Winter 2020 WashU Alumni Newsletter (pdf) (Links to an external site)
Impacting Health Policy to Improve Outcomes – Cardiologists at Washington UniversitySchool of Medicine are at the forefront of advocating and advancing evidence-basedhealth care policy. “We’re a bit of an anomaly here and also nationally,” says cardiologist Karen Joynt Maddox, MD, MPH. “Most clinicians who focus on health policy and public health are generalists and not […]
High-protein diets boost artery-clogging plaque, mouse study shows (Links to an external site)
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 (Links to an external site)
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
Studying mice, scientists have shown that boosting the activity of specific immune cells in the heart after a heart attack can protect against developing heart failure, an invariably fatal condition. Patients with heart failure tire easily and become breathless from everyday activities because the heart muscle has lost the ability to pump enough blood to […]
Summer 2019 WashU Alumni Newsletter (pdf) (Links to an external site)
A New Era Emerging in CCU Care – The Cardiovascular Division at Washington University School of Medicine has established a new Section of Critical Care Cardiology and is changing how it approaches the care of patients admitted to the coronary care unit. In addition, in collaboration with the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, […]
Safety-Net Hospitals Fare Better Under New Medicare Reimbursement Rules
New Medicare reimbursement rules provide some relief to safety-net hospitals, shifting the burden of financial penalties toward hospitals serving wealthier patient populations, according to a new study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The new rules also reduce the burden of such penalties on hospitals in states that have more generous […]
Obese Mouse Mothers Trigger Heart Problems in Offspring
A diet high in fats and sugars is known for its unhealthy effects on the heart. Scientists now have found that a high-fat, high-sugar diet in mouse mothers before and during pregnancy causes problems in the hearts of their offspring, and that such problems are passed down at least three generations, even if the younger […]