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.

Remaining stocks of Trasylol removed

On Nov. 5, 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corp. agreed to an FDA-requested marketing suspension of Trasylol, a drug used to control bleeding during heart surgery. At that time, preliminary results from a Canadian study suggested an increased risk for death compared to two other drugs used to control bleeding.

15 May 2008

Researchers unravel heparin death mystery

An international team of researchers led by MIT has explained how contaminated batches of the blood-thinner heparin were able to slip past traditional safety screens and kill dozens of patients recently in the United States and Germany.

23 Apr 2008

Experimental study on most common form of heart valve disease in Western countries may lead to new treatments

A team of scientists from the University of Montreal and the Montreal Heart Institute Research Centre, led by Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif, has completed an important study that show how a new type of medication can lead to an improvement in the aortic valve narrowing

18 Apr 2008

Non-surgical heart valve replacement procedure permits swift recovery and discharge from hospital

Interventional cardiologists at Rush University Medical Center now offer a minimally-invasive transcatheter valve replacement procedure for patients with congenital heart disease that doesn’t involve open heart surgery.

18 Apr 2008

New devices and research for mechanical circulatory support in pediatrics

New devices and research for mechanical circulatory support in pediatrics from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Pediatric Circulatory Support Program will be discussed at the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) 28th Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions.

10 Apr 2008

Life after coronary bypass surgery

For many years, assumptions have lingered that Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Grafting (CABG) produces measurable cognitive impairment, either because of the surgery or use of cardiopulmonary bypass.

4 Apr 2008

Australian blood expert calls for changes in the way blood is stored

A leading Australian haematologist is renewing his call for changes in the way blood is stored and used for transfusions.

25 Mar 2008

New techniques for detecting blood clots/air bubbles in arteries

New techniques for detecting emboli (harmful blood clots/air bubbles in arteries) developed at the University of Leicester have played a major role in dramatically reducing stroke rates after carotid endarterectomy.

20 Feb 2008

Problems with blood thinning drug could originate in China

Following a warning from the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that it had received reports of 4 deaths and over 300 incidents of health problems associated with a blood thinning drug, it has now been revealed that U.S. regulators never inspected the Chinese plant that makes Baxter International's heparin.

14 Feb 2008

Warning about deaths and serious reactions linked to blood thinning drug heparin

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States says the production of a popular blood thinning drug has been halted temporarily after more than 300 reports of health problems associated with the drug.

13 Feb 2008

A new anatomical teaching aid

Medical students will be helped to understand what it is like to go under the knife thanks to a world-first project that brings together art and science.

4 Feb 2008

New biodegradable film reduces scarring following open heart surgery

A new, biodegradable film designed to reduce the severity of scarring following open heart surgery in young children appears to be safe and effective, according to researchers attending the annual meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons in Ft. Lauderdale.

30 Jan 2008

National study will look at German-made heart pump for children needing heart transplants

Texas Children's Hospital has been named the national lead center for a 12-hospital, 36-month clinical trial of the German-manufactured pediatric heart pump called Berlin Heart EXCOR® Pediatric Ventricular Assist Device (VAD).

21 Jan 2008

Stress causes whole body deterioration

Stress, to put it bluntly, is bad for you. It can kill you, in fact. A study now reveals that stress causes deterioration in everything from your gums to your heart and can make you more susceptible to everything from the common cold to cancer.

9 Jan 2008

American women prefer overly aggressive treatments for breast cancer

Despite a 1990 consensus recommendation from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that lumpectomy plus radiation was the treatment of choice for early stage breast cancer, the United States continues to have the highest rate of mastectomy surgery among industrialized countries.

9 Jan 2008

Elective surgery puts seniors at risk for long-term cognitive problems

According to new research from the U.S. patients over the age of 60 who opt to have elective surgeries put themselves at an increased risk for long-term cognitive problems.

3 Jan 2008

Elderly patients at greater risk for developing cognitive problems after surgery

Patients over the age of 60 who have elective surgeries such as joint replacements, hysterectomies and other non-emergency, inpatient procedures, are at an increased risk for long-term cognitive problems, according to a new study led by Duke University Medical Center researchers.

3 Jan 2008