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When one of the heart’s valves springs a big leak, that can spell big trouble.

The good news: The condition, known as degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR), is treatable using a minimally invasive intervention known as TEER (transcatheter edge-to-edge repair), a procedure that involves the insertion of a small clip to enable proper valve closure and blood flow.

The better news? ...

It's standard for heart attack survivors to take beta blocker medications for years afterward, but a new study suggests that may be unnecessary for people who've had a milder heart attack.

Researchers found that among heart attack survivors whose hearts still had normal pumping ability, there was no added benefit from using beta blockers for more than one year. They were no less lik...

Could an electronic chest “tattoo” -- wireless, lightweight and razor-thin -- upend heart monitoring and lower the odds of heart disease for folks who are at high-risk?

Just possibly.

The clear patch in question is not quite 4 by 5 inches in size, weighs less than an ounce, and is powered by a battery no bigger than a penny and just like a temporary tattoo sticker, it's designe...

Sometimes cancer, and the treatments meant to eradicate it, can damage the heart and blood vessels. Now, a new analysis finds that damage may be much more likely if the patient is Black.

Black patients had 71% higher odds of developing what is known as cardiotoxicity following chemotherapy when compared to white patients. They also had increased odds of being diagnosed with congest...

Much has been made of the so-called “obesity paradox” -- the observation that people with a heart condition seem less likely to die if they are overweight or obese.

But European researchers now say they've debunked that theory, which was based on earlier research that relied on body mass index (BMI, a measure based on weight and height) to judge whether a person carried excess weight....

A stick-on sensor may help keep people with heart failure out of the hospital, new research suggests.

Investigators found that when doctors had actionable information about patients' conditions, delivered remotely through this noninvasive device, it prompted them to adjust medications earlier and prevent complications from escalating. Patients with heart failure who used this device were...

It may seem counterintuitive, but a new study review suggests that consuming too little salt could be harmful to heart failure patients.

Doctors currently recommend a low-sodium diet to lower blood pressure and avoid fluid buildup and swelling, which can be common symptoms for heart failure. The condition develops when the heart muscle becomes too weak or stiff to effectively pump blood ...

When heart failure strikes, being a lifelong bachelor may mean you might die sooner than women or previously married men diagnosed with the same condition, a new study suggests.

Lifetime marital history appears to be an important predictor of survival in men with heart failure, but not women. Specifically, lifelong bachelors had significantly worse long-term survival than men who had bee...

A phone call from a nurse may be the lifeline needed to help improve survival for heart failure patients.

New research from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles finds that check-in calls may help save lives.

“There's a lot of new technology and new ideas about how to manage people who have heart failure remotely, but we demonstrated that low-tech and old-fash...

Having sepsis -- a life-threatening response to infection -- may put patients at risk for future heart failure and rehospitalization, according to a new study.

Sepsis is an extreme immune response to an infection in the body. It can cause that infection to spread throughout the body and lead to organ failure and possibly death.

“We know that infection may be a potential tr...

Adults who live in rural areas, and Black men in particular, are at much higher risk for developing heart failure.

Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition that develops when the heart fails to pump enough blood for the body's needs.

Researchers from the U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., anal...

It doesn't matter which water pill you're prescribed to treat your heart failure, because new trial data shows that one works as well as the other.

Two diuretics widely used to treat heart failure, furosemide and torsemide, showed no difference in their ability to improve patient survival, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored trial.

“We're not saying...

It's tempting to follow the latest trend when it comes to health care, but for patients who live with heart failure, some alternative treatments could have serious consequences.

To address the issue, the American Heart Association (AHA) has published a new scientific statement covering a wide range of alternative therapies and their impact on heart failure. It also offers guidance for he...

Both extremely hot and very cold days take their toll on people who have heart disease, particularly those with heart failure.

A new multinational analysis of 32 million heart-related deaths over the past 40 years found more occurred on days with severe temperatures, an issue that climate change could make even worse.

Although the greatest number of deaths were due to heart failure,...

Methamphetamine wreaks havoc on the heart, warns new research that shows heart failure rates linked to the illicit drug are on the rise around the world.

Not only are these cases increasing, but they are more severe than traditional heart failure cases and they are striking all racial and socioeconomic groups.

“The increasing prevalence of meth [heart failure] across racial/ethn...

People battling heart failure should make the time to get their flu shots now, a new study suggests.

Not only will the shots help prevent influenza in this high-risk group, but it could also reduce pneumonia infections and cardiac complications, researchers report.

"If you have heart failure, you should get your flu shot because it can save your life -- that is what we found in thi...

When people with heart failure wind up in the hospital, it tends to become a slippery slope: They are more likely to be readmitted or die within six months during this vulnerable period.

Now, new research shows that ramping up doses of three heart failure medications within two weeks of hospital discharge along with more frequent follow-up visits cuts the risk of both hospital readmission...

Patients with heart failure are often prescribed a diuretic or "water pill" to prevent fluid buildup. A new study has found that two often-prescribed medications work equally well at reducing deaths.

"Given that the two different therapies provide the same effect on outcomes, we shouldn't spend time switching patients from one to the other, and instead concentrate on giving the right dos...

A person with heart failure in dire need of a new heart may have faced delays in getting one during the pandemic when potential donors tested positive for COVID-19.

As some centers began accepting these hearts for transplant anyway, data from a new study shows that...

A person with advanced heart failure may often need a heart transplant or a mechanical heart pump to survive.

But white patients are twice as likely as Black patients to get this critically important care, a new study finds, and racial bias may be the reason why.

Climate change could spell trouble for those with heart failure, a new study suggests.

When the temperatures soared in France during the summer of 2019, the heat wave appears to have worsened the conditions of heart failure patients, researchers report.

"The finding is timely, given the heat waves again this year," said study a...

Smoking is even worse for your heart than you might already think, new Danish research warns.

"It is well known that smoking causes blocked arteries, leading to coronary heart disease and stroke," said researcher Dr. Eva Holt, of Herlev and Gentofte Hospital in Copenh...

People with type 2 diabetes might face a substantially increased risk of heart failure if they take ibuprofen or some other type of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), a new Danish study indicates.

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