News

Several Heart Institute staff members were the recipients of significant honours at this year’s congress. Foremost of these were Dr. Robert Roberts, Heart Institute President and CEO, and Dr. Lyall Higginson. A Pioneering Researcher Dr. Roberts received the Canadian Cardiovascular Society’s Research

The Heart Institute’s landmark RAFT trial, released in 2010, showed that cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in combination with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) device reduces the risk death by 24 per cent in patients with mild to moderate heart failure. Two new studies mined

An Overview from the Cardiovascular Perspective Diabetes is a large and growing problem in Canada, with diabetic patients at much greater risk for dangerous cardiovascular events, including recurrent heart attacks and the development of heart failure. Because it’s such a major contributor to heart

Once again, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute had more than 40 clinical and research presentations on the program at the annual American Heart Association Scientific Sessions. These, along with other major developments in the world of cardiovascular medicine, made for a lively conference. New

Some of the biggest news to come out of AHA this year was the results from preliminary clinical trials of two new LDL cholesterol-lowering drugs that show a substantial decrease in LDL levels well below the reductions seen with statins or ezetimibe alone. The new drugs belong to a class called PCSK9

Several Heart Institute staffers offered their expertise in invited talks touching on a broad range of topics. Scientist Erik Suuronen, PhD, uses tissue engineering techniques to develop methods for regenerating damaged heart muscle. In his presentation, called “The Matrix: Stem Cell Delivery

The use of stem cells for regenerating damaged heart tissue offers great potential, but many technical questions remain. Understanding which cell types are most beneficial and how they should be employed is a central issue. Several clinical trials involving stem cells were presented at AHA. Two were

Successfully managing heart failure is one the looming issues for cardiovascular medicine, with prevalence expected to grow significantly over the coming decades. The plenary session “Engineering Success in Heart Failure” looked at where things are headed, from therapy to devices to delivery of care

Five years ago, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute launched the Heart Wise Exercise (HWE) program in the national capital to both assist people with heart disease and prevent its onset. The program has since broadened its mandate to prevent or limit the effects of living with a chronic health

On July 26 this past summer, two cardiologists at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute implanted a defibrillator. Nothing out of the ordinary, you would think. It is something they do almost daily to provide lifesaving therapy for patients at risk of sudden cardiac death. But this was out of the