A young Latino child's life took a dramatic turn when they fled violence in their home country, seeking safety in the USA. Little did they know, their journey would lead to a life-changing health diagnosis. The child was diagnosed with supravalvular aortic stenosis, a heart condition that required urgent surgery. This case highlights the many hurdles faced by immigr...
After heart surgery, many adults face a sneaky issue: atrial fibrillation, or AF. This is when the heart beats in a chaotic way. It's a common problem, affecting up to half of the patients who have had heart surgery. The tricky part? It can show up after the patient has already left the hospital. This is why it's so important to have good ways to spot AF after discha...
Before some surgeries, doctors often order extra heart tests. This is to check if a patient is at risk of heart problems after the surgery. These tests can cause delays and add to medical costs. But are these tests always needed? For many people, the answer is no. Most patients who have low or no risk factors can safely have non-heart surgeries without extra heart te...
Lots of people have both coronary artery disease and valvular heart disease. This means they often need two big surgeries: coronary artery bypass grafting and valve replacement or repair. After these procedures, doctors usually prescribe a mix of anticoagulants and antiplatelets to prevent blood clots. However, this combination can make bleeding more likely. The prob...
In the world of heart surgery, doctors often notice two things happening together in adults with heart problems: sarcopenia (muscle loss) and malnutrition (poor nutrition). Researchers wanted to find out if these conditions before surgery could lead to serious heart and brain issues after the surgery. They looked at something called major adverse cardiac and cerebral...
A new study has shown that the more familiar cardiac surgery teams are with each other, the better they perform. This means teams that work together often can make surgeries faster and safer. The study looked at how well teams know each other and how that affects both the speed of the surgery and how well the patient does. It found that the better the team knows each...
Ever wondered how fluctuations in blood sugar might affect your kidneys after heart surgery? Researchers recently took a close look at this topic by studying a large group of patients. They explored different ways to track how much blood sugar levels bounce up and down post-surgery. Their focus was to see if these swings increase the risk of acute kidney disease, a c...