Virtual drug quiets noise in heart tissue images

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a new computational approach to removing movement in images of expanding and contracting heart cells and tissues. By computationally removing movement, the algorithm mimics a drug’s action in stopping the heart, without compromising cellular structure or tissue contractility.

Seven Hackensack Meridian Medical Centers Recognized for Excellence with ACC Heart Failure Accreditation

Facilities that achieve accreditation meet or exceed an array of stringent criteria and have organized a team of doctors, nurses, clinicians and other administrative staff that earnestly support the efforts leading to better patient education, improved patient outcomes, and more effective and efficient disease control.

Simulations Show Weak Electrical Pulses Could Treat Atrial and Ventricular Fibrillations

With numerical simulations, researchers have demonstrated a new way to time weak electrical pulses that can stop certain life-threatening arrhythmias. Publishing their work in Chaos, the group shows that timed pulses are successful in ending atrial and ventricular fibrillations. The study provides early evidence that one theorized approach to controlling fibrillations – adaptive deceleration pacing – can improve the performance of defibrillators.

New Guidelines from ASE Set Standards to Perform Transesophageal Echocardiographic Screening for Structural Heart Interventions

New guidelines published this year by the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), Standards for the Performance of Transesophageal Echocardiographic Screening for Structural Heart Intervention, provide a unique teaching resource for interventional cardiologists, a growing group of heart specialists who perform echocardiography.

Mark Mascarenhas, M.D., who implanted the first dual-chamber leadless pacemakers at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, is available to speak to media

The cardiovascular team at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center recently implanted New Jersey’s first dual-chamber leadless pacemaker systems in patients, as part of Abbott’s AveirTM DR i2i clinical study.   People who experience a slower-than-normal heart rate may receive…

New Jersey’s First Dual-Chamber Leadless Pacemakers Implanted at Jersey Shore University Medical Center

The cardiovascular team at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center recently implanted New Jersey’s first dual-chamber leadless pacemaker systems in patients, as part of Abbott’s AveirTM DR i2i clinical study.

Fostering Innovation in Congenital Interventional Cardiology

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is evaluating several novel devices for congenital heart disease—and recently performed the world’s first implant of a novel stent for babies. Since joining Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in August as the Director of Congenital Interventional Catheterization, Darren Berman, MD, has been expanding the scope of the Cardiac Catheterization Lab to include many of the newest catheter-based treatments for children and young adults with congenital heart disease.

Severe Heart Attack Mortality Dropped in Second Year of COVID-19 Pandemic, But Still High in Unvaccinated, New Data Shows

A newly published analysis in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology of hospitalized patients with both a severe type of heart attack called STEMI (ST-elevation myocardial infarction) and coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) infection compares clinical outcomes for these patients during the first and second years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Batteryless Pacemaker Could Use Heart’s Energy for Power

The cardiac pacemaker of the future could be powered by the heart itself, according to researchers in China. Current cardiac pacemakers use a battery power supply and leads to keep hearts beating regularly. Yi Zhiran and his group are investing batteryless powering and leadless pacing, harvesting kinetic energy from the heart to power the lifesaving device. The energy is harvested by the buckling of the encapsulated structure of the pacemaker, creating buckled piezoelectric energy.

New AACN CSI Academy Cohort at 10 Hospitals Focuses on Underserved Patient Populations

Thanks to a grant from Edwards Lifesciences Foundation, nurses caring for underserved critically ill cardiac patients at 10 U.S. hospitals will participate in a cardiac-focused cohort of AACN Clinical Scene Investigator (CSI) Academy, a nurse leadership and innovation program from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

Jersey Shore University Medical Center Cardiac Team Performs Rare, Lifesaving Combined Procedures

Experts from Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s Structural Heart Disease Program recently performed, to the program’s knowledge, New Jersey’s first transcatheter double heart valve replacement, combined with a procedure to improve blood flow in the heart. The three treatments were completed together during one visit to the academic medical center’s advanced hybrid operating room, to ensure the patient’s safety.

Wearable Electronics for Continuous Cardiac, Respiratory Monitoring

A small and inexpensive sensor, announced in Applied Physics Letters and based on an electrochemical system, could potentially be worn continuously by cardiac patients or others who require constant monitoring. A solution containing electrolyte substances is placed into a small circular cavity that is capped with a thin flexible diaphragm, allowing detection of subtle movements when placed on a patient’s chest. The authors suggest their sensor could be used for diagnosis of respiratory diseases.

Media Advisory: Register for STS Annual Meeting and Press Briefings

Credentialed press representatives are invited to attend The Society of Thoracic Surgeons VIRTUAL 57th Annual Meeting. This interactive, fully digital experience—expected to be unlike anything that cardiothoracic surgery has experienced to date—will feature thought-provoking lectures, practice-changing science, and cutting-edge techniques and technologies.

Jersey Shore University Medical Center Launches Cardio-Oncology Program

Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center recently launched a Cardio-Oncology Program providing cancer patients and survivors access to cardiology and oncology specialists and advanced imaging services. L. Steven Zukerman, M.D., FACC, serves as medical director of the program, designed to minimize the impact of cancer treatments on patients’ hearts and provide continuing cardiac care to cancer survivors.

New COVID-19 Editorial: Examining Heart Issues After Recovery

In an article published online on June 26 in the journal Heart Rhythm, lead author Raul Mitrani, M.D., and co-authors with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, examine the varied cardiovascular injuries and complications that patients who have recovered from the acute COVID-19 infection may experience largely based on evidence from other viral infections or inflammatory injury to the heart. The authors also recommend developing screening and tracking measures to detect cardiac injury and potentially mitigate long-term impact.

MacNeal Hospital Launches First Clinical Trial in Illinois of Novel Monitoring Device for Congestive Heart Failure Patients

MacNeal Hospital is the first hospital in Illinois to participate in a national, randomized clinical trial using daily vital signs and lung pressure measurement to manage patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). The PROACTIVE-HF trial utilizes a new monitoring system, coupled with a pressure sensor, implanted directly into a blood vessel in the lung. This system provides information that is recorded and transmitted over a cellular or Wi-Fi connection to a patient’s provider, allowing for medication changes, if necessary, to prevent further health deterioration or hospitalization.

Critical Transition Theory Shows Flickering in Heart Before Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation ranks among the most common heart conditions, and episodes are difficult to predict. Researchers have proposed a way to define cardiac state and have studied the dynamics before the cardiac rhythm changes from normal sinus to AF rhythm and vice versa. The work, appearing in Chaos and based on critical transition theory, looks to provide an early warning for those with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with potential implications for future wearable devices.

Experimental cholesterol-lowering drug effective at lowering bad cholesterol, study shows

Twice-yearly injections of an experimental cholesterol-lowering drug, inclisiran, were effective at reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, often called bad cholesterol, in patients already taking the maximum dose of statin drugs, according to data of the ORION-10 trial presented Saturday, Nov. 16, at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2019.

Cyp2F2-Mediated Lung Cancer, Rapid Risk Assessment of Color Additives, and More Featured in November 2019 Toxicological Sciences

Toxicological Sciences continues to deliver cutting-edge research in toxicology in the November 2019 issue. This issue features research on computational toxicology and databases, developmental and reproductive toxicology, and more.

University of Michigan Expert Available: Study Cautions Against Catch-All Assumptions about LVADs and Mitral Regurgitation

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Mitral valve procedures are often not performed because of the standing belief that LVAD support resolves mitral regurgitation, due to better left heart performance. A new study in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery found when…