IBM Watson Health has released its annual ranking of 50 top hospitals for cardiovascular care in collaboration with Fortune.

A "polypill," or single drug that combines statins and blood-pressure-lowering drugs, may reduce heart disease risk if taken with aspirin, according to a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Midland-based MidMichigan Health's $30 million heart and vascular center opened its doors to patients Nov. 9. 

San Diego-based Scripps Health and Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente signed a five-year agreement that extends a 40-year partnership, according to a Nov. 12 news release.

Duke University Hospital in Durham, N.C., recently completed its 1,500th heart transplant, making it the fifth transplant center in the U.S. to hit this milestone, The News & Observer reported Nov. 11.

Eranga Cardiology, a practice with locations in Milford and Dover, Del., has agreed to pay $500,000 to resolve False Claims Act allegations, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Delaware said Nov. 10. 

About 23 percent of veterans who fought in the Gulf War or Iraq and Afghanistan wars experienced a traumatic brain injury, and they face a significantly higher risk for heart attack along with those who have post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the American Heart Association. 

The COVID-19 pandemic's economic and social toll has exacerbated food insecurity, and those facing this issue may have an increased cardiovascular death risk, according to research published Nov. 9 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. 

A helicopter ambulance transporting a donated heart with three people on board crashed on top of Keck Hospital in Los Angeles Nov. 6, the Los Angeles Times reports. 

The American Medical Association is donating $100,000 to help healthcare organizations on Chicago's West Side to help patients better manage their blood pressure remotely, the AMA said Nov. 9. 

Survivors of Kawasaki disease, a condition that causes blood vessel inflammation in young children, have a higher risk of developing heart disease for more than 10 years after diagnosis, according to research presented at the American College of Rheumatology's annual Convergence meeting. 

Early-career cardiac surgeons with less than 10 years of experience had worse patient outcomes for valve procedures than those with more than 10 years of clinical practice, according to a Nov. 3 study published in JAMA Network Open. 

Below are four cardiologists who joined new practices or received new appointments in the last two weeks.

Physicians should question the use of five common heart treatments and practices that may be unnecessary for pediatric populations, the American Academy of Pediatrics said in a recent guidance. 

A multidisciplinary team approach, a program for coronary artery bypass surgery patients and professional development of critical care nursing staff are among the initiatives hospitals and health systems have implemented to improve clinical outcomes in heart care.

Cardiologists were more likely to implant a specialty defibrillator device if they received a payment from the device's manufacturer, according to a study published in JAMA. 

A collaboration between the American Heart Association and the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology will create a new journal titled Stroke: Vascular and Interventional Neurology, which is expected to begin publishing in early 2021. 

Mark Zucker, MD, director of Newark (N.J.) Beth Israel Medical Center's heart transplant program left his role Oct. 30 after being on administrative leave for the last year, reports ProPublica.

Patients in cardiac intensive care units are at increased risk for serious complications that may be preventable with the implementation of best practices and a daily bedside checklist, according to an American Heart Association statement published in Circulation. 

Healthgrades' list of the best hospitals for cardiac care in 2021 was Becker's top-read cardiology story in October.