News

CCC 2012: Cardiac Complications in Non-Cardiac Surgery

Within 30 days of non-cardiac surgery, one in 10 patients will have a major vascular complication. In the CCC State-of-the-Art lecture, Dr. PJ Devereux of McMaster University brought to the fore work being done to reduce myocardial injury after non-cardiac surgery (MINS). Surgery is stressful, and

CCC 2012: New Approaches for Imaging Clinical Outcomes

Imaging, such as positron emission tomography (PET) and echocardiography, is vital for diagnosing heart disease, but it can also be used in new ways to assess the progress of disease or treatment. Tracking the Impact of Diabetes with PET James Haley, a master’s candidate at the Heart Institute

UOHI at CCC 2012: Honours for Heart Institute Staff

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

CCC 2012: Extending Findings from the RAFT CRT Trial

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

CCC 2012: The Intersection of Diabetes and Heart Disease

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

AHA 2012: Heart Institute News and More

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

AHA 2012: New Class of Drugs Substantially Lowers “Bad” Cholesterol

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

AHA 2012: Invited Experts

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

AHA 2012: Stem Cells for Cardiac Repair

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

AHA 2012: Engineering Success in Heart Failure

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