Scientists have created a new form of collagen-based blood vessels made from human donor tissue. It has numerous uses like blood vessel-like grafts in coronary artery bypass and access points for patients who need kidney dialysis.

The grafts appear to be strong enough to be stored for a year. What this means is hospitals could make them in ahead of time to be used when surgeons need them.

Researchers created two types of blood vessels, one is 6 millimeters in diameter and the other is 3-4 millimeters in diameter. While there hasn’t been any human testing, researchers have found success in animal testing. Baboons had an 88% success rate in large vessels, and dogs had an 83% success rates with blood vessels.

There has been no testing on humans yet, this study should lay the foundation. About 500,000 patients a year could benefit from this discovery. Blood vessels around the heart could be replaced when they clogged with plaque. Though, the artificial vessels may be used as a last resort when it becomes available for human use, but one day they can become the norm.

According to an article published by HealthDay News, new research suggests that higher levels of testosterone are associated with an increased risk of heart disease in older men.

The new U.S. National Institutes of Health funded study, concerns men over the age of 65 and is based on a tracking of hormone levels and heart disease among nearly 700 community-dwelling men, found that men on the highest end of the testosterone spectrum had more than twice the chance of suffering from heart disease than those on the lower end of the spectrum.

The finding contradicts previous, smaller studies and is incredibly significant because many older men are using medications that increase their testosterone levels for various, non-life threatening, health issues such as low sex drive and mood disorders.  Based on this research, these men could be putting themselves at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease without even knowing it.

While this research could be a huge step forward in early detection of cardiovascular issues, Dr. Kristen Sueoka, author of the study, believes there is still much work to be done before testosterone levels can be used as a detection tool:

“One day testosterone measurements may be used to help predict which men are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, but we need more studies to confirm that high testosterone is a risk factor for heart disease.”

Many more Americans are surviving cardiac arrests these days, especially compared to twenty years ago. Yet women and African-Americans are still more likely to die from cardiac arrest.

Cardiac arrest is the abrupt loss of heart function and about 300,000 Americans a year experience a sudden cardiac arrest. What is the most horrifying aspect of a cardiac arrest is that it can happen to anyone at any age.

Studies were conducted over 500,000 cases of cardiac arrest from 1988 to 2007. It shows the death rate dropped from 68% in 1988-1992 to 57% in 2003-2007. However, women were 20% more likely to die from a cardiac arrest and African-Americans were 12% more likely than whites. This was still evident even after other risk factors such as other medical condition were taken to account.

What the study did not convey was why women and African-American had a higher mortality rate. Experts speculate lack of medical services such as suffering an arrest while alone can contribute to the rates. The best way to combat this is to educate people on how to recognize the signs of an arrest.

The two signs of cardiac arrest are:

• Sudden Loss of Responsiveness
• No Normal Breathing

A new clip-like device closes together partially opened doors of a leaky heart valves without the need for open-heart surgery. According to a new study, the clip works almost as well as the surgery and is much safer.

The clip is used for a leaky valve condition known as mitral valve condition. When the mitral valves fails to close properly, blood cannot flow into the main heart chamber. The blood then flows backwards and the heart begins to pump blood inefficiently. Over time, the heart weakens and may lead to heart failure.

Over 250,000 Americans are diagnosed with mitral valve condition every year.  About 100,000 Americans a year have the open-heart surgery to fix the valve. Open-heart surgery is hard on people, especially the elderly and those with other health problems. So the clip is a great alternative to surgery.

Ted Feldman, MD, of NorthShore University Health System is the head of the study. His findings were very positive. 10% of clip patients experienced major complication compared to the 57% of the open-heart surgery patients. However, some experts still do not trust the clip.

Still being a new treatment, many doctors question its durability. How would the clip hold up in 3 year, 5 years? More studies are being demanded, but Feldman says even if the clip fails surgery is still an option. So it makes sense to try the less severe procedure over the harsh operation.

The MitraClip is still waiting FDA approval, but already on the market in Europe.

Two new studies show light-to-moderate drinking can help protect the heart from heart disease. The heart disease study sample size of 245,207 adults, the first study illustrated one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men reduced the risk of heart-related death. Compared to people who never drank and almost never drink, women had a 31%lower risk of death due to heart disease while men had 38% lower risk. Those who exceeded the light-to-moderate levels did not receive any benefits.

The second study also demonstrated the same results as the first study, but the same effects were found on individuals who already had an already existing heart disease. Italian researchers analyzed eight previous studies on alcohol and heart disease. More than 16,000 people with heart disease were involved in the study. Moderate drinks were those who drank 5 to 10 grams of alcohol (roughly one drink and two drinks for men). The benefits of alcohol on heart disease remained significant for those consuming up to 25 grams of alcohol per day.

Now before you reach for that third beer, these studies are not conclusive. The dangers of moderate drinking vary by sex, age, gender, race, personal history, and family history. However, researchers say this is, “the strongest evidence to date” that light-to-moderate drinking reduces the risk of heart disease”.

Research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2009 suggests that If you eat fish to gain the heart-health benefits of its omega-3 fatty acids, baked or boiled fish is better than fried, salted or dried. The AHA writes:

• Baked or boiled fish is associated with more benefit from heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than fried, salted or dried fish.
• Caucasian, Japanese-American and Latino men may be more likely to get the health benefits of fish than African-American or Hawaiian men, perhaps because of how their fish is prepared or genetic predisposition.
• Omega-3s from plant sources such as soy may do more to improve women’s heart health than fish sources.

Overall, men who ate about 3.3 grams per day of omega-3 fatty acids had a 23 percent lower risk of cardiac death compared to those who ate 0.8 grams daily.

For full details of the study, visit the American Heart Association.