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.

Coronary heart disease: Spotting the culprit(s) is the way towards prevention

A Public Lecture at Bristol University to rise awareness on a socially relevant still belittled disease

24 Sep 2007

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) and atrial septal defect (ASD) closure

A PFO and an ASD are congenital structural heart diseases characterized by a communication between heart chambers at the level of the wall (septum) separating them. These chambers are the left and right atrium as shown on the picture below. The right atrium receives (dark) oxygen-depleted blood from the great veins, while the left atrium receives (red) oxygen-rich blood from the lungs.

3 Sep 2007

Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital performs transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement

A breakthrough new procedure may improve quality of life for children and adults with a common type of congenital heart defect that interferes with the body's ability to oxygenate blood through the lungs.

24 Aug 2007

Critical blood shortage in southeastern Michigan

The American Red Cross Southeastern Michigan Blood Services Region is issuing an urgent appeal for blood donors. Recent extraordinary patient needs and consistent low donor turnout this month have caused the local blood supply to drop to critically low levels.

21 Aug 2007

Restricting the blood flow to the arm may improve outcomes of heart surgery

A new study suggests that patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery may have improved outcomes by having a procedure done that temporarily restricts the blood flow in their arm.

20 Aug 2007

Trans fats offer a double whammy

Along with the knowledge that 'trans fats' are particularly bad because they clog up arteries and increase the risk of heart attacks comes new information which makes them even more undesirable.

31 Jul 2007

Heart patches that stimulate regeneration

When human hearts are injured, as during a heart attack, healthy tissue normally can't regrow.

18 Jul 2007

Diabetics experience more complications during hospitalization for trauma

Individuals with diabetes appear to spend more days in the intensive care unit, use more ventilator support and have more complications during hospitalization for trauma than non-diabetics, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Surgery.

17 Jul 2007

Heart attack death rates appear lower at 'America's best hospitals'

Individuals admitted for heart attack to a hospital ranked as one of America's Best by U.S. News & World Report are less likely to die within 30 days than those admitted to a non-ranked hospital, according to a report in the July 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

10 Jul 2007

Cardiac surgery in patients with liver cirrhosis

A new study on the outcome of cardiac surgery in patients with liver cirrhosis found that the surgery can safely be performed in patients with milder disease, while those with more severe cirrhosis are less likely to survive.

4 Jul 2007

$50 million gift for University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center

On June 11, the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center's new building opened its doors to patients.

26 Jun 2007

Skin colour may dictate how well you do after a heart attack

A new study in the U.S. has found that the colour of your skin may predict how you are treated following a heart attack.

13 Jun 2007

Study questions risks of aprotinin during heart surgery

Contrary to recent studies, proper use of a drug called aprotinin to reduce bleeding during heart surgery does not increase the risk of heart attack or stroke, according to a study in the June issue of The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

1 Jun 2007

Proper use of aprotinin to reduce bleeding during heart surgery does not increase the risk of heart attack or stroke

The study was prompted by recent reports suggesting an increased risk of complications including heart attacks, strokes, and kidney problems in patients who received aprotinin to reduce bleeding during heart bypass or valve replacement surgery.

30 May 2007

Heart-assist device gives Culver City man a better quality of life

Mark Heiner of Culver City reads books, paints artistically, takes walks and does laundry – activities that would be considered routine except for the fact that a four-pound disk implanted in his abdominal cavity is keeping his blood flowing.

28 May 2007

Novel catheter technique for patching holes in the heart

A novel catheter technique for patching holes in the heart may make it possible for many patients to avoid surgery altogether and others to regain enough strength to safely undergo surgical repair at a later date, according to a study reported at the 30th Annual Scientific Sessions of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.

11 May 2007

Variants of two genes involved in the inflammatory system linked to cognitive decline after heart surgery

Duke University Medical Center researchers believe their findings could help physicians identify patients at risk of suffering mental decline after heart surgery and raises the possibility that these patients could be treated with drugs that are known to dampen the inflammatory response.

2 May 2007

Performance league tables are linked to lower death rates after major heart surgery

The findings are based on almost 26,000 patients who had coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) for the first time between1997 to 2005, in the north west of England.

25 Apr 2007

Filtering white cells from donor blood before transfusion is much safer for patients

The practice of removing the white cells from blood is called leukoreduction. But despite the recommendations of two national advisory committees in 10 years that voted in favor of all patients in the United States receiving leukoreduced blood, ("universal leukoreduction"), the practice is still not wholly supported in the medical community, nor recommended by the Food and Drug Administration. Part of the reason is fear of increased cost.

3 Apr 2007

Blood pressure control with Clevidipine

Researchers report that an investigational anti-hypertensive therapy may perform better in controlling blood pressure than standard treatments for patients undergoing heart surgery, during a presentation at the American College of Cardiology's 56th Annual Scientific Session.

30 Mar 2007