Cleveland Clinic and Akron Children’s Hospital are expanding their affiliation agreement that began in 2014 to now encompass both organizations’ pediatric and adult congenital heart programs. When Cleveland Clinic and Akron Children’s signed the initial agreement nearly five years ago, it brought together their pediatric cardiovascular surgeons and adult congenital cardiologists to collaborate on patient … Read More
Dad Meets Heart Donor’s Family For First Time After 113 Days In Hospital
Three days after Christmas, Ken Vogelsong received one extra gift – an emotional embrace with Lisa Bragg, the mother of his heart donor, Markus Abbott. “Markus is my hero,” said Ken, 45, who met Lisa for the first time, at the Scott Emergency Communications Center in Davenport, Iowa. It was there, on January 19, 2018, that … Read More
Transplant Recipient Celebrates 30 Years with Same Heart
Thirty years ago, Ryan Zinn’s goals were understandably short-term: Get back to school. Start running again. Lift weights. Be valedictorian of his high school class. He achieved them all. Today, the 45-year-old Columbus resident tends to have more of an extended vision, like being there to enjoy the occasion when his now 3-year-old daughter, Sylvia, … Read More
Novel Imaging Biomarker to Help Predict Coronary Inflammation
MUNICH, Germany: Researchers at Cleveland Clinic, University of Oxford and University of Erlangen have identified a novel imaging biomarker, which has been found to be able to predict all-cause and cardiac mortality by measuring inflammation of fatty tissue surrounding the coronary arteries. Coronary artery inflammation inhibits fatty tissue formation surrounding the blood vessels, known as … Read More
After 104-Day Hospitalization, Heart Transplant Recipient Celebrates 21st Birthday
Kevin Detweiler Jr. turned 21 on July 28. It was a milestone that seemed a long shot just six months ago, when a critical care transport team rushed him by helicopter from Cleveland Clinic’s Hillcrest Hospital to the main campus. Afflicted with a rare form of genetic mitochondrial disease, which disables the body’s ability to … Read More
Cleveland Clinic-Led Study Shows Leadless Pacemaker Patients Experience Less Complications
Patients receiving leadless pacemakers experience overall fewer short-term and mid-term complications than those receiving traditional transvenous pacemakers, a Cleveland Clinic-led research study found. The study was published today in the journal Heart Rhythm. Approximately one million pacemakers are implanted annually, providing electrical stimulation to regulate a patient’s heartbeat. Conventional pacemakers are surgically placed under the … Read More
Man Walks 357 Miles From Ohio To White House 1 Year After Heart Transplant
On more than one occasion in the past month, especially when caught in the rain, Gene Shimandle has been slightly unrecognizable. “I must admit, I do look a little rough sometimes,” said Gene, 62, with a laugh, during a break near the end of his 357-mile walk from Cleveland to Washington, D.C. Such is … Read More
Cleveland Clinic Surgeons Pioneer a New Minimally Invasive Heart Valve Surgery
Edward Liebler, a 78-year-old retired veterinarian, perfectly understood his predicament: His quality of life had greatly decreased because he needed a heart valve replacement, but he was considered “high risk,” limiting his surgical options. Previous open-heart surgical procedures in recent years for a leaky heart valve only brought temporary relief, and now Edward could barely … Read More
Cleveland Clinic Study: Former NFL Players at Much Higher Risk of Heart Rhythm Disorders
Professional football players have an elevated risk of heart rhythm disorders later in life, according to a research study led by a Cleveland Clinic cardiologist. A cardiovascular screening of 460 former National Football League (NFL) players found they were more than five times as likely to have a heart rhythm disorder, such as atrial fibrillation … Read More
Heart Attack Protocol Can Improve Outcomes, Reduce Disparities Between Men and Women
ORLANDO, Fla.: Cleveland Clinic researchers found that implementing a four-step protocol for the most severe type of heart attack not only improved outcomes and reduced mortality in both men and women, but eliminated or reduced the gender disparities in care and outcomes typically seen in this type of event. The research was presented at the … Read More