Heart Talks

Minimally invasive heart bypass surgery using a DaVinci robot means a shorter hospital stay and faster recovery for patients, as well as fewer complications and a better chance that the new bypass vessels will stay open. And, according to a University of Maryland study, robotic heart bypass surgery also makes good economic sense for hospitals. […]

Popularity: 35% [?]

Interventional cardiologists at Rush University Medical Center now offer a minimally-invasive transcatheter valve replacement procedure for patients with congenital heart disease that doesn’t involve open heart surgery.
Rush is one of three sites taking part in the investigational device exemption (IDE) feasibility study of minimally-invasive pulmonic valves and successfully implanted the first three patients enrolled in […]

Popularity: 18% [?]

Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic found that heart surgery patients who got transfusions of blood that was more than two weeks old fared worse than those who received newer blood.
The researchers examined the records of 6,000 patients treated at the Cleveland Clinic, who were given blood transfusions during heart-bypass or heart-valve surgery.
Popularity: 14% [?]

Popularity: 14% [?]

Heart surgery patients were more likely to die if given an antibleeding drug, Trasylol (aprotinin), two new studies show.
Patients treated with Trasylol had an almost a two-fold greater mortality compared with patients given aminocaproic acid (Amicar) during heart surgery. Patients who received the drug were also at a double risk of kidney failure.
Popularity: 15% [?]

Popularity: 15% [?]

Bypass surgery remains the best option for people with more than one clogged artery.
A new study compares bypass with drug-coated stents.
Popularity: 19% [?]

Popularity: 19% [?]

The drug sirolimus coated stents are safe and effective for treating elderly heart patients with blocked coronary arteries.
According to a new report published in the American Heart Journal, the sirolimus-eluting stents reduce the chance of arteries becoming blocked again, and consequently the need for another operation.
Popularity: 23% [?]

Popularity: 23% [?]

Massage therapy helps patient’s recovery after heart surgery by decreasing pain levels, according to researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
58 patients undergoing surgery participated in a pilot study to examine the effect of massage on pain after surgery. They rated their pain on a scale of one to ten - with 10 being […]

Popularity: 22% [?]

Replacing aging heart valves is very complicated operation. Canadian scientists are perfecting a newer and safer method of replacing valves.
Each year, thousands of people have open heart surgery to replace aortic valves that have become stiff and that can no longer pump blood correctly.
Popularity: 26% [?]

Popularity: 26% [?]

A great number of patients experience depression following open heart surgery. This  complication is well known to doctors for decades.
The depression can range from small changes, such as feelings of sadness, mood swings, to more severe symptoms.
Popularity: 21% [?]

Popularity: 21% [?]

This is really scary. About 12,000 American people die every year from unnecessary surgery, according to a Journal of the American Medical Association report.
In addition, tens of thousands more suffer complications.
Popularity: 36% [?]

Popularity: 36% [?]