https://medicalxpress.com/cardiology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Cardiology A new study has found platelets kept in cold storage are as effective at treating bleeding and have a longer shelf life than platelets stored at room temperature. Dr. James Preuss and Dr. Warren Pavey, from The University of Western Australia's Medical School, were co-authors of the study published in JAMA that could make platelets used in cardiac surgery more readily available in Australia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-cold-storage-platelets-safe-effective.html Sat, 22 Aug 2026 08:00:01 EDT news706275568 Interviews with patients hospitalized for heart failure, caregivers, providers and organizational leaders highlighted several strengths of Mighty Heart (a major clinical trial examining the effectiveness of in-home and telehealth-enabled visits by paramedics) that may support its adoption and implementation across health systems, a Columbia Nursing-led study finds. However, financial and regulatory challenges must be addressed to maximize the reach and sustainability of mobile integrated health (MIH), the researchers note. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-patients-heart-failure-caregivers-receptive.html Fri, 21 Aug 2026 15:20:02 EDT news706535822 A review published in Nature Reviews Cardiology provides the most detailed picture yet of how nicotine damages the cardiovascular system—tracing the biological chain of events from the moment nicotine binds to receptors in blood vessel walls through to the atherosclerotic plaque rupture that triggers heart attacks and strokes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-nicotine-blood-vessels-biological-hierarchy.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 13:00:13 EDT news706443542 Dehydration can affect much more than your thirst. It also can place extra stress on your heart and cardiovascular system, explains Dr. Brodie Marthaler, a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-dehydration-thirst-expert-affect-heart.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:20:06 EDT news706440482 The health of heart attack survivors follows three distinct paths in the five years after their heart attack, say researchers from the University of Surrey. The research used an AI tool to find patterns that could not only help clinicians predict which path patients might follow but also allow them to tailor care sooner during recovery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-ai-tool-heart-survivors-tailored.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 08:00:01 EDT news706425182 Mayo Clinic researchers have developed and externally validated an artificial intelligence (AI) model that can identify a potentially significant heart obstruction from routine ultrasound videos without relying on specialized Doppler imaging. The technology could help clinicians flag patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) who may need additional testing, particularly in settings where specialized echocardiography expertise is limited. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-ai-clinicians-heart-obstruction-routine.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 07:20:03 EDT news706421582 A new study found that nearly 8 out of 10 young adult participants, with an average age of 23 years, had cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome (CKM syndrome), according to independent research published today in Circulation: Population Health and Outcomes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-artery-adults-20s-highlights-early.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 05:00:01 EDT news706281541 Giving intravenous iron to patients with anemia before heart surgery reduces the need for a red blood cell transfusion, finds a clinical trial published by The BMJ today. Intravenous iron also saved approximately 44 units of blood products for every 100 patients treated. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-iron-transfusion-heart-surgery-complications.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 18:30:04 EDT news706276981 Madison researchers have developed an implantable, battery-free pacemaker that's charged by a patient's heartbeat. The device has the potential to last an entire lifetime, reducing the risks and costs associated with replacing devices when their batteries fail. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-heartbeats-power-battery-free-pacemaker.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 14:00:11 EDT news706275156 A compound produced in the body after eating pomegranates improves heart function by up to 80% in a type of heart failure with limited treatment options. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-compound-pomegranates-stiff-heart-failure.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 14:00:02 EDT news706276261 Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered that gut bacteria can convert dietary nitrate and iron into protective molecules that may reduce the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. The study, published in Cell, reveals a new way in which the gut microbiota helps protect vital bodily functions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-gut-bacteria-spinach-beets-iron.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 11:00:13 EDT news706201621 Melbourne researchers have made a gene therapy breakthrough that could restore heart function in children with genetic heart disease, sparing them the need for transplants. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-gene-reverses-inherited-heart-disease.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 10:00:02 EDT news706201201 For community-dwelling older adults, longitudinal changes in N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentrations (heart stress [HS]) may improve risk stratification for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality, according to a study published online Aug. 18 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-heart-stress-based-nt-probnp.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 21:00:01 EDT news706284949 Each year, roughly 2% to 5% of the population is affected by mitral valve prolapse (MVP) and mitral regurgitation (MR). These conditions can affect the heart's rhythm and have been linked to sudden cardiac death, particularly in advanced stages of the disease, through the development of abnormal electrical activity. MVP causes the valve to bend backward as the heart contracts, while MR affects the valve's ability to close fully, leading to blood leaking backward. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-doctors-hidden-sudden-cardiac-death.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 16:20:03 EDT news706284140 High blood pressure affects nearly 1 in 8 people worldwide, and its impact goes far beyond a number on a blood pressure monitor. It can quietly damage the heart, kidneys and brain, making it one of the world's biggest preventable health threats. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-experimental-drug-reversing-high-blood.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 16:00:06 EDT news706284117 Fewer women are part of cardiac rehabilitation programs, particularly in rural or remote communities, but Flinders University researchers have found that a web-based program tailored for women in rural and remote communities can help change this situation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-web-based-cardiac-rehab-boosts.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 07:20:01 EDT news706251062 Unlike adult hearts, the hearts of newborn mammals can temporarily regenerate after damage. However, this remarkable ability is rapidly lost within the first days of life. In a new study, scientists investigated how neonatal hearts respond to both heart injury and pressure overload, a condition that mimics chronic stress on the heart. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-tlr2-links-inflammation-neonatal-heart.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 14:40:03 EDT news706190083 Wearable sensors coupled with AI can generate blood pressure readings nearly as accurately as the invasive and risky arterial lines relied on in intensive care units and operating rooms, new work by Johns Hopkins University researchers demonstrates. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-wearable-sensors-ai-blood-pressure.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 10:00:06 EDT news706176122 When Mark Hughes, the former Manchester United and Wales manager, lost his 38-year-old son, an inquest found the cause was sudden adult death syndrome, or SADS. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-sudden-adult-death-syndrome.html Sun, 16 Aug 2026 15:00:01 EDT news705918322 Glycoprotein VI, or GPVI for short, is a surface receptor found exclusively on platelets and their precursor cells, megakaryocytes in the bone marrow. GPVI is primarily responsible for binding collagen at the site of an injured blood vessel, which triggers the activation and aggregation of platelets. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-platelet-approach-path-safer-thrombosis.html Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:40:01 EDT news705930721 QIMR Berghofer researchers have created the most detailed map yet of the chemical signals that control heart function, opening new avenues for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of heart disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-heart-atlas-drugs-muscle.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 15:00:07 EDT news705844022 An international study has found that despite two decades of global tobacco control efforts, the message still is not getting through to enough smokers that smoking and secondhand smoke cause heart attacks and strokes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-smokers-largely-unaware-heart-disease.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 10:20:01 EDT news705831198 Taking the stairs could help you live longer—according to new research from the University of East Anglia and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. The study, published today, suggests that climbing stairs significantly reduces the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-stairs-early-death.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:10:03 EDT news705671582 If you see a doctor regularly, chances are you have had a lipid panel ordered and your blood drawn at a lab. The results told your physician your levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, factors that play a role in diagnosing conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Now, a team led by Wei Gao, a professor in Caltech's Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, has developed a stick-on patch capable of gathering the same lipid measurements by analyzing sweat. And it can do so not just once but continuously. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-sensor-enables-noninvasive-cholesterol.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:20:01 EDT news705765645 Coronary artery disease, which is caused by plaque buildup in the arteries that supply blood to the heart, can appear stable for long periods without causing any symptoms. But the disease can become unstable at any time and cause a heart attack. Following a heart attack, low-grade inflammation can persist in the body for several months or even years. A large body of research suggests that this prolonged inflammation increases the risk of another heart attack. More than 20,000 people in Sweden suffer a heart attack every year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-dysregulated-immune-cells-silent-inflammation.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:40:04 EDT news705763681 Stopping statins in adults 75 and older with no history of heart disease or stroke does not increase the risk of death over three years compared with continuing statins, although "bad" cholesterol rose around 50% in those who stopped, according to a randomized controlled trial published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity. Statins are a key medication for the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, a specific type of cardiovascular disease caused by the buildup of fatty plaque (atherosclerosis) inside the arteries. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-adults-older-statins-similar-year.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:40:09 EDT news705746206 Habitual cannabis users experienced about 9% fewer premature heartbeats on days they inhaled cannabis compared with days they abstained, a counterintuitive finding that adds to the complex and evolving understanding of how cannabis affects the heart, according to new UC San Francisco-led research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-unexpected-insight-cannabis-heart-health.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:00:04 EDT news705743761 Early natural menopause is already associated with a higher long-term health burden. A new large-scale study demonstrates that cumulative social disadvantage—and, in particular, unemployment—is strongly associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease, as well as a marked predisposition to dementia, in women with early natural menopause. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-social-disadvantage-greatly-amplifies-mortality.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:40:01 EDT news705736038 People with both atrial fibrillation and Alzheimer's disease who are treated with modern NOAC blood-thinning medicines may experience a slower rate of cognitive decline. This is shown by a study from Karolinska Institutet published in the European Heart Journal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-blood-thinning-medication-linked-slower.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 07:00:03 EDT news705678182 Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Its impact extends beyond biology, with social determinants such as food insecurity, socioeconomic status and education influencing outcomes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-america-heart-disease-crisis-hypertension.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:20:08 EDT news705678962