Axel Kirchhof | UKE
Modifiable risk factors responsible for half of cardiovascular diseases
07.09.2023
Scientists of the Global Cardiovascular Risk Consortium have proven that the five classic cardiovascular risk factors overweight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, and diabetes mellitus are directly connected to more than half of all cardiovascular diseases worldwide.
ozaiachin
When the heart loses its nerves
01.09.2023
How do nerves and blood vessels interact in the aging heart? Recent research results from the Institute of Cardiovascular Regeneration and the Cardio-Pulmonary Institute at Goethe University Frankfurt shed new light on aging processes in the heart.
Dr. Axel Loewe, KIT
Machine learning: artificial neural networks localize extrasystoles
03.08.2023
Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) use machine learning for the non-invasive localization of ventricular extrasystoles. This may facilitate and improve future diagnosis and therapy.
European Society of Cardiology
AI and precision medicine may discover risk of cardiovascular disease
31.07.2023
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, among others, have now found that artificial intelligence seems to play a role in identifying the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Karin Ziegler / TUM
Cardiac disease: new technique shows cause of sleep disturbance
27.07.2023
In a paper published in the journal Science, a team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) shows that heart diseases affect the production of the sleep hormone melatonin in the pineal gland.
Daiju Ueda, OMU
AI classifies cardiac functions, heart disease
14.07.2023
Osaka Metropolitan University scientists have unveiled an innovative use of AI that classifies cardiac functions and pinpoints valvular heart disease with unprecedented accuracy, demonstrating continued progress in merging the fields of medicine and technology to advance patient care.
DC_Studio
Coronary heart disease: recommendations for imaging diagnostics
11.07.2023
An interdisciplinary team of clinicians and scientists has published a consensus paper recommending appropriate quantitative imaging techniques for coronary artery stenosis and atherosclerosis related treatment and procedural planning.
lucigerma
Atrial fibrillation: supermarket trolleys set to help diagnosis
29.06.2023
It could be the shopping trip that saves your life: supermarket trolleys are helping to diagnose atrial fibrillation which can then be treated to prevent disabling or fatal strokes.
Karin Kaiser / MHH
Cardiovascular diseases: individual risk assessment with ACRIBiS
08.06.2023
MHH Cardiology participates in a nationwide project to improve risk assessment thanks to structured and standardized data.
tommyandone
Heart failure: AI identifies five subtypes
01.06.2023
Five subtypes of heart failure that could potentially be used to predict future risk for individual patients have been identified in a new study led by UCL (University College London) researchers.
NIMBLE Diagnostics SL
Imaging: monitoring cardiovascular stents with microwaves
30.05.2023
A cardiovascular stent may fail after implantation. Patients with arteriosclerosis then must undergo angiography again. The condition of the stent is examined or a new stent is placed during this procedure. Barcelona-based company NIMBLE Diagnostics is now working on an easier method to monitor stents after implantation.
Jens Meyer/Uni Jena
Specially coated titanium reduces risk of clots on prostheses
26.05.2023
An international research team led by the german University of Jena has now developed a promising approach to significantly reducing blood clotting on the heart valve material titanium.
Knopka LLC/Movesense Ltd
Knopka LLC and Movesense Ltd: International cooperation forged at MEDICA
23.05.2023
Sometimes, it just about being in the right place at the right time: At MEDICA 2022, Knopka LLC from Ukraine and Movesense Ltd from Finland crossed paths. They immediately started a project together in a hospital in Lviv, Ukraine, that is now, roughly six months later, completed already.
bilanol
OptoCarDi: searching for new diagnostic options to assess the heart muscle
16.05.2023
The preparations for the OptoCarDi project at the EAH Jena and the Jena University Hospital (UKJ) are in full swing. Starting in June 2023, a research team led by Prof. Iwan Schie (Biomedical Engineering), Prof. Robert Brunner (Miniaturized Optical Sensor Systems) and the cardiologists Prof. Sven Möbius-Winkler and Prof. Christian Schulze will develop an optical catheter prototype.
nd3000
Atrial fibrillation: Targeted drug therapy approach discovered for the first time
04.05.2023
When the heart gets out of rhythm, characteristic processes occur in the heart muscle cells. Among other things, the currents of electrically charged particles (ions) change. In chronic atrial fibrillation, one of these currents is reduced.
DZHK
Collaborative and sustainable - the DZHK's clinical research platform
26.04.2023
At the German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), clinical study data and samples belong not to individual clinics but to a superordinate structure - the DZHK. The basis for this is the collaborative clinical research platform launched ten years ago, which makes data and samples from all DZHK studies uniformly recordable.
Mint_Images
Bedside portable MRI: use in pediatric ECMO patients
13.04.2023
The neonatology team at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) has conducted the world's first study of children receiving ECMO therapy using the mobile magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The procedure, known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), involves oxygenating the blood outside the body.
Daniel Delang / TUM
Mini-heart in a Petri dish: organoid emulates development of the human heart
11.04.2023
The team working with Alessandra Moretti, Professor of Regenerative Medicine in Cardiovascular Disease, has developed a method for making a sort of "mini-heart" using pluripotent stem cells.
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC)
Stent implants: Nimble Diagnostics closes financing round of one million euros
10.04.2023
NIMBLE Diagnostics, a spin-off of the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), the UPC and the University of Barcelona (UB), has successfully closed a funding round led by Grow Ventures, together with Namarel Ventures and the Inveniam Group, that has secured more than one million euros.
DZHK - Michael Fausser
Mitral valve repair: surgery or interventional treatment?
31.03.2023
A leaking mitral valve can be repaired surgically or with catheter-based techniques. A so-called mitral valve prolapse is particularly common, in which part of the valve protrudes (prolapses) into the left atrium. The American PRIMARY study investigates which method is most suitable for repairing mitral valves in patients with degenerative mitral valve insufficiency who are at low surgical risk.
YuriArcursPeopleimages
Shining light on aging hearts
30.03.2023
Light therapy has demonstrated its usefulness in treating a variety of diseases. But can it delay the occurrence of age-related disease? The answer may be yes, according to a study in mice published in February in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine.
envato/photovs
Wearable belt: monitoring heart failure with sensors
14.03.2023
Usually, the solutions for monitoring heart failure are implantable and thus come with the risks of surgery. A research project has now developed a noninvasive solution based on sensor technology integrated into a wearable belt.
photovs
New ablation technology found safe, effective for atrial fibrillation
13.03.2023
A new ablation technology known as pulsed field ablation was successful at eliminating episodes of abnormal heart rhythms for 12 months in up to two-thirds of patients, according to a study.
Rawpixel
Bracelet sensor assesses troponin levels to aid heart attack diagnosis
13.03.2023
An experimental wrist-worn device was found to predict troponin-I and obstructed arteries with 90% accuracy in five minutes, according to research.
photovs
Complex coronary artery disease: Stenting with close look inside blood vessel improves outcomes
10.03.2023
Patients with complex coronary artery disease who underwent a stenting procedure guided by intravascular imaging were nearly 40% less likely to die of heart disease, have a heart attack caused by a new blockage in the treated artery or need a repeat stenting procedure in the treated artery, compared with similar patients.
bilanol
Minimally invasive mitral valve repair reduces hospitalizations and deaths
08.03.2023
In patients with heart failure and a poorly functioning heart valve, a minimally invasive procedure using a clip to repair the valve was safe, cut the rate of hospitalizations for heart failure by 47% and reduced deaths from any cause by almost 30% after five years of follow-up.
University of Gothenburg
AI supports doctors’ hard decisions on cardiac arrest
21.02.2023
Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have developed three such systems of decision support for cardiac arrest that may, in the future, make a major difference to doctors’ work.
amenic181
AI finds twisting of eye vessels could cause high blood pressure and heart disease
16.02.2023
Research led by scientists at St George’s, University of London has discovered 119 areas in the genome that help to determine the size and shape of blood vessels at the back of the eye, and that an increase in ‘twisting’ of the arteries could cause high blood pressure and heart disease.
kwanruanp
DZHK establishes two central biobanks - cooperation partners welcome
16.01.2023
The German Center for Cardiovascular Research is centralizing its biospecimens collections, which are currently stored at 60 sites. Therefore, it is looking for two biobanks as scientific cooperation partners. Applications are now open to all German biobanks.
Karin Kaiser/Abb.
How COVID-19 permanently damages the heart
12.01.2023
An interdisciplinary research team from MHH has used innovative molecular methods and a high-resolution microscopy technique to show how the ongoing inflammation in COVID-19 attacks the heart tissue.
Tel Aviv University
Monitoring heart measures using smartwatches shows that Corona booster vaccine is safe
11.01.2023
The first study of its kind that used smartwatches to monitor the physiological data of close to 5,000 Israelis for two years found that: Monitoring heart measures using smartwatches shows that the Corona booster vaccine is safe and there is no evidence of unusual adverse events.
Listening for arrhythmias – Cardiokol ltd
17.11.2022
Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of stroke – especially in people older than 65. The Israel company Cardiokol offers software applications that enable mass tele-screening for AF. At MEDICA 2022, we met Co-Founder Eli Attar for a video interview. He explained to us how the solution of the company works.
halfpoint
Novel sensor system with AI-driven biomarkers for patients with heart failure
07.10.2022
UNISONO aims to develop a novel system combining an ear-worn sensor with speech recognition.
MediBioSense
MediBioSense: Real-time patient monitoring
01.09.2022
Medical wearables become more and more sophisticated. By now, they are not only able to record vital signs. With the Vital Connect Patch, MediBioSense is offering a wearable that can be used for real-time monitoring of patients.
westend61
Is it a heart attack or something else? How artificial intelligence can support diagnostics
22.07.2022
Chest pain, shortness of breath, a brief loss of consciousness – warning signs that suggest a heart attack. But it might also be Takotsubo syndrome, also known as stress cardiomyopathy or broken heart syndrome with symptoms that resemble a heart attack. Yet it is of utmost importance to differentiate between the two conditions to initiate the right treatment.
Single-use catheter reprocessing in electrophysiology
01.03.2022
Catheter ablation is a way to treat irregular heartbeats, or arrhythmias, like atrial fibrillation. Although catheters are classified as single-use or disposable devices, the complex instruments can be reused multiple times thanks to extensive reprocessing.
PantherMedia/photographee.eu
Diagnostics as a service: stroke prevention with the dpv-ritmo system
01.03.2022
Atrial Fibrillation is the most common type of persistent heart arrhythmia, affecting around half a million Germans alone. People with atrial fibrillation have a greater risk for ischemic stroke, making early and effective treatment critical to prevent serious complications. Unfortunately, many patients don’t even know they have atrial Fibrillation.
Affair of the heart: MRI – Detecting coronary heart disease hazard patterns
03.02.2022
The University Hospital Düsseldorf is researching a new method of heart imaging in the MRI: It can detect the early formation of coronary heart disease and show associated lesions before they cause any symptoms. A contrast agent containing fluorine atoms is used for this. We learn more about this method in the video interview with Prof. Ulrich Flögel and Dr. Florian Bönner.
TU Hamburg/Institut Smart Sensors
Ballistocardiography: Cardiac monitoring of astronauts
24.01.2022
It is an exciting time for space exploration: Will there be more space stations, lunar outposts, or Mars missions in the future? No matter where they are in space, lack of gravity causes astronauts to lose muscle mass during their missions. Even the fittest among them lose heart muscle. An experiment on the International Space Station (ISS) plans to detect whether sensors show heart changes.
Mysterious patterns – Infrared thermography for sports medicine performance diagnostics
07.01.2022
Using a high-resolution infrared camera, sports scientists from the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz have discovered how blood flow in the human skin changes during exercise. They now want to exactly quantify these changes with machine vision and thus gain knowledge for performance diagnostics and beyond.
PantherMedia/NikD51
Donor organs: Solving the shortage with technology
03.01.2022
Patients waiting for a donor organ must have a lot of patience and a bit of luck. Aging and a rise in chronic disease prevalence means the need for donor organs is much greater than the number that is available. To help those who need organ transplants, scientists must create new technologies.
PantherMedia/ArturVerkhovetskiy
Identifying risks before surgery - with simple means
08.10.2021
Risks during surgery, especially cardiological risks, are still very high in the Western world. However, conventional methods for measuring such risks before surgery are costly or even not always meaningful. And increasing economization in hospitals also makes it more difficult for staff to find time for a comprehensive pre-op analysis.
PantherMedia/Andriy Pipov
Everyday physical activity: out of shape thanks to the Corona pandemic?
22.09.2021
Social distancing, working from home, limited social activities: the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted many people to become more inactive, sedentary, and therefore more susceptible to ailments. Simple fitness programs and regular exercises can help counteract the negative effects of inertness. And paradoxical as it may sound, the pandemic also gives us the chance to get moving again.
PantherMedia/lucadp
Genetic test better than blood test for cardiovascular diseases
31.08.2021
Determining an individual’s blood group based on genetic tests instead of merely traditional blood tests can provide a better picture of the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
PantherMedia/Olga355
Screening for atrial fibrillation could reduce risk of stroke
30.08.2021
Screening for atrial fibrillation in 75- and 76-year-olds could reduce the risk of stroke, severe bleeding and death, according to a study at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden that has been published.
Medical imaging: obtaining an accurate view of blood vessels for surgery
02.08.2021
Surgical intervention is often inevitable when blood vessels become narrowed, blocked, or damaged. Surgeons use stents and medical balloons to open and widen the arteries, suck out the obstructing clots and use a catheter to examine the vessels. Intraoperative cardiovascular imaging is an essential tool to guide the catheters and instruments during the minimally invasive procedures.
Universitätsklinikum Freiburg 2021
Bringing stents precisely to their destination with cardiac catheter robots
02.08.2021
Robots in the operating theatre are no longer a rarity in certain medical fields - they support and relieve doctors and sometimes they can make operations more efficient and easier with artificial intelligence (AI). However, they are rarely found in the operating theatre during cardiological interventions.
A look into the cardiovascular system: Possibilities of medical imaging
02.08.2021
A high degree of precision is required for operations involving the cardiovascular system. This is based on medical imaging. In practice, however, these still face a number of challenges that can impair image quality. The further development of imaging techniques represents a forward-looking field of research in order to be able to improve surgical treatment.
SWIR Imaging: The Power of Multi-Color Real-Time Technology
02.08.2021
Image-guided surgery is based on medical imaging. However, past imaging technologies performed while the patient is awake cannot deliver a complete view that facilitates a visual differentiation of structures such as blood vessels and nerve tracts. In a study, scientists developed a non-invasive imaging modality that enables multiplexing, deep tissue penetration, and real-time resolution.
Nature Biomedical Engineering
Soft skin patch could provide early warning for strokes, heart attacks
23.07.2021
Engineers at the University of California San Diego developed a soft and stretchy ultrasound patch that can be worn on the skin to monitor blood flow through major arteries and veins deep inside a person's body.
Williamson Adams
Detecting atrial fibrillation early with mobile rhythm patch
08.04.2021
According to a study, a mobile rhythm patch can help detect and prevent strokes. In this interview with MEDICA, co-study leader Prof. Rolf Wachter explains how the mobile rhythm patch works and which insights the study results provide for the future.
PantherMedia/voenkor
FDA: Breakthrough Device Designation to ECG analysis platform
07.04.2021
Tempus, a leader in artificial intelligence and precision medicine, announces that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the company Breakthrough Device Designation for its ECG Analysis Platform.
Digital twin heart – Computer model for an optimized therapy success
15.03.2021
Heart surgery is difficult even for experienced surgeons and therapeutical success is not always certain. Physicians need to rely on their experience when choosing and planning the correct intervention. A computer model could help them in the future: The digital twin heart could be fed with patient data and then simulate whether an intervention will be successful.
PantherMedia/chanawit
Atrial fibrillation: better outcomes with diamonds
15.12.2020
Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat that can lead to blood clots and trigger strokes. To correct the condition, physicians use medication or surgical intervention by means of catheter ablation. This surgical method on the beating heart is a standard and safe procedure but there is always room for improvement.
mHealth for cardiology – CardioSecur helps from a distance
20.11.2020
Bringing the technology to the patient and not the other way around – that is the idea behind CardioSecur. The physician can connect the mobile ECG system to his smartphone and thus have it with him always and everywhere. We asked MD and Founder Felix Brand how this works, to what extent patients also benefit from it and why the technology is particularly useful in corona times.
Medical products made of collagen - Biocompatible, elastic, stable
19.03.2020
Regenerative medicine often relies on implants and materials that support healing in our body. Collagen has a special significance here. It is compatible to the body and offers an excellent environment for the growing of new cells. In our video, we took a look on where collagen and collagen products for medicine come from.
Fraunhofer IPA – PAMB
Cardiovascular diseases: using AI to navigate the catheter
09.03.2020
Treatment of a heart attack or stroke caused by vascular occlusion must be prompt to prevent further damage to vital tissue. Unfortunately, the actual treatment is often preceded by a lengthy catheter-based procedure where the cardiologist manually guides the catheter to the affected vessel. AI might perform this task in the future.
Cardiology: digital solutions support those coping with chronic illness
03.02.2020
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year. Acute events such as heart attacks and strokes stand out in this setting. Chronic heart diseases can also be a debilitating condition for many patients. If cardiology uses digital methods and tools, it can reach more affected people.
Digital cardiology: analyzing data beat by beat
03.02.2020
Chronic cardiovascular diseases are a growing burden worldwide. Most of them are diseases of civilization that spread, where lifestyle is improving or where it is good already. But the healthcare systems are not growing equally to keep up with this development. We can make up for this by making cardiological care smarter with eHealth and mHealth.
panthermedia.net/olanstock
Cardiac diagnostics – prompt and personalized
08.11.2019
If physicians suspect an acute myocardial infarction, they first order an ECG. This test is very established and allows cardiologists to quickly diagnose acute heart attacks – though the test does not detect less common heart attack symptoms. So far, those patients had to wait up to twelve hours before a heart attack could be accurately diagnosed or ruled out. But things are about the change.
MEDICA TECH FORUM: light-based imaging technique OCT
04.11.2019
Since its inception, MEDICA TECH FORUM has focused on the implementation of innovations and new technologies into clinical practice. 2019 marks the tenth year of the Forum. In honor of its anniversary, we will brighten things up a bit, as one of the focal points will highlight how optical coherence tomography (OCT) uses light to produce images.
panthermedia.net/kasto
Cardiac Tissue Engineering: a heart out of the Petri dish
23.09.2019
For patients waiting for donor organs, every day can mean the difference between life and death. Making things even more complicated is the fact that not every organ is a compatible match with the patient. It would mean enormous progress if we could grow organs from the patient's own cells in the lab. That's why patients with heart disease place big hope in tissue engineering.
panthermedia.net / Lev Dolgachov
mHealth: Atrial fibrillation detection – App supports heart health
08.05.2019
Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of persistent cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heart rhythm). Researchers estimate that 1.8 million Germans are presently affected by this disease. The condition is difficult to diagnose, frequently goes undetected and may result in a stroke. A new smartwatch medical app is designed to help patients detect atrial fibrillation before it’s too late.
RAS-Q - Mobile blood gas exchange for COPD patients
23.04.2019
According to WHO, about 251 million people worldwide had Chronic Obstructive Pumonary Disease in 2016. COPD denotes not a single, but several diseases that are caused by smoking and air pollution, among others. Patients at a later disease stage often need ventilation and are thus bound to the location of their devices.
panthermedia.net/adriaticphoto
Cardiac arrhythmia: treatment in the linear accelerator
08.04.2019
Cardiac arrhythmia is a group of conditions where nerve cells trigger uncontrolled contractions of the heart muscle. They are treated with either medicine or catheter ablation of the tissue. In an interdisciplinary collaboration, cardiologists and radiotherapists took a different approach and used high-precision radiation therapy to treat a patient for whom the other options proved unfeasible.