ALERT!
This site is not optimized for Internet Explorer 8 (or older).
Please upgrade to a newer version of Internet Explorer or use an alternate browser such as Chrome or Firefox.
Journal and News Scan
More than 40,000 children in the United States are undergoing congenital heart surgery annually. Yet, the relationship between hospital quality and costs remains unclear. This article explores this issue.
An interesting brief editorial on an experiment revisiting renal denervation as a panacea to cardiovascular disease
This newly released AHA scientific statement offers a comprehensive review of the latest imaging and measurement techniques for patients with chronic aortic dissection and clarifies the need for standardized measurements and reporting for lifelong surveillance. It is divided into seven parts: epidemiology and anatomic spectrum; pathophysiology; managment of chronic aortic dissection; imaging technique; measurement principles; surveillance imaging; and risk stratification and new developments. The emerging role of imaging and computer simulations is examined to predict aortic false lumen degeneration, remodeling, and biomechanical failure from morphological and hemodynamic features. The writing group also identifies critical knowledge gaps and research needs that may serve as an impetus for additional research and development.
Global health champion, Harvard Medical School professor, anthropologist and co-founder of the nonprofit health organization Partners in Health, Dr. Paul Farmer, has died at age 62. This article lists some of Dr. Farmer's accomplishments.
The Ross procedure in adults has recently seen a surge in interest. The aim of this study was to compare long-term outcomes after the Ross procedure vs biological and mechanical aortic valve replacement (AVR) in adults (aged 18-50 years) undergoing aortic valve surgery.
Interesting study of hypertrophied human cardiomyocytes
Paul Farmer, a physician, anthropologist and humanitarian who gained global acclaim for his work delivering high-quality health care to some of the world’s poorest people, died on Monday on the grounds of a hospital and university he had helped establish in Butaro, Rwanda.
The American Heart Association has released a scientific statement on imaging and surveillance of chronic aortic dissection, expounding the state-of-the-art imaging and measurement techniques (CT, MR and echocardiography), and clarifying the need for standardized measurements and reporting for lifelong surveillance.
A new study that monitors patients who were given “on-pump” or “off-pump” coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) over a ten year time period reveals that outcomes between the two forms of heart bypass surgery are more similar than one may think.
Handing a patient off from one anesthesiologist to another during cardiac surgery is associated with significantly higher risks of mortality, as well as longer stays in the ICU and hospital, a new study has shown. Researchers suspect that even though the incoming anesthesiologist is given the patient’s complete medical history, some “intangible” details could be lost in the transfer, contributing to worse outcomes.