So, you popped your cholesterol meds then tucked into a juicy steak. The pill can handle a little cholesterol surge, right? “At times, patients don’t think they need to follow a healthy diet since their medications have already lowered their blood pressure and cholesterol—and that is wrong,” says Mahshid Dehghan, Ph.D., study author and nutritionist at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Eating well offers benefits beyond standard drug therapy.

In fact, researchers found patients taking drugs to prevent recurrent heart attacks and strokes who also ate a heart-healthy diet reduced their risk of cardiovascular death (by 35 percent), congestive heart failure (28 percent), stroke (19 percent), and new heart attacks (14 percent) compared to those with less healthy eating habits.

No License to Binge The Saturday Evening Post

Competitive cyclist Heidi Dohse is proof that heart patients can do amazing things.

“I was lucky that a routine test revealed my dangerously fast heartbeat before it was too late,” says avid cyclist and pacemaker patient Heidi Dohse, who is back on course and teaming up with the Heart Rhythm Society to raise awareness of the problem. “Knowing more about common arrhythmias could save your life!”

Arrhythmias, also called heart rhythm disorders, occur when the electrical system, or “wiring,” of the heart muscle goes awry. Millions of people experience arrhythmias at some point in their lives. (The heart doesn’t beat with the accuracy of a Swiss watch.) However, some abnormal heart rhythms can be serious or even deadly. When drugs don’t work, doctors implant a cardiac pacemaker to steady irregular pulses.

Dohse recalls feeling lightheaded as a young teen and having trouble finding her pulse during high school PE class—telltale symptoms that were overlooked until routine pre-op testing at age 18 confirmed her arrhythmia. Now 48, and on her seventh pacemaker, the athlete’s competitive drive is as strong as ever.

“I am training to ride almost 800 miles in eight days for the Amgen Tour of California (May 12-19) as a way of promoting a heart healthy lifestyle and inspiring heart patients and their families. Living with a heart condition has helped me understand that I am accountable for my own health. If you are having symptoms or can’t find your pulse, don’t be in denial or feel foolish. Take charge of your health, listen to your body, and talk to your doctor about what is best for you and your life. Heart patients can accomplish amazing things!” she says.

Know your risk and protect your heart with these tips from the Heart Rhythm Society:

1. Small choices, big heart benefits: Exercise regularly, eat healthy foods, maintain a healthy weight, and avoid smoking.
2. Know your rhythm: Pay attention to abnormal heart rhythms—palpitations, fast or slow heart rates, or a fluttering in your chest. Shortness of breath can also signal arrhythmias.
3. By The Numbers: Treat and monitor health conditions that can contribute to heart problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
4. Family First: Know your family medical history and understand the associated risk for other cardiovascular related conditions, like heart failure.
5. Don’t Skip A Beat: Document your symptoms and discuss them with a clinician or electrophysiologist to determine the best treatment options for you.

Cyclist Says: ‘Listen To Your Heart’ The Saturday Evening Post

Vegetarian Chili

(Makes 4 servings)

Photo from The Vegetarian Kitchen Table Cookbook by Igor Brotto and Olivier Guiriec. © 2012 Robert Rose Inc. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Soaking time 24 hours (see tip 1)
Preparation time 50 minutes
Cooking time 2 hours

Ingredients

Beans (see tip 1)

• 1¾ cups dried kidney beans
• 1 carrot, cut into chunks
• ½ onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 bouquet garni (see tip 2)

Chili

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onions
• 1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
• 1 small green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 hot chile peppers, chopped
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 can (28-ounce) diced tomatoes, drained, juice reserved
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Tortilla chips
• Lime wedges

Directions

1. In bowl, cover dried beans with at least 4 inches of cold water. Cover and let soak for 24 hours. Drain beans and transfer to large pot.
2. Add carrot, ½ onion, garlic, bouquet garni, and water to cover by at least 3 inches. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently until beans are almost tender, about 50 minutes. Drain well. Discard carrot, onion, garlic, and bouquet garni.
3. In pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add finely chopped onions and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add red bell pepper, green bell pepper, garlic, chile peppers, and cumin, and cook, stirring, until peppers are softened, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in tomatoes, vegetable stock, and beans. Add enough reserved tomato juice to thin, as necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, stirring. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in cilantro to taste, cover and simmer until beans are tender and flavors are blended, about 5 minutes.
5. Serve with tortilla chips and lime wedges to squeeze overtop.

Tip 1:

In place of dried beans, you can use two 14- to 19-ounce cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed, and skip Steps 1 and 2.

Tip 2:

Bouquet garni is a small bundle of herbs tied together with kitchen string. It is used to add flavor to a simmere or boiled mixture and is generally discarded before the dish is served. Often includes parsley, thyme, and bay leaves but can also include any of your favorite herbs that complement the flavors of your dish.

Vegetarian Chili The Saturday Evening Post

The answer depends on whether the oil is extracted from the fruit versus the kernel (pit) of the Elaesis guineensis palm plant. Both oils are high in saturated fats, which the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute warns can increase heart attack and stroke risk. But emerging data suggest that palm fruit oil used in moderation delivers a unique blend of fats that provide health benefits and also contain antioxidants.

So check labels carefully when selecting palm oil products. And another caution: Avoid palm oils sold in processed or fractionated form. It increases shelf life but reduces potential health gains.

Do Palm Oils Increase Heart Risk? The Saturday Evening Post

We frequently use this space to talk about heart-healthy behaviors. The first things that usually come to mind are good nutrition, physical fitness, and stress reduction. These are all vital to heart health, but one subject that doesn’t get as much attention is the importance of healthy social ties—more specifically building on positive relationships and letting go of toxic ones. A 2012 UCLA study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal suggests that a key factor in lowering the kind of stress that poisons your heart is extracting yourself from hurtful relationships. The study found that social friction causes a spike in the body’s production of pro-inflammatory proteins that raise cardiovascular risk.

What are toxic friendships? Anyone who’s survived the tortuous high school years should have a pretty good idea. One example might be a friend who drives you crazy with snide remarks, but always says he’s “just kidding” when you try to confront him. Another example: the narcissist whose every comment is about himself or who dominates conversations with self-centered tirades. According to the research, such people are more than just an annoyance: Spending time with them can stress the heart and clog the arteries!

It’s not always easy to extract yourself from toxic relationships. But, if you can muster the willpower, your heart will thank you for it!

Life Saver

Bypass surgery for clogged arteries can increase the odds of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA)—the number one reason Americans die suddenly. To mitigate that danger, inventors have come up with a novel kind of defibrillator that slips on like a vest.

Current practice is to wait three months after bypass surgery before implanting a defibrillator because data now suggest the SCA risk can drop as the heart heals. But wearing the Zoll LifeVest protects patients who may still be at high risk during the 3-month window of time.

The Skinny on Fitness

Is it better to be fit or trim? New evidence declares that the winner is … being fit. Statistics clearly show that you’ll live longer (and feel better!) if you’re fit—even if you’re not completely happy with the digits that show up on the bathroom scale, according to recent research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. In the study of 14,345 men, being less fit was a more significant risk factor than being overweight for dying from a heart attack, stroke, or other cause. “This is good news for people who are physically active but can’t seem to lose weight,” said Duck-chul Lee, Ph.D., the study’s lead researcher and physical activity epidemiologist in the Department of Exercise Science at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health in Columbia. “You can worry less about your weight as long as you continue to maintain or increase your fitness levels.”

Heart Beat supplements the advice of your health care provider, whom you should consult for personal medical problems.

Send your letters to:
medicalmailbox@saturdayeveningpost.com or Medical Mailbox, 1100 Waterway Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46202. Please include your mailing address.

Heart Beat The Saturday Evening Post

Caffeine: You’re probably well aware that coffee can cause erratic or rapid heartbeats. It can also lead to atrial fibrillation in susceptible people. Some feel palpitations when they consume caffeinated soda, tea, or chocolate.

Overeating: For some individuals over-indulging at the buffet table may cause symptoms. Why? A full stomach can irritate nearby nerves, stimulating the heart and triggering extra heartbeats.

Red Wine: Small amounts of alcohol, particularly red wine, can benefit the heart. In excess, however, alcohol may cause heart arrhythmias and “holiday heart,” or palpitations on Monday after a weekend binge.

Supplements: It’s impossible to say which dietary supplements can potentially affect the heartbeat (or interfere with heart medicines) because most are unregulated and untested. “Natural” does not mean “safe,” and consumers can unknowingly take products that contain hidden and potentially harmful ingredients. Diet pills can be especially dangerous. For example, the FDA warned last October that 20 brands of dietary supplements for weight loss were tainted with sibutramine—the active ingredient in prescription weight-loss drug Meridia that was linked to elevated blood pressure, heart rhythm problems, heart attacks, and stroke and removed from the U.S. market in 2010.

Common Causes of Irregular Heart Rhythms The Saturday Evening Post

According to Dr. Mauria O’Brien, a veterinarian board certified in emergency and critical care at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana, one such irregular heart sound, a murmur, has different meanings depending on the age and breed of pet.

A heart murmur indicates turbulence in the flow of blood. Normally, blood flows only forward through the heart’s chambers, making a distinct “lub dub.” A murmur may indicate that blood is moving backwards or is being pushed through an opening that is narrower than normal.

If your pet has a heart murmur, your veterinarian will grade the murmur on a scale of 1 to 6, depending on how loud the murmur is.

It can be normal for puppies younger than 16 weeks old to have a “baby” murmur. Your veterinarian will to listen to your puppy’s heart at its routine puppy wellness appointments (at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and 16 weeks) in order to determine whether the murmur is a “baby,” or “innocent,” murmur that will go away as the puppy ages. If a murmur is still heard beyond four months of age, the murmur could be considered a congenital defect, and your veterinarian will likely refer you to a veterinary cardiologist for a complete diagnostic work-up.

Acquired heart murmurs are those arising as your pet ages. In dogs, signs of a heart problem include exercise intolerance and cough, whereas cats often show no early warning signs.

Heart murmurs themselves may indicate a variety of underlying diseases. For example, in cats a murmur may indicate hyperthyroidism or hypertension as well as various heart diseases. The underlying cause of an acquired murmur must be identified in order to determine the correct treatment.

Radiographs (x rays), ECGs, and echocardiograms are among the diagnostic imaging approaches that can help your veterinarian understand what is going on with your pet’s heart. In certain cases, examination by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist will be advisable to reach a diagnosis and effective treatment plan.

The best way to catch a heart murmur in its earliest stages is to have regular examinations for young and adult pets so your veterinarian can listen to what your pet’s heart has to say. If you have further questions about heart murmurs in pets, contact your local veterinarian.

Brittany Way Rose is an Information Specialist at University of Illinois’ College of Veterinary Medicine.

Heart Murmurs Speak Volumes to Veterinarians The Saturday Evening Post

According to the Mayo Clinic, more than five million Americans live with atrial fibrillation, a condition that occurs when errant electric signals cause the upper part of the heart (the atria) to beat much faster than the rest of it. While some patients experience no symptoms, others describe AF as skipped heartbeats—or even like a “fish flopping” in the chest. Still others feel over-tired, dizzy, or chest discomfort. (See AF Symptoms, below.)

The first line of treatment, drugs help restore a normal beat and reduce the risk of clots that can potentially form as blood swirls chaotically throughout the heart. When pills don’t work, cardiac ablation to short circuit irregular heartbeats offers a long-term solution.

“In general, most AF patients are eligible for cardiac ablation,” says leading heart rhythm expert and Post contributor Douglas Zipes, M.D. “Heart rhythm experts generally prefer patients to have tried and failed at least one antiarrhythmic drug, but that is not mandatory. If ablation appeals to a patient, patients should discuss their risk and potential benefit with the doctor.”

During conventional ablation therapy, surgeons use x-ray images to thread a flexible yet firm tube through the blood vessels into the upper heart chambers. Once there, they send energy via the catheter to zap errant signals at the source and in the process potentially stop atrial fibrillation. However, there are limitations to the revolutionary procedure.

“Traditional ablations utilize a catheter with a certain degree of stiffness,” explains cardiologist Rodney Horton who is affiliated with Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia and UT Southwestern Medical School. “Obviously the stiffness provides a bit more control as the catheter is advanced around the heart. However, a stiffer catheter is more likely than a softer one to cause mechanical injury to the blood vessels and heart.  As a result, there are limits to where a firm catheter can be guided easily and safely.”

The Stereotaxis Remote Navigation System is designed to overcome these problems. Stereotactic procedures use 3-D, GPS-like technology to locate small targets inside the body—in this case, specific areas of the heart known to generate abnormal heartbeats.

The advanced system presently in use at 140-plus medical centers and FDA approved to treat patients with cardiac arrhythmias comprises of: 1) a catheter equipped with a magnetically sensitive tip; and 2) two magnets that pivot on either side of the patient table. Using sophisticated computer-guided technology, physicians direct the catheter to the targeted area.

“With Stereotaxis, we no longer depend on stiffness to get the catheter tip to a certain location,” says Dr. Horton, “Instead, physicians utilize the magnetic field across the patient’s chest to pull a flimsy catheter into the desired, precise location with a lower risk of complications—and less x-ray exposure.”

Image Courtesy of Fr. Bill Diltzer.

In 2008, Fr. Bill Diltzer became one of the first heart patients in Wisconsin to benefit from advances in cardiac ablation technology for heart rhythm disorders. Despite a family history of heart disease (“Everyone on my mother’s side dies of a heart attack or stroke between age 55 and 65,” says the pastor, now in his 60s,) Fr. Bill was initially unconvinced when a routine EKG discovered atrial fibrillation (AF). “I said, ‘that tracing can’t be mine! It’s all over the place,’ but the specialist assured me that it was,” he recalls. “Looking back, my health was deteriorating for quite some time. But I had no specific symptoms of AF, and any earlier episodes were overlooked.”

After an initial course of medicines, Fr. Bill’s heart rhythm expert recommended cardiac ablation using the Stereotaxis Magnetic Navigation System.  He agreed. And it’s a decision for which he is very grateful.

“I was told that either the procedure will work, or my life will be very short,” he says. “My doctor expected tremendous results, but my experience still astounds her. My recovery was longer than anticipated. But within one year I was walking close to 2 miles a day. Now I walk 3 miles a day and don’t think anything of it.”

No one can say whether Fr. Bill’s arrhythmia is gone for good. Outcomes of ablation therapy improve symptoms in 83 to 87 percent of AF patients but remain “tantalizingly unpredictable” in those with persistent or longstanding symptoms, according to a 2011 British single-center study that followed 100 patients for three years after an initial ablation.

“My ablation has held perfectly for 3 ½ years now,” the pastor reports enthusiastically. “They say we may need to do something else later. But if they can control my AF for the next 40 years, I’m fine with that!”

Putting the Brakes on Atrial Fibrillation The Saturday Evening Post

1.  Make returning war veterans feel at home.  Simple home modifications—like installing exterior lighting or widening doorways—can enhance the comfort and security of returning soldiers, especially if they suffer from vision loss or post-traumatic stress or use a wheelchair, says Danise Levine, director of UB’s Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access. Levine helped design two homes for veterans and their families through the Wounded Warrior Home Project.

2.  Floss every day to protect against pneumonia and heart disease. Good oral hygiene may help prevent pneumonia and heart disease, according to two researchers. Professor of medicine, Ali A. El Solh, MD, indicates that periodontal microbes are a possible reservoir for recurrent lower respiratory tract infections in nursing home residents. And research done by Distinguished Professor and Vice Provost Robert J. Genco, DDS, shows a strong association between periodontal microbes and non-fatal heart attacks.

3. To lose weight, eat the same foods over and over. Variety may be the spice of life but it’s no good for your waistline, according to Leonard Epstein, PhD, professor of pediatrics and social and preventive medicine. In a study, he found that when women ate as many servings of macaroni and cheese as they wanted every day for five days, they reduced their intake by 30 calories. On the other hand, women who ate macaroni and cheese just once a week for five weeks increased their intake by 100 calories. Epstein said that the first group reduced their intake because of “habituation.”  In other words, repetition may discourage overeating.

4.  Be a humble leader, and be more effective in the workplace. Humble leaders are more effective and better liked in the workplace, according to research by Bradley Owens, PhD, assistant professor of organization and human resources in the UB School of Management.  ”Admitting mistakes, spotlighting follower strengths and modeling teachability are the core of humble leadership. These three behaviors are powerful predictors of the leader’s personal growth, as well as the organization’s growth,” explains Owens, who interviewed leaders at military, manufacturing, health care, financial services, retailing and religious organizations.

5.  Talk to your child about bullying. A number of bullying cases made major news last year, followed by many well-meaning calls for new laws and programs. Sometimes the most important thing parents can do is have a conversation with their child about bullying, says researcher Amanda Nickerson, PhD, director of UB’s Jean M. Alberti Center for the Prevention of Bullying Abuse and School Violence. “Ask explicitly if there is bullying at school, and then listen and empathize when they tell their stories,” she says. “Kids are more aware of the peer culture and the culture of the school to know what will make it worse and what will make it better.”

6. Read more fantasy to combat loneliness. Reading fantasies like the popular Twilight vampire series or the Harry Potter collection of novels helps to satisfy a need for human connection, according to the research of associate professor of psychology Shira Gabriel, PhD, and graduate student Ariana Young.   When we become engrossed in fictional narratives we feel close to others in the comfort of our own space and at our own convenience, their research shows.  ”In our subjects, this led to a reported increase in life satisfaction and positive mood, which are two primary outcomes of belonging,” Gabriel says.

7.  For better health, reflect on the things that give your life meaning. Feelings of spirituality or religiosity appear to offer protection against emotional distress and physical ailments, according to the research of Michael J. Poulin, PhD, assistant professor of psychology. Poulin studied people’s response to the traumatic events of 9/11 and found those who had a personal commitment to spiritual or religious beliefs were in better health than those in the study who expressed no religious or spiritual proclivities.

8.  Maintain separate email accounts to avoid being scammed. Having separate accounts for work and personal email helps you more easily sort through cluttered inboxes and focus on the details of email. This reduces the likelihood of being deceived by online scammers phishing for personal and financial information, according to the research of Arun Vishwanath, PhD, associate professor of communication, and H. Raghav Rao, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor in the UB School of Management.

9.  Teach math to your toddler for academic success through high school. Very young children have the potential to learn math that is complex and sophisticated, according to the research of professors Doug Clements, PhD, and Julie Sarama, PhD. Preschool children’s knowledge of mathematics predicts their later school success into high school. Further, it predicts later reading achievement.  Clements’ and Sarama’s pre-kindergarten Building Blocks project helps children “mathematize” their everyday activities, from building blocks to art and stories to puzzles and games.

10.  Be nice to nurses—they may save your life. According to the Institute of Medicine, nurses are the health-care professionals most likely to intercept and prevent medical mistakes, says assistant professor of nursing Sharon Hewner, PhD, RN.  Hewner developed a new patient-safety course to teach nursing students how to spot and prevent potential medical errors.  She hopes the course will be emulated and rolled out at nursing schools nationwide.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB’s more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.

To Your Health (and happiness, too) The Saturday Evening Post

Breakfast: Start the day with omega-3s, fiber, and antioxidants from a steaming bowl of oatmeal sprinkled with blueberries and walnuts.

Lunch: Get energized with healthy fats and vitamins from canned or grilled salmon (the wild variety has less contaminants than its farmed counterpart) and an avocado salad topped with extra virgin olive oil.

Dinner: Savor an edamame appetizer (with soy to lower cholesterol). For the main event, take your choice of grilled chicken or scallops (low in saturated fat) set off with non-fat, plain Greek yogurt (twice the protein of ordinary yogurt) on a baked sweet potato (high in vitamin C and potassium), and a spinach salad (for vitamin A, calcium, and iron) sprinkled with almond bits (for B vitamins, zinc, and selenium). Chase with red wine and finish with a piece of dark chocolate for a generous dose of plant chemicals for better blood pressure and circulation.

Douglas P. Zipes, M.D., an internationally acclaimed cardiologist, professor, author, and inventor, is an authority on pacing and electrophysiology (rhythms of the heart).

Heart-Healthy Holiday Foods The Saturday Evening Post

Both of your doctors could be right. It depends on where the calcium is, how much is there, and whether it is buried in the heart muscle or mobile, like in a valve leaflet. If it is immobile, it may not be necessary to remove because it is anchored in place and may not be causing any problems.

If it is moving, it may be susceptible to breaking off into the bloodstream, and its removal might be a priority. Be bold and ask both doctors to explain their positions. Having a significant leak in your valve could be a reason for operating to try to fix it.

Two Views on Calcium Deposits in Heart The Saturday Evening Post

A: The pacemaker or its wires may stand out due to your having little body fat or because of where the pacemaker was implanted. I would not worry about it as long as the skin over the wires and the pacemaker does not get red and sore and the area does not get rubbed or bumped often. While the implant can
be revised and buried deeper, it is best to “leave well enough alone.” Any revision carries some risk, particularly of infection. So avoid that if possible. The best news is that the pacemaker is preventing your passing-out spells.

Pacemaker is Uncomfortable The Saturday Evening Post

Fortunately for Tipton, researchers were conducting a clinical trial to investigate the potential of a less invasive way to repair damaged valves, employing an investigational device called the Edwards Sapien transcatheter heart valve.

The new procedure offers a promising option for people who are not candidates for conventional open-chest surgery, due to age or other health factors, to repair the damaged valve—a process that requires placing patients on a heart-lung machine and a lengthy recovery process.

In 2007, Tipton enrolled in the study and underwent the groundbreaking procedure. The results were dramatic.

“This breakthrough technology could save the lives of patients with heart valve disease who have no other therapeutic options,” Dr. Martin Leon, associate director of the Cardiovascular Interventional Therapy (CIVT) Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/ Columbia University Medical Center, told the Post. “Heart valves are structures that separate chambers within the heart—like doors that separate rooms in a house. The heart valves must open and close without restrictions. If not, the valves can become narrowed or leaky. Failing heart valves can result in pressure buildup in the heart and fluid accumulation in the lungs, a condition called congestive heart failure. Well-established data show that the one-year mortality for this condition if left untreated is 40 percent worse than most cancers.”
A decade ago, doctors began to investigate the alternative procedure. ”Basically, a new valve is mounted on a stent then delivered via a catheter inserted through the femoral artery in the groin,” explains Dr. Leon. ”When in the right position, you inflate the balloon, expand the stent, and deploy the new heart valve as you push aside the old, nonfunctioning heart valve.”

While the trial is ongoing, no official data can be released, but the device is approved for use in Europe where more than 2,500 patients have been successfully treated. According to Dr. Leon, five-year follow-up data in a small number of patients reveal no reports of valve malfunction using the investigational heart valve.

”Today, we do about 60,000 aortic valve replacements in the U.S. alone,” says the leading interventional cardiologist. “If we are able to perform this procedure in the sickest patients, we should be able to refine our techniques and also apply this therapy to most patients who might require aortic valve surgery. In the next decade, we estimate that as many as 100,000 patients could benefit from this procedure annually.” As the first person to implant a drug eluting stent in the U.S., Dr. Leon is genuinely enthusiastic about this development. “I think it addresses a very needy population,” says Dr. Leon. “What impresses me most is that when we see these patients in follow-up, the magnitude of improvement is staggering. These patients were bedridden, frail, and barely able to walk across the room. A few months after the procedure, they look like different people. From a physician’s standpoint, it has been extremely fulfilling to provide a less invasive new therapy without surgery to this elderly population. If we can treat the aortic valve, we can potentially also treat the mitral valve and the pulmonary valve in children and adults with congenital heart disease. It’s the beginning of a new spectrum of therapies in patients with valvular heart disease that will not require surgery.”

Top doctors in the field are excited about the innovative new approach. The multicenter Phase 3 clinical trial, known as the PARTNER (Placement of AorTic traNscathetEr Valves Trial) led by principal coinvestigators Martin Leon, M.D., and Craig Smith, M.D., at New York–Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center remains open and is enrolling new patients.

New Valves for Failing Hearts The Saturday Evening Post

Helping Hearts

Given that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the country for both men and women, it’s no surprise that researchers are always looking for better procedures and devices to assist people with heart trouble. From the University of Michigan comes the recently approved HeartMate II, a device that’s implanted in the chest to help a failing heart pump blood and keep patients alive until they can receive a transplanted heart. The new device is smaller—about the size of a D-cell battery —than earlier versions of heart-assisting implants, making it more suitable for people with smaller bodies, like women and adolescents. According to research published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the HeartMate II helped 75 percent of 133 patients stay alive —and improved heart function and quality of life—for at least six months or until a donor heart became available. One patient even recovered to the point where a transplant was no longer needed.

Cool It

Folks in cardiac arrest need to be cooled down —and quickly—to improve their chance of recovery and to avoid brain damage. But how? Methods such as packing unconscious patients in ice can take hours, which makes survival dicey. Now, emergency medical personnel have the Thermosuit, a plastic suit filled with cold water that reduces body temperature in approximately 30 minutes. Survival rates have improved in the hospitals where the Thermosuit is in use; a National Institutes of Health-sponsored trial will soon be underway to test the device further.

Get Your Own Cells

The heart muscle tends to become weaker after a heart attack because it doesn’t regenerate itself well. One day, heart patients may be able to use their own skin cells to repair their hearts, using a new type of stem cells called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS). Like embryonic stem cells, iPS cells have the potential to develop into any type of cell in the body. A team of scientists at University of California, Los Angeles has grown functioning cardiac cells in the lab using cells from mouse skin reprogrammed with iPS cells. Scientists hope that this will lead to heart patients using their own skin cells to create iPS lines that will repair and regenerate.

Suit Smarts

Fabrics are a basic human need. And now, “smart textiles” do more than the ancient functions of protecting us from the environment and making us look good. They can sense certain stimuli and adapt or respond accordingly, explains Tushar K. Ghosh, Ph.D., a textiles professor at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Among the many purposes are: protective gear for firefighters; garments that monitor patients’ vital signs like blood pressure and temperature; the delivery of drugs; and to serve as antibacterial or artificial skin for people with severe burns. In the works are fibers that mimic human muscle fibers, which hold promise for prosthetics and robotics. Ghosh and his team are researching a “heatingcooling garment, with fibers that get smaller or larger,” he says. “The idea is to create a piece of clothing that can let the wind come through or tune it closed if it gets too windy or cold.”

“No-Stick” Bandages

In the same vein, an electrical engineering researcher at Mississippi State University has developed a “smart” adhesive bandage that can check cholesterol, insulin, and blood chemistry without needles—a boon to people with diabetes who are used to sticking themselves many times per day. The bandage reads people’s biochemistry right through their skin. The inventor, Ray Winton, expects the bandage to be commercially available in one or two years.

Mag-netting Cancer Cells

Magnets: not just for science fair projects anymore! Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have found a way to use magnets to catch cancer cells in the bodies of mice with ovarian cancer. They hope that this will be useful in diagnosing or slowing the spread of this deadly cancer in women. The way it may work: A peptide (a protein-like molecule) designed to attach to ovarian cancer cells is fastened to very tiny magnetic particles and injected into the abdomen. The peptides latch on to the cancer cells, and a magnetic filtering device outside the body pulls them out. Other researchers have developed magnetic nanoparticles that show promise for spotting and getting rid of harmful.

Crafty Solutions

Gas prices of late have convinced just about everyone that we need better ways to get around. For Leik Myrabo, Ph.D., an engineer-ing physics professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, one answer is the Lightcraft. “The Light-craft will move goods and people around the planet in more environmentally friendly ways, using power from renewable energy sources, such as the sun or wind,” he explains. The Lightcraft doesn’t carry its own energy or fuel, instead moving by energy beamed to it from remote laser or microwave power plants, either on Earth or in space (hence the name Lightcraft, a hyperenergetic craft flying on a powerful beam of light). That means it can weigh significantly less than conventional vehicles, such as jet planes and rockets with their massive fuel loads. Myrabo has been working on the concept for more than 30 years, but only in the last few years have power-beaming sources become cheap enough to make the Lightcraft feasible. He estimates that in three to five years, his company, Lightcraft Technologies, Inc., will be able to launch something to the edge of space; moving people will follow within a few more years. “This is species-changing technology,” he says, “sustainable global mobility that will enable you to go anywhere on the planet in 45 minutes or to the moon in a few hours.”

The Future of Medicine is Now The Saturday Evening Post

Pop a Grape Instead of a Pill The Saturday Evening Post