Articles about current trends in cardiovascular medicine at Mayo Clinic.
The limited availability of donor hearts results in longer wait times for pediatric patients in need of heart transplant. Two types of ventricular assist devices have been used in pediatric patients younger than 5 years at Mayo Clinic. Read more.
The success rate for affecting a complete cure in ablation procedures for children with the most common arrhythmia, PSVT, is greater than 95 percent and the complication rate is very low (approximately 2 percent). Read more.
New division chair Issam D. Moussa, M.D., is interested in interventional treatment of complex coronary and peripheral vascular disease. The Mayo professor of medicine is editor-in-chief of Acute Cardiac Care. Read more.
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of U.S. men and women, yet almost 80 percent of heart disease is preventable. "Mayo Clinic Healthy Heart for Life!" introduces a comprehensive plan to reduce the risks and life-changing effects of heart disease. This new book is currently available for pre-order at retailers nationwide. Read more.
More than 3,000 patients at risk of mortality, stroke and other complications associated with atrial fibrillation are being enrolled in CABANA. Trial investigators plan to establish appropriate roles for medical and ablative intervention for atrial fibrillation in patients with AF. Read more.
Outpatient sclerotherapy, foam sclerotherapy, phlebectomy, coil embolization, radiofrequency ablation and thermal ablation, combined with self-care programs, have nearly replaced surgical vein stripping and are used increasingly in the treatment of varicosities. Read more.
The PARTNER Cohort B trial compared transcutaneous aortic valve implantation of the Edwards Sapien prosthesis delivered via the transfemoral route with standard medical therapy. One-year mortality or repeat hospitalization was reduced from 71 percent to 42 percent in the TAVI cohort. Read more.
Researchers estimated FRS and tested for the presence of SNPs in study participants with no history of heart disease. Based on the genetic markers, researchers estimated the risk of myocardial infarction and modified the 10-year probability of the FRS groupings. Read more.
A study of demographic, motivational and clinical factors affecting patients with obesity indicates that physician identification of weight loss as a treatment goal is the most important predictor of successful weight loss. Read more.
The Samantha endovascular simulator creates realistic clinical scenarios in computerized, life-sized patients. Doctors in training can respond in real time to situations commonly encountered in clinical practice without any risk to actual patients. Read more.
The left atrial appendage is the source of 90% of the thrombus in patients with stroke. One occlusion device design has been tested as an alternative to antithrombotic therapy for patients with nonvalvular AF and another study is beginning. Read more.
A JAMA article reports that 22.5% of patients who received an ICD for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death between 2006 and 2009 did not meet evidence-based criteria for implantation and that implantation rates outside guidelines vary between institutions. Read more.
Win-Kuang Shen, M.D., Mayo professor of medicine, has written more than 160 original scientific publications. The new chair of the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases at Mayo Clinic in Arizona is committed to excellent medical education. Read more.
IRAD data indicate that recurrent pain and refractory hypertension may indicate a role for endovascular stent grafts, not yet approved by the FDA for treatment of dissection, in patients with type B dissection. Read more.
The FDA has approved dabigatran, an oral direct reversible thrombin inhibitor that does not require INR monitoring or dose adjustment, for the indication of stroke prevention in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Read more.
When performed by qualified surgeons, carotid revascularization is effective and the low absolute risk of recurrent stroke suggests that both CAS and CEA are safe. The choice should be individualized based on anatomic considerations, comorbid conditions, and patient choice. Read more.
Initial randomized trials demonstrated improved left ventricular systolic function, fewer hospitalizations for heart failure, and improved survival in patients randomly assigned to CRT compared with those who received medical therapy alone. Read more.
A hybrid approach that combines the advantages of both CABG and PCI may provide the best outcomes for some patients with CAD. For low-risk patients, it provides the benefits of a minimally invasive approach and a LIMA-to-LAD bypass. Read more.
Initial results from the multicenter Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valve (PARTNER) Trial (cohort B) indicate that best medical care, including balloon angioplasty, had no impact on survival rates for patients ineligible for surgical treatment. Read more.
Mayo specialists use a microcirculatory axial blood flow pump to provide circulatory support during sustained ventricular arrhythmias in patients with hemodynamically unstable ventricular tachycardia, increasing the chances of a successful ablation. Read more.
Mayo Clinic actively manages the care of more than 500 patients with long QT syndrome (LQTS). Genetic tests help specialists to accurately diagnose, predict risk, and develop personalized treatment plans for patients and their families. Read more.
Accessing the pericardial space, electrophysiologists map and ablate simultaneously from the endocardial and epicardial surfaces for patients with structural heart disease and reentrant ventricular tachycardia. Subsequent mapping demonstrates definite epicardial scar substrates to which ablation can be applied to alleviate ventricular arrhythmia. Read more.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) increasingly burdens the global health care system due to numbers of patients affected, impact of stroke, and cost of therapy. Studies show ablation may help to eliminate AF, reduce its frequency, and improve patients' quality of life. Read more.
A national clinical trial will compare atrioventricular node (AV) ablation and pacemaker implantation with pharmacologic rhythm or rate control to treat atrial fibrillation (AF) in elderly patients. End points include all-cause mortality, cardiovascular hospitalization, quality of life, and overall resource utilization. Read more.
Mutations within some of the same genes responsible for long QT syndrome and ventricular arrhythmia have been identified in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Distinct chamber-specific rhythm disorders could share similar genetic origins. Read more.
Research indicates that cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) reverses cardiac autonomic remodeling and improves cardiac presynaptic sympathetic activity. Cardiac sympathetic reserve may be a potential predictor of clinical response to CRT. Read more.
Statin therapy, indicated in up to 25% of the US adult population, significantly reduces the incidence of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death. Mayo Clinic has established a Statin Intolerance Clinic to better diagnose, risk stratify, and treat patients with statin-associated adverse effects. Learn more.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a burden on the global health care system because of numbers of patients affected, impact of stroke, and cost of therapy. A Mayo clinical trial examines the benefits of catheter ablation vs drug therapy in 3,000 patients with AF in 140 centers around the world. Learn more.
Mayo researchers found evidence that the progression of aortic valve disease, when caught early enough, is a malleable process. More than 25% of patients over 65 have extensive aortic valve sclerosis, while as many as 10% of individuals in this age range have aortic valve stenosis. Learn more.
Advances in surgical and catheter-based techniques have merged into hybrid procedures that expand the therapeutic options for patients with congenital heart disease, including hypoplastic left heart syndrome, ventricular septal defects, complex right ventricular outflow tract obstruction and transposition of the great arteries. Learn more.
Left cardiac sympathetic denervation, an old cardiac therapy, is being used to provide another option for patients with malignant cardiac channelopathies. The latest advance with videoscopic denervation treatment may be more protective than pharmacotherapy and offer fewer complications than device therapy in the management of high-risk patients. Learn more.
Mayo continues its mission of patient-oriented medical practice, research, and education worldwide through collaboration with Samsung Cardiovascular Imaging Center in Seoul. The center integrates cardiology, radiology, and nuclear medicine to provide comprehensive anatomic and functional cardiac evaluations. The collaboration allows virtual consultation and joint research projects and symposiums. Learn more.
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