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

A good night’s sleep is important for a healthy heart. In fact, studies show that poor quality sleep increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease and can be a point of concern for those living with cardiovascular disease. Trouble sleeping, or insomnia, is a common complaint, according to

Cardiac rehabilitation, a comprehensive program to get patients healthy again after heart attack, cardiac surgery or other cardiac events, has been shown to save lives. But what if patients waiting for non-emergency heart surgery could start improving their health before their procedure? Could that

February is Heart Month, and the federal Minister of Health, the Honourable Jane Philpott, chose to kick it off by coming to the Ottawa Heart Institute to announce $2.9 million in funding for five of its researchers. Heart disease is the second-leading cause of death in Canada. This funding, through

Not all treatments work in all patients, but often it’s not possible to know ahead of time who will benefit. The Ottawa Heart Institute recently became the first centre in Canada to use a new radioactive tracer clinically to better define the prognosis of a patient in heart failure. The tracer

Sexuality is a fundamental part of being human. It’s a big part of our quality of life and a significant source of pleasure and intimacy. So it’s no surprise that concerns about sexual activity are common among people living with heart disease or recovering from a cardiac event. The worries and