Love Your Heart: A Cleveland Clinic Podcast

The Cleveland Clinic Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute (HVTI) research has long history of research and innovation. This program takes a deep dive into the three major components: clinical investigations, clinical trials, and an academic research organization – as well as access to basic research as part of our partnership with the Lerner Research Institute. Dr. Eugene Blackstone, Dr. Tara Karamlou, Dr. Michael Lincoff and Dr. Aaron Weiss have a lively discussion about research in HVTI, including the history, organization, highlights and challenges, and plans for future growth and innovation.

Should you take a supplement if you have had a heart attack, stroke or coronary bypass surgery? Will supplements prevent future events? Dr. Luke Laffin, Preventive Cardiologist, provides some facts about common supplements and questions we have unanswered. If you live in Ohio, they are currently enrolling patients in a trial called the SPORT study to answer the question: do supplements make an impact on cardiovascular disease? If you are interested in participating you can email the study team at [email protected].

Cardiac imaging is important not only for diagnosing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) but also in making decisions about treatment and risk of future events. Dr. Milind Desai, Director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center, takes you through the types of testing and what they show. Tests include basic echocardiogram, specialized echo testing, MRI and transesophageal echo. Patients require testing at baseline to diagnose HCM and monitoring over time – it is your friend for life!

The first documented stopped heart surgery was performed on February 17, 1956. Dr. Lars Svensson, Chairman of the Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute reviews the operative notes from this innovative surgery performed by Dr. Donald Effler and Dr. Lawrence Groves, using a heart lung machine developed by Dr. Willem Kolff at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Svensson uses illustrations to take us step by step through the procedure. The majority of heart procedures done today use a similar process to stop the heart as the one that Drs. Effler and Groves used 65 years ago during this ground-breaking surgery.

There are many factors that go into decision making when aortic valve surgery is needed in the young patient – both adults and children. Dr. Hani Najm, Dr. Gosta Pettersson, and Dr Eric Roselli discuss the Ross Procedure, patient selection with shared decision making, surgical techniques to prevent future failure, advantages and considerations, alternative options, the impact of TAVR on surgical choice, considerations when other valves are affected, and what happens if the ross procedure fails over time – how to get the best outcome with a reoperation.

Questions about use of cannabis in heart transplant patients (pre and post) are increasing due to its availability, legalization in some states, and media. What should patients know? Dr. Eileen Hsich, Medical Director of the Heart Transplant Program at Cleveland Clinic, Kathleen Faulkenberg PharmD, University of Kentucky, and Caroline Olt, MD, an internal medicine resident at Cleveland Clinic, co-authors of a recent paper on the topic discuss considerations such as the differences between types of cannabis, edibles vs. inhaled, frequency of usage, dependency, interactions with transplant medications, outcomes and current recommendations.

A calcium score screening heart test (also called coronary calcium scan) is a test that uses computerized tomography (CT) to detect calcium deposits in the coronary arteries of your heart. A higher coronary calcium score suggests you have a higher chance of significant narrowing in the coronary arteries and a higher risk of future heart attack. Cardiologist Dr. Milind Desai talks about the test and why your doctor may order one, who should and should not get this test, how the test results are used, other information you can find through calcium score testing, and how tests are ordered and results provided at Cleveland Clinic.

The American College of Cardiology completed their 2021 scientific sessions, where many research teams presented trial results. Dr. Steve Nissen, cardiologist and Chief Academic Officer, Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute, presents the summaries of three trials answering the following questions: Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Study (LAAOS III): If you have atrial fibrillation and undergoing heart surgery – should you have your left atrial appendage (LAA) closed during surgery? ADAPTABLE (Aspirin Dosing: A Patient-Centric Trial Assessing Benefits and Long-Term Effectiveness): What is the best dose of aspirin to prevent future cardiac events? Secondary Analysis of STRENGTH Trial: Is fish oil beneficial to reduce cardiovascular risk?

Many patients have questions about diet and medications – and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Preventive Cardiology dietitian Julia Zumpano, RD, LD, and Dennis Bruemmer, MD, PhD, Director of the Center for Cardiometabolic Health, discuss modifiable risk factors – and how diet and lifestyle plays a big role. What diet has the greatest success in preventing heart disease? When are medications needed and why? They cover the types of diet, medications, and their approach to care of the patient (and family) and the importance of individualizing the patient’s treatment plan.

Wearable apps and home monitors have provided patients ease in monitoring their heart rhythm at home. Drs. Oussama Wazni and Khaldoun Tarajki discuss the differences in types of remote monitoring and the capabilities of various consumer wearable technologies. They talk about what doctors need when diagnosing an arrhythmia, how to choose a home monitor, and how do you use the data you get from these devices.