Procedures

Don’t Put That in My Heart Until You’re Sure It Really Works

Many have touted catheter ablation, which can cost well above $20,000, as a “cure” for atrial fibrillation. Yet a new randomized controlled trial, the gold standard of clinical research, has produced disappointing results. The study, called the Cabana trial, found that the procedure was no more effective than much cheaper medications at reducing mortality, cardiac arrest, major bleeding and stroke.

Tiny Device Is a ‘Huge Advance’ for Treatment of Severe Heart Failure

A clip used to repair damaged heart valves sharply reduced deaths among patients with a grim prognosis.

A Cardiac Conundrum

Within cardiac care, examples of medical intervention include surgical procedures, such as coronary bypass operations, and invasive treatments like angioplasty. Coronary bypass has the longer history, traceable to 1910, when one surgeon made an (unsuccessful) attempt to perform bypass surgery on a dog...

Disheartening Medicine

Even U.S. presidents don’t always get the best cardiac health care. Where does that leave the rest of us?

Heart Device Procedure Is No Better Than Drug Therapy for Irregular Heartbeat: Study

An increasingly common cardiovascular procedure using a device made by several medical technology companies was no better than drug therapy at preventing deaths, strokes and certain other complications, a new study found. The outcome of the trial raises questions about the procedure, known as catheter ablation, to treat patients with atrial fibrillation.

Here's What Convinced a Heart Surgeon to Use 3D Printing

Dr. Sloane Guy thought 3D printing models was just a gimmick, until he held one in his hands.

How Fake Surgery Exposes Useless Treatments

It can reveal whether popular operations are actually effective.

Inappropriate heart procedures are expensive and risky. And studies show thousands happen every year.

But the big problem with unwarranted cardiac care may not be the high-profile fraud cases. Instead, researchers say thousands of procedures are performed across the nation each year in circumstances that are probably at odds with medical guidelines.

Preparing for a Heart Procedure

I’m driving to Pittsburgh Monday morning to have part of my heart removed. It’s a necessary procedure, one I’ve been anticipating for years, but as it draws closer and closer, it’s hard not to have second thoughts.

When Evidence Says No, but Doctors Say Yes

Long after research contradicts common medical practices, patients continue to demand them and physicians continue to deliver. The result is an epidemic of unnecessary and unhelpful treatments.

Why American doctors keep doing expensive procedures that don’t work

The proportion of medical procedures unsupported by evidence may be nearly half.

Why Heart Surgery May be Better in the Afternoon

Operations after noon have fewer bad outcomes.

Placebo Effect of the Heart

After 40 years, millions of procedures, and billions of dollars, doctors are questioning whether a common procedure is doing more harm than good. How much does heart disease depend on a patient’s state of mind?

Heart.org

If you've had a heart attack, you may have already had certain procedures to help you survive your heart attack and diagnose your condition.

HeartSite.com

This web site was designed to provide information to patients who are being evaluated and treated for a heart-related complaint. All contents are reviewed by physicians to ensure accuracy. Our objective is to educate.