When the dust settles on the Ottawa Heart Institute’s new addition in early 2018, one of the innovative new facilities to come online will be a hybrid operating room (OR). It will be a space for surgeons, interventional cardiologists, imaging specialists and other medical professionals to work side...
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Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is a test used to assess the flow of blood to the heart muscle in patients with suspected or existing coronary artery disease, the most common form of heart disease. A sophisticated Canadian technology is expected to significantly enhance access to positron...
Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are used for a variety of indications, but in all cases, their function is the same—to deliver an electrical shock to the heart when they detect an erratic heart rhythm, known as a ventricular arrhythmia. An ICD is surgically implanted, as the name...
On July 26 this past summer, two cardiologists at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute implanted a defibrillator. Nothing out of the ordinary, you would think. It is something they do almost daily to provide lifesaving therapy for patients at risk of sudden cardiac death. But this was out of the...
The Heart Institute’s highly successful telehome monitoring program is marking the participation of its 1,000th patient. The unique program for managing heart failure care substantially reduces hospital readmissions and saves on unnecessary health care costs. Heart failure refers to a complex of...
When you hear “ Code STEMI” announced over the loudspeakers at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, you can be sure of two things: Someone in the Ottawa region is having a serious heart attack, and he or she may well be in the best place in the world for that to happen. A STEMI (ST-elevation...
Somewhere between traditional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons sit interventional cardiologists. Like surgeons, interventionists get blood on their gowns in the process of correcting structural problems of the heart, but their approach is more subtle and less invasive. Spending their days in the...
To new cardiac anesthesiology residents, Dr. Jean-Yves Dupuis explains that it may be hard for them to predict the twists and turns their careers might take. “I tell them that the day I finished my internship back in 1979, I swore I would never go back to a university hospital—I wanted to travel the...
In March, Dr. Rob Beanlands was appointed Chief of Cardiology at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. He brings extensive career experience in cardiovascular imaging and a passion for patient-centred care and education to his new position. Dr. Beanlands takes over from Dr. Terrence Ruddy, Chief...
Whether it’s watching television, going for a long drive or spending hours in front of a computer, sitting for long periods of time increases your risk for a variety of health problems, even if you get regular exercise. While regular exercise is key to preventing heart disease, obesity and diabetes...
But living on a salt-restricted diet can be a challenge. “It’s really hard to know how much sodium is in food because you don’t see it,” explained Kathleen Turner, a registered dietitian with the Division of Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation at the Ottawa Heart Institute. “It just disappears...
Lana Gillard was used to going to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Her mother was a long-time patient there, suffering from chronic heart failure after many years of treatment and several open-heart surgeries. Gillard accompanied her to appointments and knew her mother was in excellent...
Our editorial team is taking a short break for summer. Before we go, we’re sharing some tips to help you get the most out of your face coverings, so that you keep cool and COVID-safe this August. July and August have some of the hottest days of the year in Canada. Hot, humid weather poses...
It was Anne McAllister, a 56-year-old lawyer living in Ottawa who first sparked Dr. David Birnie’s interest in a rare but potentially deadly heart condition just over a decade ago. McAllister was experiencing frequent spells of arrhythmia. Her heart rate changed from rapid to slow without any...
Legalized marijuana is now a reality in Canada. This opening up of legal access will have a variety of health implications. In addition, marijuana is increasingly prescribed for much of what ails us, from the pain and inflammation of osteoarthritis to a host of other conditions, many of which affect...
A renowned cardiac surgeon, a champion of innovation, and an experienced and respected administrator, Dr. Thierry Mesana is also a passionate advocate for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. On September 11, the Heart Institute announced his appointment as its third President and CEO, to...
With populations aging in much of the world, the decline of mental capacity in later years is of increasing concern. There has been hope in the medical community that effectively treating high blood pressure and atherosclerosis could slow or delay this decline. In a study of people over the age of...
It’s 2062. The world is a futuristic utopia of push-button conveniences made possible by technology. Even visiting the doctor happens virtually via videophone. Such was the premise of the popular American animated sitcom, The Jetsons, which first hit airwaves in 1962. But, as Cardiac Telehealth...
The good news is that their hearts are in the right place. Women in Canada see themselves as their families’ “heart keepers,” playing a significant role in maintaining everyone’s heart health, whether it’s the food they serve, the physical activity they encourage, or the non-smoking households they...
Shoehorned into a small room, the first positron emission tomography (PET) scanner at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute made possible a dedicated PET imaging service for heart patients one day a week. That was in 1995, and cardiologist Rob Beanlands, MD, physicist Rob deKemp, PhD, and nuclear...