News • Menopause research
Hot flashes: a hazard for the heart?
Not just uncomfortable, but hard on the heart: Accumulating research suggests a link between hot flashes during the menopause and cardiovascular disease risk in women.
Cardiovascular diseases
Article • Hypertension and CVD assessment and prediction
Blood pressure measurement: deceivingly simple, yet highly complex
Blood pressure is one of the most basic parameters in any healthcare status assessment and holds considerable diagnostic significance. However, clinicians should never underestimate the complexity behind the assessment, cautions Dr Rhian M. Touyz.
Article • Sex differences in heart failure
Why a closer look at a woman’s heart matters
The hearts of men and women are different – while this insight has been established for quite some time now, it might even surprise cardiologists just how deep these differences really run. In her presentation at this year’s ESC, Diana Bonderman, MD, gave a comprehensive roundup on sex differences in risk factors and subtypes of heart failure.
News • Sex-specific approaches needed
Dedicated women’s heart centers can improve accurate diagnoses
An important prospective study showcases improvement in outcomes for women with ischemic heart disease by attending a multidisciplinary women’s health center.
News • Research presented at ESC 2022
Autoimmune disorders increase risk of cardiovascular disease
A large epidemiological study shows that patients with an autoimmune disorder have a substantially higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than individuals without autoimmune disease.
News • Improved detection and treatment
New trial shows benefits of smartphone-based atrial fibrillation screening
Atrial fibrillation screening using conventional smartphones more than doubles the detection and treatment rate in older people compared to routine screening, new research finds.
Article • Women’s heart health
Exploring the cardiovascular impact of pregnancy and menopause
The critical times in a woman’s life of pregnancy and the menopause – and their relation to heart health – is explored at the ESC. The defined field of gender-specific cardiology is becoming an increasingly important area of focus, experts say.
Article • Possibilities and risks
AI in cardiology: so much is feasible – but is everything useful?
It might sound like science fiction but it is reality in cardiology: with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) physicians can recognize from a patient’s headshot whether the person is suffering from coronary artery disease and is therefore at risk of myocardial infarction. But is that knowledge really useful? Professor Dr David Duncker calls for a differentiated and careful assessment of…
News • Gene therapy in the heart muscle
Targeting heart disease with viral vectors
Researchers have developed adeno-associated virus variants that target heart muscle cells and can thus be used for the precise treatment of heart diseases.
News • Genetics research
Chromosomes: How the 'extra X factor' is putting men at risk
Around one in 500 men could be carrying an extra X or Y chromosome – most of them unaware – putting them at increased risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis and thrombosis.
News • Study shows elevated risk
Finding connections between diabetes and heart valve disease
Individuals with diabetes display a substantially increased risk of disease in left-sided heart valves compared to controls without diabetes, a new comprehensive register study shows.
News • "Broken heart syndrome"
Brain changes linked to emotion discovered in Takotsubo syndrome
Changes in areas of the brain associated with emotion have been identified in people with Takotsubo syndrome, sometimes known as broken heart syndrome, according to new research.
News • New treatment approach
Injectable gel to repair damage after a heart attack
Researchers have developed a biodegradable gel that can help to improve the delivery of cells into the living heart and could form a new generation of treatments to repair heart attack damage.
News • Smart device
Dissolving pacemaker communicates with body-area sensor
Wireless bioresorbable pacemaker bypasses need to extract non-biodegradable leads, eliminating additional risk to the patient.
News • Vascular monitoring system
Implantable smart stent monitors hemodynamics
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a smart stent that can monitor hemodynamic parameters. The wireless and battery-free device can transmit the data to the outside of the body.
News • MetaboliQs
Hyperpolarized nuclear MR: more precise diagnoses
Hyperpolarized nuclear magnetic resonance enables major medical advances in molecular diagnostics, for example for cardiovascular diseases or cancer therapy.
News • Minimally invasive cardiology
TAVI: viable alternative to open heart surgery in aortic stenosis
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) is a less invasive procedure that is just as effective as open-heart surgery in treating severe symptomatic aortic stenosis, a new study shows.
News • Cardiology research
Can't sleep? Why heart patients should take insomnia seriously
Sleep problems could hint at a heightened risk of heart disease, caution experts at the ESC Preventive Cardiology 2022 congress.
News • Sex and gender bias
Beyond "bikini medicine": Should we redefine women's health?
A new study has found that women’s health research remains disproportionately focused on the reproductive years, with few articles on the major causes of illness and death in women.
News • CVD prevention
3D matrix ultrasound to identify cardiovascular injury
Scientists at the Spanish Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC) have led the development of a new 3D ultrasound method that improves the assessment of cardiovascular risk in healthy individuals.
News • In heart disease
Lab-grown pig heart tissue could replace animals research
A way to replicate what happens inside the heart after cardiac arrest could open new avenues for the study of heart regeneration whilst reducing the use of live animals in research.
Article • CAD pros and cons
CT or MRI – which is better for imaging stable cardiac chest pain?
When it comes to imaging stable cardiac chest pain, which modality should be used as the first-line test to investigate coronary artery disease: CT or MRI? Radiologists discussed the strengths and limitations of the two approaches in a lively Pros and Cons session at ECR Overture.
News • Cardiology insights
Lab-grown heart cells 'mimic' disease in vitro
Heart cells from a patient with an inherited heart disease called arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy do not contract correctly when grown in the laboratory, researchers from Osaka University have found.
News • Sex differences
Cardiovascular risks may be worse for women’s cognition
New study results show that though men are more likely to have heart conditions, the impact on their memory and thinking skills is lower.
Article • Cardiology helpers
A new era for robotic cardiac interventions
Interventional cardiology is entering a new era with the wider introduction of robotic procedures which bring significant benefits to the medical team and the patient. Two experts outlined the benefits at the ESC 2021 Digital Summit.