Archive

Hybrid Operating Room: A Space Dedicated to Cross-Disciplinary Cardiac Care

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

Strong Showing in Race for Research Dollars

So far in 2016, Heart Institute researchers have won more than $7 million in research funding, including major awards from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada. Perhaps most remarkable is the Institute’s

Prevention Key to the Future of Cardiovascular Medicine

Despite major advances in technology and treatment over the past several decades, cardiovascular disease is still the leading cause of death in the world. In fact, cardiovascular illness has continued to increase at an epidemic rate globally despite a general reduction in age-related mortality over

40th Anniversary Flashback: First Neonatal Heart Transplant in Canada

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

40th Anniversary Flashback: Princess Diana’s Visit

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

Hospital-Initiated Smoking Cessation Reduces Deaths and Future Health Care Usage

Great strides have been made over the last 40 years in reducing the number of Canadians who smoke. Yet, smoking tobacco remains a leading cause of preventable illness, hospitalization and death. People who smoke daily average twice as many days in hospital as people who have never been daily smokers

10 Tips for Emotional Health

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

Ottawa Heart Research Conference Takes on Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is a complex condition in that its causes vary from person to person, impacting its underlying mechanisms, what triggers episodes and which treatments are effective in each individual. In addition, afib can be difficult to diagnose because it is often episodic nature and in some

Pacemaker/ICD Bleeding Complication Increases Risk of Serious Infections

A pocket hematoma is a pooling of blood around a device such as a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) following the implant procedure. Research led by the Ottawa Heart Institute has found that patients who experience a clinically significant pocket hematoma (CSH) are

Rapid Beats: Heart Disease News and Updates for May

To coincide with coverage of the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Summit, this edition of “Rapids Beats” is dedicated to news related to women and heart disease. Why Women Are Less Likely to Receive Statin Therapy Statin drugs, which lower cholesterol, are equally effective in men and women at