Division of Cardiovascular Medicine

February 27, 2020

Study finds certain genetic test not useful in predicting heart disease risk

A Polygenic Risk Score — a genetic assessment that doctors have hoped could predict coronary heart disease (CHD) in patients — has been found not to be a useful predictive biomarker for disease risk.

By Matt Batcheldor
January 16, 2020

VUMC tops in nation for number of heart transplants performed last year

Vanderbilt University Medical Center tied for first place as the busiest heart transplant program by volume in the United States in 2019.

By Matt Batcheldor
January 9, 2020

Interim directors of Cardiovascular Medicine named

Dan Roden, MD, and Daniel Munoz, have been named interim directors of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

By Matt Batcheldor
December 20, 2019

Hepatitis C–positive donors a viable option to expand heart donor pool

Hepatitis C-positive heart donors offer a strategy to safely expand the donor pool and allow more patients to undergo transplant.

By Matt Batcheldor
December 16, 2019

Protein dynamics in the beating heart

To study the dynamics of structural proteins in the heart, Vanderbilt investigators generated a cellular tool they expect will be useful for screening drugs that affect heart muscle contraction.

By Leigh MacMillan
November 21, 2019

Study finds cardiac rehab underused among Medicare patients

Cardiac valve surgery patients who participate in a cardiac rehabilitation program have a 34% lower risk of hospitalizations and a 4.2% lower risk of mortality than patients who do not enroll in cardiac rehab in the year after surgery.

By Matt Batcheldor
October 24, 2019

Wang to chair Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center

Thomas Wang, MD, director of Cardiovascular Medicine at VUMC, has been appointed chair of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, effective February 2020.
By Bill Snyder
September 19, 2019

All-in-one pill helps reduce blood pressure, cholesterol

A single pill containing low doses of three medications to treat high blood pressure and one to lower cholesterol reduced the estimated risk of cardiovascular disease by 25%, according to a VUMC study.
By Craig Boerner
August 26, 2019

VUMC investigators receive Keck Foundation award for novel atherosclerosis research

A team of researchers has received a $1 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation to explore a novel model of atherosclerosis development.
By Leigh MacMillan
August 13, 2019

Tricia Burgess thought she had seasonal allergies. She actually needed a heart transplant.

“I didn’t even know I was sick. I’m thankful that Vanderbilt saved my life.”
By Matt Batcheldor
August 8, 2019

Family’s long history with VUMC leads to cardiology directorship

Steve Riven is making a gift in memory of his father to create the Samuel S. Riven, MD, Directorship in Cardiology at VUMC.
By Matt Batcheldor
July 18, 2019

Genetic characteristics of peripheral artery disease studied

New study explores why some people with peripheral artery disease present with problems with their legs, some with their heart and some with strokes.
By Matt Batcheldor
June 20, 2019

Microbiome links diet to health

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that the gut microbiome composition modulates how dietary nutrients are metabolized, with potential downstream consequences on metabolic health.
By Niyati Vachharajani