guidelines for intensive care medicine

Frankfurt-based intensive care medical practitioner, Kai Zacharowski, is working on a joint curriculum for Europe.

16 Feb 2015

Experts gather at Cardiology 2015 conference to discuss challenges in treating congenital heart disease

Many aspects of pediatric cardiology are relatively new to the discipline. Only recently have physicians been able to accurately diagnose and characterize the myriad congenital cardiovascular conditions that occur and begin to apply successful strategies for care. This week, an international group of more than 800 medical experts gather at the nation's largest pediatric cardiology conference to discuss challenges in treating congenital heart disease in the fetus, neonates, children and young adults.

12 Feb 2015

Experts to discuss challenges in CHD treatments at pediatric cardiology conference

12 Feb 2015

Decades of progress save countless lives, but biggest research challenges lie ahead

The 2015 Heart and Stroke Foundation Report on the Health of Canadians looks back on 60 years of life-saving, ground-breaking research, revealing astonishing improvements in diagnosis, treatments, and outcomes.

6 Feb 2015

3D printing technology can make heart surgery safer for children with congenital anomaly

Three-dimensional printing technology can make surgery safer for children with congenital heart disease and reduce the duration as well as the number of invasive procedures required.

29 Jan 2015

Researchers identify promising new target for developing better therapies for neuroblastoma kids

Researchers at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital have identified a promising new target for developing new therapies for kids with high-risk neuroblastoma, according to a new study published in Molecular Cancer Research.

22 Jan 2015

Orlando Regional Medical Center opens new patient tower

As the new year begins, Orlando Health turns the page to a new chapter in patient, guest and team member experience, when Orlando Regional Medical Center opens its new patient tower.

9 Jan 2015

Nearly one-quarter of parents report making change from rear-facing to forward-facing car seats

Using a rear-facing car seat until a child is age two reduces risk of serious injury, but close to one-quarter of parents report they turned the seat around before their child was even one year old, according to a new University of Michigan study.

7 Jan 2015

STS, ESTS collaborate to help improve lung cancer care

A unique collaboration between The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the European Society of Thoracic Surgery will help improve the quality of patient care by linking outcomes data on chest procedures, beginning with lung cancer surgery, according to an article in the January 2015 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

30 Dec 2014

HeartCycle GEx: A new distance rehabilitation system for people affected by heart pathologies

A team of Spanish researchers of the Universitat Politècnica de València, the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and the company Medtronic have participated in the development of a new distance heart rehabilitation system based on physical exercise routines for people affected by heart pathologies.

22 Dec 2014

Loyola University Medical Center opens center to provide treatments for diseased heart valves

Loyola University Medical Center has opened a multidisciplinary Valve Center that offers patients a full range of treatments for diseased heart valves.

10 Dec 2014

Surgery simulator app: an interview with Jean Nehme

Touch Surgery is a mobile surgical simulation app that allows surgeons to learn and rehearse surgical procedures. It provides a cognitive map for operations on a virtual patient.

23 Nov 2014

New app directly connects single ventricle heart defect patients to doctors

A powerful new app is directly connecting single ventricle heart defect patients to their doctors, dramatically improving their monitoring while they recover from heart surgery at home. Girish Shirali, MBBS, FACC, FASE, Co-Director of the Ward Family Heart Center at Children's Mercy Kansas City, will report today on how the technology is changing patient care at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2014.

21 Nov 2014

High-quality U.S. hospitals also provide low-cost care for children undergoing heart surgery

U.S. children's hospitals delivering the highest-quality care for children undergoing heart surgery, also appear to provide care most efficiently at a low cost, according to research led by the University of Michigan and presented Tuesday at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Chicago.