A study of gender differences in mitral valve surgery has generated interest in the professional community because it sheds light on an aspect of valve surgery that hasn’t been well-studied to date. “We know from the medical literature that women typically are referred for diagnostic tests and...
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Each October, the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress (CCC) is the largest gathering of cardiovascular health professionals in the country. This year, the Heart Institute’s Dr. Rob Beanlands chaired what proved to be a highly successful meeting. Since CCC was last held in Vancouver in 2006, the...
This year, the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress (CCC) was part of an even larger event called Vascular 2013 that added parallel conferences dedicated to hypertension, diabetes and stroke. The University of Ottawa Heart Institute had program items in all of these subject areas— nearly 120 in all...
RAPID GENE, the first-ever bedside genetic test, has received peer-reviewed validation in The Lancet, the world’s leading general medical journal. As first reported in The Beat (Volume 7, Issue 1), RAPID GENE is a point-of-care genetic test that uses a simple cheek swab to assess whether a patient...
Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory condition that can affect multiple organs in the body. Cardiac sarcoidosis is a rare type in which clusters of white blood cells, called granulomas, form in the tissue of the heart. Affecting about 5% of people who suffer from sarcoidosis, it can impact the electrical...
Heart failure is a disease that challenges the patient and the health care system alike. An often progressive condition with many potential causes and no cure, it can be effectively managed. Doing so is a complex effort that requires diligence and careful monitoring, but a recent study evaluating...
A person living with heart failure may not think twice about popping an over-the-counter pill for pain, swallowing a vitamin with breakfast or drinking a cup of green tea. But they should. A scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) released in July lists numerous prescription...
As we age, the aortic valve in our hearts can become hardened due to calcium deposits that build up over time. This is the most common cause of aortic stenosis which affects the opening and closing of the valve, restricting blood flow to the rest of the body. The condition affects more than 100,000...
Cardiac patients at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) are getting healthier faster thanks to recently acquired state-of-the-art cardiopulmonary exercise monitoring equipment with ergospirometry (CPET). The Oxycon TM Mobile Device pairs portability with functionality, and packs a big...
[Editor’s note: This article is an update of a previously published story.] Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women worldwide, yet it remains under-diagnosed and symptoms often go unrecognized. In July of this year, the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre published the results of a...