Cardiogenic shock patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) are among the most critically ill receiving care at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI). Most frequently occurring in patients who have suffered a severe heart attack, those with cardiogenic shock have difficulty pumping...
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Common practice during complex arrhythmia ablation procedures, such as atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia ablation, calls for the use of radiation to help visualize catheter movement and guide the electrophysiologist through critical portions of the procedure. This type of radiation...
Responsible for countless health problems, including cardiovascular and respiratory illness, and many forms of cancer, smoking commonly leads to hospitalization. Surprisingly, a minority of Canadian hospitals have systems, policies or procedures in place that support the consistent, effective...
All of us have experienced anxiety, sadness, frustration or other negative emotions. While they can cause mental distress, they can also take a toll on your heart health, especially if these feelings are persistent or frequent. Understanding and dealing with our moods is important for both...
As 2016 winds down, the Ottawa Heart Institute can look back on a remarkable 40 th anniversary year that brought together the extended Heart Institute community in celebration and appreciation. Congratulations Political leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, reached out to share their...
A heart attack is never good, but a STEMI heart attack is the most serious and deadly. It means that one of the arteries that deliver blood to the heart is completely blocked. The longer the heart goes without blood, the greater the damage. In 2004, the Ottawa Heart Institute launched its STEMI...
To take the sick or damaged heart out of a person’s body and replace it with a healthy donor heart, often flown in from far away—the very idea of a heart transplant inspires wonder. In May 1984, Wilbert Keon, MD, founder of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, performed the first-ever heart...
Roughly half a million Canadians live with heart failure. The condition is an increasingly common one that can seriously impact an individual’s quality of life. Even when appropriately treated, hospital admission and readmission rates are stubbornly high. Traditionally, therapeutic implants called...
In 2012, the promise of using genetic information to personalize patient care made a leap forward at the Ottawa Heart Institute, with the introduction of the RAPID GENE test. Patients who get a cardiac stent to open a blocked artery must take medication to prevent blood clots. Clopidogrel is most...
If they weren’t such a modest lot—and if they hadn’t been quite so tired—you might have heard the sounds of celebration at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute last month. It was an occasion truly worth celebrating—the Heart Institute’s 500th heart transplant since the program began in 1984. At...
It was the very uniqueness of the gene that first drew the attention of molecular biologist Patrick Burgon, PhD. “The striking thing about this gene is that it has no other family members,” he said. “That’s what drove my curiosity.” The gene is muscle enriched A-type lamin interacting protein, or...
Family medicine is an important setting for managing cardiovascular risk factors and preventing the onset of heart disease, as well as managing risk factors following a cardiac event. If a patient is a smoker, explained Dr. Andrew Pipe, Chief of Prevention and Rehabilitation at the University of...
Following Burgon’s talk at the International Forum, Philip Devereaux of McMaster University spoke about Canada’s unique place in the world of cardiovascular medicine. Not only is cardiovascular disease (CVD) the leading cause of death globally but by 2020, the incidence in developing countries is...
Dr. Ruth McPherson, an active CARDIoGRAM participant and a co-author on the interferon biomarker study, was honoured by the AHA Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB) with its Special Recognition Award. Dr. McPherson, a tireless clinician and scientist, directs the...
The State of the Science Lecture on Women and Heart Disease by Anne Rosenfeld of the Oregon Health Sciences University made it clear that there is much to learn about the ways the disease is unique to women. What we do know indicates that risk, symptoms, progression and treatment of CVD are all...
Research from around the world was presented at the 2014 American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions in November. The following highlights range from large drug trials to new information about the causes and of heart disease and the value of good heart health. Preventing Clots Following...
More than 32,000 Canadians go into cardiac arrest each year outside of a hospital and more than 90 per cent of them die. In many cases, this is because bystanders didn’t have adequate knowledge of CPR or access to an automated external defibrillator (AED). Guidelines and studies presented at the...
Although most cases of high blood pressure have no easily identifiable cause, the condition’s effects are clear, including increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and heart failure. The medical consensus is that using medications to lower blood pressure benefits patients, but how low has remained an...
Over the last decade, much has been learned about the genetic risk factors for cardiovascular disease. In the long run, as researchers uncover how variations in these genes lead to heart disease, this knowledge may lead to new preventive drugs and treatments. But in the meantime, doctors have been...
Canadians eat more salt than is good for them, increasing their risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. The Heart and Stroke Foundation estimates that the average adult Canadian consumes about 3,400 mg of sodium per day (roughly one-and-a-half teaspoons), most of it from processed...