Credit: Hamilton Health Sciences
Hamilton, ON (May 15, 2021) - A simple surgery saves patients with heart arrhythmia from often-lethal strokes, says a large international study led by McMaster University.
Researchers found that removing the left atrial appendage an unused, finger-like tissue that can trap blood in the heart chamber and increase the risk of clots cuts the risk of strokes by more than one-third in patients with atrial fibrillation.
Even better, the reduced clotting risk comes on top of any other benefits conferred by blood-thinner medications patients with this condition are usually prescribed. If you have atrial fibrillation and are undergoing heart surgery, the surgeon should be removing your left atrial appendage, because it is a set-up for forming clots. Our trial has shown this to be both safe and effective for stroke prevention, said Richard Whitlock, first author of the study.
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Innovative fitness program encourages kids with heart disease or transplants to train safely at home
Zacharie Biollo, 16, was born with a ventricle missing in his heart and had three life-saving surgeries by the time he was three years old. As he grew up, his parents encouraged him to get involved in sports such as soccer and karate, but he found he ran out of breath faster than some other kids.
Then he got to participate in a new program to help young heart patients get fit and stay active, developed by the pediatric cardiology group and a team of computing scientists at the University of Alberta.
Electronic cigarette (EC) use, or vaping, has both gained incredible popularity and generated tremendous controversy, but although they may be less harmful than tobacco cigarettes (TCs), they have major potential risks that may be underestimated by health authorities, the public, and medical professionals.
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IMAGE: Nicotine delivery systems, including nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs), smokeless tobacco, electronic cigarettes (ECs) and combusted tobacco, can be ranked within a pyramid of cardiovascular harm, stratified by potency of nicotine. view more
Credit: Holly Middlekauff, MD
Philadelphia, April 12, 2021 - Electronic cigarette (EC) use, or vaping, has both gained incredible popularity and generated tremendous controversy, but although they may be less harmful than tobacco cigarettes (TCs), they have major potential risks that may be underestimated by health authorities, the public, and medical professionals. Two cardiovascular specialists review the latest scientific studies on the cardiovascular effects of cigarette smoking versus ECs in the