Much of modern health care is made possible by medical devices—the countless tools, equipment and instruments used in health care delivery and patient care. Pocket glucose monitors that check blood sugar levels on the go. Specialized retractors that support new surgical techniques. Cardiac stents

Aortic disease is often referred to as a silent condition because there are usually no symptoms to alert either the patient or doctor. The consequences, however, can be catastrophic, as in the case of an aortic dissection—a tear in the wall of this major artery. Rapid diagnosis and treatment are

According to a recent Harvard University study, each year 1.65 million people die worldwide from high-sodium diets that lead to heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular disease. The review of existing research found that most people eat far more salt than recommended, and salt is a major

For decades, researchers have known that the brain controls the diameter of the peripheral arteries, the vessels that carry blood to the arms, legs, hands and feet. Electrical impulses from the brain travel to these arteries through a network of nerves known as the sympathetic nervous system

At the big-picture level, we understand the risk factors for a heart attack, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, and genetics. We also know that a heart attack is caused when plaque buildup in the wall of a coronary artery ruptures and blocks the blood vessel. What

Researcher Thomas Lagace, PhD, first came across the protein PCSK9 as a postdoctoral fellow, never guessing that it would become the focus of his career. While starting his post-doc at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, he was placed “kind of kicking and screaming,” as he put it, on a