Heart Institute News

Below are news releases, up-to-date information and videos relating to cardiac health, medical advances, promising research studies and the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center.

News Releases*

2013

• Irene Pollin makes transformational gift to Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute's Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center (April 26, 2013)
• Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute ranked first in adult heart transplants for third year in a row (March 19, 2013)
• John Gordon Harold, MD, inaugurated as president of the American College of Cardiology (March 11, 2013)
• Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute study: stem cells boost heart's natural repair mechanisms (Jan. 30, 2013)
• Anesthesiologist on mission to help women with heart disease (Jan. 10, 2013)

2012

• Transplant patient to highlight need for organ donation at Rose Parade (Dec. 27, 2012)
• Ordinary heart cells become "biological pacemakers" with injection of a single gene (Dec. 16, 2012)
• Cedars-Sinai research: Preclinical muscular dystrophy data shows promise (Nov. 7, 2012)
• C. Noel Bairey Merz, MD, talks about the misconceptions of women and heart disease on "Katie"  (Sept. 25, 2012)
• Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute awarded $1.3 million to study cardiac stem cells (September 6, 2012)
• Congenital heart disease expert Evan Zahn, MD, joins Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute (Aug. 1, 2012)
• Researchers link Kawasaki Disease in childhood with increased risk of adult heart disease (July 17, 2012)
• Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute’s Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center (June 15, 2012)
• Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute ranked first nationally in 2011 adult heart transplants (April 3, 2012)
• New England Journal of Medicine: Heart patients do better with non-surgical valve replacement than standard medical therapy (March 26, 2012)
• American College of Cardiology Honors Two Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute Physicians (March 19, 2012)
• Moderate Red Wine Drinking May Help Cut Women's Breast Cancer Risk, Cedars-Sinai Study Shows (January 6, 2012)

2011

• Leader in Cardiac Imaging Joins Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute (August 22, 2011)
• Study Uncovers Novel Genetic Variation Linked to Increased Risk of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (June 30, 2011)
• Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute Ranked First Nationally in 2010 Adult Heart Transplants (March 9, 2011)
• American College of Cardiology Names John Gordon Harold, MD Vice President (Feb. 14, 2011)

2010

• Cedars-Sinai at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions:  Intravenous Gene Transfer Reduces and Stabilizes Arterial Plaque (November 17, 2010)
• Cedars-Sinai at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions:  Stem Cell Expert Will Participate in Roundtable Discussions (November 16, 2010)
• "False Positive" on Cardiac Stress Tests May Be True Indication of Heart Dysfunction, Says Study Led by Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute Physician (November 15, 2010)
• Blood Pressure Checks Performed by Barbers Improve Hypertension Control in African-America Men and Could Save Hundreds of Lives Annually, Says New Study Led by Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute Physician (October 25, 2010)
• Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute Awarded National Institutes of Health Grant to Help Predict Vulnerability to Sudden Cardiac Arrest (July 6, 2010)
• Can You Be Fat And Fit? More Health Experts Say Yes (July 5, 2010)
• People with Heart Defect Also More Likely to Have Brain Aneurysms (May 3, 2010)
• Cedars-Sinai Researchers Present New Findings at International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation Scientific Meeting April 21-24 in Chicago (April 26, 2010)
• In a Time Magazine article about how heart disease presents differently in women than in men, Dr. C. Noel Bairey Merz, Co-Director of the Women's Heart Center, talks about ongoing research at Cedars-Sinai (April 15, 2010)
• Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute Cardiologist Sanjay Kaul, MD, Co-Authors Statement on Safety of Diabetes Drugs (March 3, 2010)
• National Leaders in Heart Transplantation and Heart Failure Join Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute (January 21, 2010)
• Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute Named a Top Provider of Cardiac Bypass Surgery by Worth Magazine (January 6, 2010)

2009

• Women Suffering Sudden Cardiac Arrest Have Lower Prevalence of Structural Heart Disease Compared to Men (November 16, 2009)
• Obituary: William Ganz, MD, 90, Pioneering Cardiologist and Co-Inventor of the Swan-Ganz Catheter (November 11, 2009)
• Cedars-Sinai Researchers Awarded $5.5 Million from California Institute of Regenerative Medicine to Develop Novel Stem Cell Treatments for Heart Attack Patients (October 28, 2009)
• Larry King to Moderate Panel of Leading Cardiologists and Cardiac Surgeons Discussing How Healthcare Reform Could Affect Cardiovascular Medical Advances (October 1, 2009)
• Calcium Scans May Be Effective Screening Tool for Heart Disease (September 29, 2009)
• Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute physicians have completed the world's first procedure in which a patient's own heart tissue was used to grow specialized heart stem cells that were then injected back into the patient's heart in an effort to repair and re-grow healthy muscle in a heart that had been injured by a heart attack. Eduardo Marb�n, MD, PhD Director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, who developed the technique, recently spoke to CBS about the Institute's Phase 1 investigative study. Watch the CBS "Early Show" interview. (June 30, 2009)
• First Human Receives Cardiac Stem Cells in Clinical Trial to Heal Damage Caused by Heart Attacks Heart attack patients receives his own heart stem cells as part of medical study to determine safety of new technique to repair injured heart muscle (June 30, 2009)
• First-Degree Relatives of Patients With The Most Common Cardiac Birth Defect Should Be Screened for Larger-Than-Normal Aortas, New Study Shows
• Cedars-Sinai Women's Heart Center Launches Advance Preventive Women's Clinic for Women with Menopause Symptoms Who Are At Risk for Heart Disease Customized approach focuses on each woman's heart risk factors and medical history to identify the most appropriate hormone and non-hormone treatment options) (May 19, 2009)
• Study Suggests Women with Difficult to Diagnose Chest Pain Symtoms are at Elevated Risk for Future Cardiovascular Events - First prospective study to examine implications of chest pain in the absence of coronary artery disease (May 11, 2009)
• American Heart Association Presents Award of Meritorious Achievement to Eduardo Marban, MD, Director of Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute (April 20, 2009)
• Ronald Victor, M.D. Named Associate Director of Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and Director of the Cedars-Sinai Hypertension Center (April 6, 2009)
• American College of Cardiology Presents Lifetime Achievement Award to Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute's James Forrester, MD (April 1, 2009)
• Depression Leads to Higher Health Care Costs for Women Cardiovascular Patients, National Study Shows (March 10, 2009)
• Is Rapid Transition Through Menopause Linked to Earlier Onset of Heart Disease? (January 28, 2009)
• Contraceptive Use May Be Safe, But Information Gaps Remain (January 13, 2009)
• Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute Cardiologist Named Top U.S. Woman Cardiologist in Inaugural Award (January 9, 2009)

2008

• Cedars-Sinai Alumni Association Honors Two Noted Cardiologists as it Celebrates 50 Years (December 21, 2008)

• Cedars-Sinai First Heart Transplant Recipient, 82, Returns for 20th Anniversary Reunion (December 9, 2008)

• National Leader in Sudden Cardiac Death Research Named Associate Director of Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute (November 18, 2008)

• A Heart at Last for Alice (After two years of living with congestive heart failure, Chino woman receives a lifesaving VAD and a new heart (October 17, 2008)

• To Reduce Costs of Medical Care, Pay for Procedures That Are Known to Work, Say Authors of Editorial in Journal of the American Medical Association (October 15, 2008)

• New System Devised to Guide Doctors Treating Patients With Symptomatic Myocardial Bridging (June 25, 2008)

• Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and the Sapien Transcather Aortic Valve: Clinical Trial of Non-Surgical Intervention for Aortic Valve Stenosis (June 20. 2008)

• Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and the Evalve MitraClip: Clinical Trial of Non-Surgical Repair for Severe Mitral Valve Regurgitation (June 20, 2008)

• Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and the Watchman Left Atrial Appendage System: Clinical Trial of Non-Surgical Intervention for Patients With Atrial Fibrillation (June 20, 2008)

• Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute Now Enrolling Women With Recurrent Chest Pains for Aware Clinical Trial (March 11, 2008)

• Researchers Describe Mechanisms by Which Capon Gene Causes Heart Rhythm Disturbances (March 3, 2008)

2007

• New, Non-Invasive Imaging Test Could Help Prevent Heart Attacks (September 27, 2007)

• Cardilogists and Heart Surgeons Meet for "Controversies and Advances" Conference (September 25, 2007)

• Treating Arrhythmias with Sub-Zero Temps Helps Patients Lead Active, Symptom-Free Lives (September 12, 2007)

• Rare Use of Drug Derived from Leech Saliva Lets Heart Transplant - and Wedding - Proceed (August 21, 2007)

• Re-Analysis of Controversial Meta-Analysis Says Writing Off Rosiglitazone May Be Premature (August 8, 2007
• Robotic Technology Provides Less Invasive Procedure for Mitral Valve Repair (June 8, 2007)
• Minimally Invasive Procedure May Cure Atrial Fibrillation (June 1, 2007)
• Heart-Assist Device Gives Culver City Man a Good Quality of Life in the Comfort of Home (May 25, 2007)
• Eduardo Marban, Internationally Renowned Cardiologist and Heart Researcher, to Join Cedars-Sinai as Director of Heart Institute (May 8, 2007)
• Patient Receives the Gift of a Second Chance With Heart That Was Previously Transplanted (May 7, 2007)
• Minimally Invasive Surgery for Atrial Fibrillation Makes Los Angeles Radio Broadcaster's Life Predictable (February 23, 2007)
• The Broad Foundation Establishes a $1Million Endowment for Cardiology Research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (January 29, 2007)
• Outwardly Expressed Anger Affects Some Women's Heart Arteries, says a New Women-Only Study (January 12, 2007)

2006

• Fit, Slim, Nonsmoker, Vegetarian and Just 39 Years Old - Mother of Two's Undiagnosed Heart Disease Could Have Cost Her Life (July 8, 2006)

• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Women's Heart Program Provides Innovative Diagnostic Test for Microvascular Disease (May 1, 2006)

• Experimental Heartpod System Implanted in First L.A. Patient, Being Evaluated in Patients with Congestive Heart Failure (March 1, 2006)

• Study Finds Treatment of Severe Coronary Artery Disease with Medication-Releasing Stents a Viable Alternative to Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (February 23, 2006)

• Unique Vascular Dysfunction in Women's Heart Disease Described in Major Journal Supplement (February 1, 2006)

2005

• Shortness of Breath without Chest Pain Can Signify the Presence of High-Risk Heart Disease (November 2, 2005)

• Sudden Cardiac Arrest: Are You Prepared to Help Save a Life? (November 2, 2005)

• Expert Available for Interview on Study of New Heart-Related Exercise Guidelines for Women (August 3, 2005)
• Restoring Flow to All Blocked Areas of the Heart Improves Five-Year Survival Rate, Study Says (June 17, 2005)

• Patients With Metabolic Syndrome and Moderate Levels of Coronary Calcium Found to Have a Greater Chance of Having Blocked Arteries, as Detected on a Stress Imaging Teat (May 26, 2005)

• An Unlikely Anniversary: Playa Del Rey Man Celebrates Surviving an Aortic Dissection (March 3, 2005)

• Director of Women's Health Program at Cedars-Sinai Honored at "Red Dress Awards" for Research on Heart Disease in Women (February 4, 2005)

• Animal Study Shows Link between Nicotine and Atrial Flutter (January 26, 2005)

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Videos

'Extra' Hearts Barbra Streisand (August 4, 2010)

Larry King Interview with Dr. P.K. Shah (February 10, 2002)