cardiovascular (heart) disease

May 31, 2024

VUMC-led team reports potential new way to stimulate weight loss

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System have demonstrated in a small clinical study that “turning up the heat” on fat may help people lose weight and reduce their risk of obesity-related cardiovascular and metabolic disease.

By Bill Snyder
April 30, 2024

Atherosclerosis is a tumor-like disease: study

An anticancer drug blunted atherosclerosis progression — and even made plaques shrink — in a mouse model of the disease, opening new opportunities for preventing and treating this leading cause of death.

By Leigh MacMillan
April 25, 2024

Advance in the treatment of acute heart failure identified

A multicenter study led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy in Nashville has identified a potential new treatment for acute heart failure, a leading cause of hospitalization and death.

By Bill Snyder
(iStock image)
April 17, 2024

Common AFib drug linked to higher bleeding risk 

In a national retrospective study led by researchers at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, diltiazem, when given in combination with the anticoagulant drugs apixaban (Eliquis) or rivaroxaban (Xarelto), significantly increased the risk of serious bleeding compared to metoprolol.

By Bill Snyder
Kewanna Frierson and her daughter, Kennedi.
April 9, 2024

Lifting up voices to celebrate healthy Black births 

Celebration of Black Motherhood on April 20 elevates positive stories and experiences around Black births

By Danny Bonvissuto
(iStock image)
April 9, 2024

Heart disease, depression linked by inflammation: study

Coronary artery disease and major depression may be genetically linked via inflammatory pathways to an increased risk for cardiomyopathy, a degenerative heart muscle disease, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital have found.

By Bill Snyder
April 3, 2024

Excess salt linked to heart disease deaths in low-income group: study

Excessive consumption of dietary sodium likely was responsible for up to 30% of cardiovascular disease-related deaths among mostly low-income participants in a large cohort study conducted by Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
By Bill Snyder
March 18, 2024

Bariatric surgery linked to cardiometabolic health improvements: study

Bariatric surgery can lead to significant cardiometabolic health improvements using a variety of measures, including blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose and hemoglobin A1C, according to a new study published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.  
By Jill Clendening
March 6, 2024

New toolkit helps non-obstetricians better identify and treat pregnant and postpartum patients with cardiovascular emergencies

Vanderbilt's Kathryn Lindley, MD, has worked with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop a national toolkit for non-obstetricians to better identify and treat pregnant and postpartum patients with cardiovascular emergencies.
By Matt Batcheldor
February 20, 2024

System offers new option to treat mitral regurgitation

In a novel procedure, the Vanderbilt Heart & Vascular Institute (VHVI) successfully performed the first large-flange Innovalve transcatheter mitral valve replacement.
By Matt Batcheldor
February 12, 2024

VISTA grant to fund hospital-based research training in heart, lung, blood, sleep disorders

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has received a federal grant to establish a first-of-its-kind training program in patient-oriented and health systems research focused on acute heart, lung, blood and sleep disorders in the hospital setting.
By Bill Snyder
October 27, 2023

Grant bolsters research to address rising maternal mortality rates

Study seeks to better understand the mechanism behind the association between preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and cardiovascular disease.
By Matt Batcheldor
May 11, 2023

100th patient receives ambulatory heart failure device

New implantable device helps heart failure patients monitor crucial health indicators remotely, reducing the need for hospital visits.
By Matt Batcheldor