News

National Cardiac PET Centre Celebrates 20 Years of Innovation

Shoehorned into a small room, the first positron emission tomography (PET) scanner at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute made possible a dedicated PET imaging service for heart patients one day a week. That was in 1995, and cardiologist Rob Beanlands, MD, physicist Rob deKemp, PhD, and nuclear

Peer-to-Peer Support for Women Living with Heart Disease

After Hope Sarfi had bypass surgery last year, she had good support from family and friends. They helped her out where they could, some learned about her condition and they listened to her concerns—everything you could want from those closest to you. But she felt something was missing. That

Caring for the Caregivers: Tips for Caregivers

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate Communication is the foundation of any good relationship. This becomes even more important when dealing with the upheavals and uncertainties of cardiovascular disease. “Life-threatening events threaten bonds,” said psychologist Heather Tulloch, PhD. “It’s

Caring for the Caregivers: The Role of Occupational Therapy

The repetitive nature of caring for a loved one recovering at home can be emotionally draining for a caregiver. Tasks such as helping that loved one get out of bed each morning, dress, bathe and eat can also be physically challenging. When a recovering patient can carry out these activities of daily

Caring for the Caregivers: Recognizing the Challenges

A heart attack or cardiac surgery is a major event. It has a ripple effect that impacts not just the patient, but family and friends as well. Lives can change, often for the long term, casting loved ones in the role of caregiver. These changes can be stressful, unexpected and, over time, draining. A

Heart Institute CCC 2015 Program Guide

With topics ranging from sedentary behaviour to stem cells, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute has more than 80 items on the program at CCC 2015. Our program guide will help you find them all. Look for the Heart Institute in the exhibit hall at booth 908. Presentations and Activities Schedule

Prediabetes Often Goes Unrecognized

As many as one in eight people don’t know they have prediabetes and are on the path to developing diabetes. Of Canadian adults, that is nearly 3.5 million people. Both prediabetes and diabetes are important contributors to heart disease. The findings, published recently in the American Journal of

Researchers Answer Important Debate About the Genetics of Heart Disease

Roughly half of our risk of getting heart disease is due to our genetics. The other half is due to age, lifestyle and other environmental factors. Of the genetic half, some of the risk comes from rare genetic variants that have a big impact on a person’s individual risk. Some comes from the additive

Treating Arrhythmias Half a World Away

In March of this year, following a two-year fellowship in Canada, Roshan Raut, MD, returned to his native Nepal as only the third doctor trained in cardiac electrophysiology in his country’s history and the first trained in complex ablation techniques. He was eager to get to work expanding the

Rapid Beats: Heart Disease News and Updates

Blood Test Identifies Those at Risk for Heart Attack Knowing an individual’s specific risk of heart attack could significantly impact his or her medical care as well as willingness to adopt a healthier lifestyle. A blood test now available in the United States has been shown to do just that. The