Clinicians should report all cases of heart inflammation after COVID-19 vaccination to the CDC's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, the agency said May 28.

Manesh Patel, MD, chief of cardiology and co-director of the Duke Heart Center in Durham, N.C., talked about how Duke is making heart care more accessible during a recent episode of the Becker's Healthcare cardiology podcast.

A story about how the mechanisms behind heart attacks experienced by COVID-19 patients may differ from uninfected heart attack patients was Becker's most-read cardiology story in May. 

While keeping the palm flat, if a person's thumb extends beyond the edge of the palm, they may be at risk of having an aortic aneurysm, according to researchers at New Haven, Conn.-based Yale University. The idea behind the test is that being able to flex the thumb to that extent is a possible indicator of connective tissue disease, including the aorta. 

A new study contradicts the suggestion that patients have better outcomes when treated by a physician of the same gender — at least in the field of interventional cardiology. 

Adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder are three times more likely to have a stroke caused by a blood clot, or ischemic stroke, compared to those without the disorder, according to a study published May 26 in Stroke. 

An analysis of emergency medical services call data in Boston found that while calls related to heart issues fell 27.2 percent during the first wave of COVID-19 infections, out-of-hospital cardiac arrests jumped nearly 36 percent, according to research published May 26 in Health Affairs. 

Morristown, N.J.-based Atlantic Health System has selected Abhishek Singh, MD, PhD, to lead its advanced heart failure program. 

The American Medical Association seeks to standardize training on taking accurate blood pressure readings through a new initiative, the organization said May 26.

While many technology developments have advanced heart care in recent years, cost will likely remain a barrier to patients benefiting from the advancements, said David Hsi, MD, chief of cardiology and co-director of the heart and vascular institute at Stamford (Conn.) Hospital. 

The cardiology team at St. Luke's Health—The Woodlands (Texas) Hospital performed its 100th transcatheter aortic valve replacement May 24, according to Hello Woodlands.

The CDC is reviewing a few cases of myocarditis, or heart muscle inflammation, among teenagers and young adults who were vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a May 17 update from the agency's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. 

Morgantown, W.Va.-based WVU Medicine has selected Christopher Mascio, MD, to serve as executive director of its new children's heart center, the health system said May 21. 

Jaime Murillo, MD, senior vice president and chief cardiometabolic health officer of UnitedHealth Group, spoke about the big trends in cardiovascular care during a recent episode of the Becker's Healthcare cardiology podcast.

Nche Zama, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon who has worked at a number of Pennsylvania hospitals, is running for governor, local ABC affiliate WETM reported May 20. 

Behind every heartbeat is the sarcomere, a microscopic structure inside each heart cell that ignites the contraction. Now, researchers have found a protein called BAG3 may be responsible for sarcomere renewal — an indication that restoring the protein levels could repair the heart and inform future heart failure treatments, according to research published May 19 in Nature Communications. 

Sentara Heart Hospital in Norfolk, Va., part of Sentara Healthcare, has performed the state's first donation after circulatory death — a novel heart transplant method that allows surgeons to revive a donor heart after it has stopped beating, Williamsburg Yorktown Daily reported May 19.

As more physicians recognize the heart conditions that can be managed from home, telehealth's role in the cardiology space will continue to grow, says Christopher Parker, PharmD, executive director at Centralized Healthcare Solutions, the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy's telehealth company. He recently joined the Becker's Healthcare cardiology podcast to discuss telehealth's evolving role in managing cardiovascular conditions. 

Below are four cardiologists who recently joined new practices, stepped into new roles or announced their departures.

The first commission focused on the burden of cardiovascular disease in women aims to improve the outcomes of women with heart disease by 2030, according to a report published May 17 in The Lancet.