John T. Milliken Department of Internal Medicine Cardiovascular Division | Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

4th Annual Heart Team Summit Comes to St. Louis

Join faculty members in the Divisions of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Cardiology at Washington University School of Medicine as they unite with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Ascension St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana for the 4th Annual Heart Team Summit. Cardiovascular Division faculty that will be presenting at this event include Nishath Quader, MD; Alan Zajarias, MD; Anubha Argarwal, MD, MS; Alan Braverman, MD; John Lasala, MD, PhD; Thomas Maddox, MD, MS; Jonathan Moreno, MD, PhD; Marc Sintek, MD; and Justin M. Vader, MD.

Institute for Public Health to Hold Special Seminar: Algorithms of Oppression

Cardiovascular division faculty members Karen Joynt Maddox (co-Director, Center for Health Economics & Policy) and Gmerice Hammond (Associate Director, Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity) along with their colleagues at the Institute of Public Health will be hosting a seminar October 19th entitield Algorithms of Oppression, presented by Dr. Safiya U. Noble.

Dr. Kory Lavine Receives Leadership Achievement Award at ISHR North American Conference

Kory Lavine, MD, PhD, received the International Society for Heart Research- North American Section 2022 MCI Leadership Achievement Award, presented in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada at the section’s annual meeting on September 6th. Nominated by Division Chief Sumanth Prabhu, MD, Dr. Lavine was selected by committee to receive this award based on his leadership, mentorship, and achievements in cardiovascular research. The Lavine Lab at Washington University School of Medicine focuses on developing therapeutics for cardiovascular diseases including myocardial infraction, heart failure, myocarditis, and heart transplant rejection.

Faculty receive $6.1M NIH grant for maternal health study

Three faculty from the Brown School and the School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis have received a seven-year $6.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) aimed at improving the health of mothers and children in the St. Louis region. The project, titled “Enhancing Cardiovascular Health Equity in Mothers and Children Through Home Visiting,” will be led by Debra Haire-Joshu, PhD, the Joyce and Chauncy Buchheit Professor in Public Health; Victor G. Davila-Roman, MD, professor of medicine, anesthesiology and radiology; and Rachel Tabak, PhD, research associate professor at the Brown School.

Low testosterone may increase risk of COVID-19 hospitalization for men

Among men diagnosed with COVID-19, those with low testosterone levels are more likely to become seriously ill and end up in the hospital than men with normal levels of the hormone, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Saint Louis University School of Medicine. The team analyzed the cases of 723 men who tested positive for COVID-19, mostly in 2020 before vaccines were available. The data indicate that low testosterone is an independent risk factor for COVID-19 hospitalization, similar to diabetes, heart disease and chronic lung disease.

Dr. Stacey Rentschler and Colleagues Receive NIH Grant to Fund Study on Radiation Therapy for VT Patients

Stacey Rentschler, MD, PhD in collaboration with many other Washington University researchers within and outside the cardiovascular division recently received an NIH grant totaling over $3 million to further study a major breakthrough in a non-invasive treatment for ventricular tachycardia. The grant follows a 2021clinical study from Washington University School of Medicine brought together cardiologists, engineers, radiologists, and radiation oncologists to invent a novel and noninvasive radiation therapy to treat ventricular tachycardia.

Wide Complex Tachycardia Discrimination Tool Improves Physicians' Diagnostic Accuracy

A new study published in the Journal of Electrocardiology this month by Washington University Physician Adam May shows that an automated tool for WCT differentiation can improve the accuracy of the physician interpreting ECGs. In the study, it was shown that using an algorithm designed to differentiate between ventricular tachycardia (VT) and supraventricular wide complex tachycardia (SWCT) in ECGs called the VT Prediction Model improved both accuracy and confidence of diagnosis among physicians who used it over a four-day period.

New Clinical Trial for Evoque Valve Comes to Valvular Heart Disease Center

Dr. Alan Zajarias and the team at the Valvular Heart Disease Center have been invited to join the Edwards Triscend 2 pivotal trial, testing the safety and effectiveness of the Evoque valve device in patients with tricuspid regurgitation. The Evoque tricuspid valve replacement system is designed to use an implant to replace the native tricuspid valve without open-heart surgery. The trial includes patients with severe or greater tricuspid regurgitation (TR).

Save the Date for the 75th Anniversary of the Cardiovascular Division!

On November 11, 2022 the Washington University School of Medicine Cardiovascular Division will be celebrating our 75th Anniversary! You won’t want to miss this event, which will include guest speakers, panels with current and former faculty and fellows, and more.

New Drug, Positive Results for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

An estimated 1 million people in the U.S. have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy—a heart condition also known as HCM—and many don’t know they have the condition until it’s too late. A genetic disease, HCM often goes undetected until someone in the family experiences symptoms, which can range from irregular heart rhythms and stroke to heart failure and death in people of any age. And HCM is the most common cause of sudden cardiac death in young people.

Leadership Announcement – DOM Vice Chair of Clinical Research

It is my pleasure to announce that Dr. Nancy K. Sweitzer, Professor of Medicine, has joined Washington University School of Medicine as the Vice Chair of Clinical Research for the Department of Medicine and Director of Clinical Research for the Division of Cardiology. Dr. Sweitzer joins us from the University of Arizona in Tucson, where she had been the Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine, Director of the Sarver Heart Center and Co-Director of the Clinical Translational Sciences Graduate Program for the University of Arizona Health Sciences.

Cardiovascular inflammation, heart failure focus of $6 million grant

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a $6 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to harness new understandings of the immune system to develop innovative therapies for heart failure and the prevention of organ rejection following heart transplantation.

Diabetes, metabolic syndrome in mice treated with novel class of compounds

A study in mice — led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis — shows that a new class of compounds the scientists developed can improve multiple aspects of metabolic syndrome. An increasingly common group of conditions that often occur together, metabolic syndrome includes type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, fat buildup in the liver, and excess body fat, especially around the waist. This syndrome often leads to cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide.

Popular heart failure drug no better than older drug in sickest patients

A new study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that a widely used heart failure drug named sacubitril/valsartan is no better than valsartan alone in patients with severe heart failure. The study also provides evidence that the treatment with valsartan may be slightly safer for patients with advanced heart failure.

Institute for Public Health names new director of its Global Health Center

The Institute for Public Health announces the appointment of Victor G. Dávila-Román, MD, as director of its Global Health Center. He was also named vice chair of global health in the Department of Medicine at the School of Medicine. Dávila-Román is professor of medicine in the cardiovascular division of the Department of Medicine, and a professor of anesthesiology and radiology at the School of Medicine.

Radiation therapy reprograms heart muscle cells to younger state

New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that radiation therapy can reprogram heart muscle cells to what appears to be a younger state, fixing electrical problems that cause a life-threatening arrhythmia without the need for a long-used, invasive procedure.

Research to explore how genes, other factors affect cardiometabolic disease risk

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a four-year, $8.8 million grant to ramp up research aimed at unraveling how an individual’s risks of cardiometabolic diseases, such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, are influenced by the interaction of specific genes with demographic and lifestyle factors.

Prabhu named cardiovascular division director

Sumanth D. Prabhu, MD, an internationally recognized expert in how immunity and inflammation contribute to heart failure, has been named director of the Cardiovascular Division in the Department of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He also will become cardiologist-in-chief at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the Tobias and Hortense Lewin Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Diseases at the School of Medicine when his appointment begins Sept. 1.

Hammond receives Merck research fellowship

J. Gmerice Hammond, MD, a cardiologist and health policy research fellow in the Cardiovascular Division at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a Merck Fellowship Research Award from the Association of Black Cardiologists and the American College of Cardiology. Hammond is one of three award recipients who will be honored in a virtual ceremony May 17 as part of the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology.

Scientists find genetic link to clogged arteries

High cholesterol is the most commonly understood cause of atherosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries that raises the risk of heart attack and stroke. But now, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a gene that likely plays a causal role in coronary artery disease independent of cholesterol levels. The gene also likely has roles in related cardiovascular diseases, including high blood pressure and diabetes.

COVID-19 can kill heart muscle cells, interfere with contraction

Since early in the pandemic, COVID-19 has been associated with heart problems, including reduced ability to pump blood and abnormal heart rhythms. But it’s been an open question whether these problems are caused by the virus infecting the heart, or an inflammatory response to viral infection elsewhere in the body. Such details have implications for understanding how best to treat coronavirus infections that affect the heart.

Immune therapies for heart disease aim of international research network

When a patient arrives in the emergency room with symptoms of a heart attack, doctors’ first priority is to restore blood flow to the heart muscle. Over the past few decades, therapeutic advances aimed at getting blood flowing and reducing strain on the heart have improved patients’ chances of surviving heart attacks to more than 90% from 50%.

Leadership Announcement – DOM Vice Chair for Health Equity

It is my pleasure to announce that Angela L. Brown, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology in the Department of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine has been appointed as Vice Chair for Health Equity for the Department of Medicine. In this new role, Dr. Brown will lead our diversity, equity, inclusion and antiracism activities.

Maddox selected as American College of Cardiology trustee

Thomas M. Maddox, MD, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been selected to serve as a trustee of the American College of Cardiology, an international professional society for cardiovascular care providers. He will serve a three-year term on the board of trustees beginning in April.

$10 million in grants aimed at preventing organ rejection after transplantation

Transplant surgeons and researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received two grants totaling $10 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study how immune cells contribute to organ rejection, with the aim of improving the viability of organs after transplant.

Immune cells play surprising role in heart, mouse study suggests

New research in mice suggests that certain immune cells may help guide fetal development of the heart and play a role in how the adult heart beats, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

High-protein diets boost artery-clogging plaque, mouse study shows

High-protein diets may help people lose weight and build muscle, but a new study in mice suggests they have a down side: They lead to more plaque in the arteries. Further, the new research shows that high-protein diets spur unstable plaque — the kind most prone to rupturing and causing blocked arteries. More plaque buildup in the arteries, particularly if it’s unstable, increases the risk of heart attack.

Heart pump devices associated with serious complications in some patients shortly after heart stent procedure

In critically ill patients who require a heart pump to support blood circulation as part of stent procedures, specific heart pumps have been associated with serious complications, according to a new study led by cardiologists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

New Clues Found to Help Protect Heart From Damage After Heart Attack

Scientists at the School of Medicine have found a way to spur heart immune cells called macrophages to promote healing after a heart attack or other cardiac injury. Such a strategy could help prevent the usual inflammation that follows a heart attack and is a common driver of heart failure.

Safety-net Hospitals Fare Better Under New Medicare Reimbursement Rules

Karen Joynt Maddox, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, led a study showing that new Medicare reimbursement rules reduce financial penalties for safety-net hospitals. The change shifts some of the financial burden away from hospitals that care for the most vulnerable patients

Effects of High-fat, High-sugar Diet on Heart Passed Down Three Generations

A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that cardiac mitochondria are abnormal in the offspring of mouse mothers that become obese due to a high-fat, high sugar diet. Those offspring then pass on the mitochondrial defects at least two more generations.

Is Intermittent Fasting the Cure for Diabetes?

Three men with Type 2 diabetes used “intermittent fasting” to reverse their dependence on insulin, according to a report published on [October 9th, 2018] — but you shouldn’t try it without medical supervision, experts say.

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