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...
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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...
At the turn of the 21 st century, what we knew about the genetic underpinnings of heart disease was limited. There had been success in identifying inherited mutations that cause relatively rare heart rhythm and muscle disorders (arrhythmias and cardiomyopathies). But the genetics of common cardiac...
In 1989, Wesley Behm was born with a serious congenital defect. The left side of his heart was underdeveloped and his prospects for survival were poor. Doctors recommended a heart transplant—a procedure that had never been performed in Canada on an infant. Remarkably, a donor heart was found within...
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...
October 29, 1991 was a royal day at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. As part of the Canadian tour that Prince Charles and Princess Diana made that year, the Princess of Wales visited the Heart Institute on the Ottawa leg of their travels. Accompanied by Mila Mulroney, wife of Prime Minister...
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...
It was on May 11, 1976, that Phase 1 of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute opened for business. What began in 1969, as the Cardiac Unit of The Ottawa Hospital, took a major step toward becoming the internationally recognized cardiac centre that it is today. “It was a very exciting time,”...
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...
It was a cold November night in 2008. All was quiet save the wind whistling through the bare trees, dark against the evening sky. Inside the computed tomography (CT) suite of the Ottawa Heart Institute, a small group stood hushed with anticipation. It would be a night that none of them would ever...
There is a long list of pumpkin spice inspired products available to consumers this time of year. There are pumpkin spiced beers, cereals and yes, even dog treats. The pumpkin spice mix is essentially a blend of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice, but it has been known to include other...
When he came to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute on April 2, 2004, Robert Roberts, MD, was well established as an international leader in cardiovascular genetics and research. He arrived with a mandate to put research at the Heart Institute on par with the world-class care and training the...
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...
The Ottawa Heart Research Conference, hosted by the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, brought together an array of researchers that included leading figures from North America and Europe for a lively exploration of “Emerging Pathways in Cardiovascular Disease.” A recent conference mounted by the...
Is quitting smoking on your 2019 list of goals? There are a variety of factors that influence someone’s ability to quit smoking long-term. For women, the messaging and research around smoking cessation has focused largely on women and pregnancy, rather than supporting the overall health of women and...
A dedicated staff committed to education. A referral base of 2 million people that offers an amazing range of clinical conditions that enable learning. A vigorous, wide-ranging research program. A supportive administration that believes in continual improvement. The full breadth of clinical care...
The second annual Ottawa Heart Research Conference convened on May 8, bringing together an enthusiastic community of scientists and trainees to share insights on personalized cardiovascular medicine. The theme was chosen in honour of former University of Ottawa Heart Institute President and CEO...
Mutations in the gene are associated with striated muscle diseases such as cardiomyopathy and muscular dystrophy. Filling in the unknowns about a previously unexplored gene is a good way to get the attention of your peers. Heart Institute scientist Patrick Burgon is doing just that with a gene he...
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...