Latest news with #MontrealHeartInstitute
CTV News
21-07-2025
- Science
- CTV News
Montreal Heart Institute hosts first school on the effects of extreme heat on health
A woman sits and reads in the Saint-Lawrence River during a heat wave in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press) Heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense in Quebec, as elsewhere in the world, due to climate change. To better understand this phenomenon and find ideas for adapting to this new reality, the first International School on Heat Adaptation is being held this week at the Montreal Heart Institute. This initiative has brought together 20 master's and doctoral students from 10 countries who will have the opportunity to interact with renowned experts from North America, Asia and Australia. The goal is to better understand the complex impacts of extreme heat on health and identify ways to adapt. Various topics will be addressed, including the physiological effects of heat, public adaptation policies and environmental inequalities. But it is the teaching methods that make this school unique. The focus is on experiential learning and active, interdisciplinary teaching techniques. For example, students will also have the opportunity to experience heatwave conditions in a climate chamber that can reach temperatures of up to 70 C. Daniel Gagnon, a researcher at the ÉPIC Centre of the Montreal Heart Institute, associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Montreal and initiator of this project, is delighted that the program has been well received internationally. He believes that this school has the potential to address the growing challenges posed by extreme heat, 'one of the most deadly climate risks, but still poorly understood,' he said in a statement. The International School on Heat Adaptation project was organized in collaboration with the Global Centre for Heat Adaptation, a partnership supported by the National Science Foundation in the United States and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 21, 2025. The Canadian Press's health content is funded through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for editorial decisions.
Cision Canada
18-06-2025
- Health
- Cision Canada
Reducing waitlists for patients with heart valve disease Français
The Montreal Heart Institute's Heart Valve Centre is now open MONTREAL, June 18, 2025 /CNW/ - The Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) Foundation announces the opening of the MHI's Heart Valve Centre, a large-scale medical and scientific endeavour that aims to become a national hub of expertise. As a result, the new Centre will enable the MHI to double the number of patients with valve disease it can treat by 2028. The goal is to become a Canadian leader of heart valve disease and rank one of the world's top ten most advanced centres in this quickly evolving field. "This new centre for highly specialized care represents a major advance in how valve disease is treated. It also perfectly embodies our vision to make medical excellence accessible to patients both here and abroad. It's a cutting-edge centre that will allow us to save more lives," said Dr. Peter Guerra, Head of Specialized Medicine at the MHI. Heart valve disease affects 1 in 40 Canadians and is a significant cause of heart failure, morbidity, and mortality. Unfortunately, heart valve disease will become more prevalent as the population continues to age. It is estimated that by 2040, 1.5 million Canadians aged 65 and over will be living with heart valve disease. Over the past few years, percutaneous valve therapies have transformed the way these pathologies are treated. These procedures do not require open-heart surgery or general anaesthesia. Patients recover more quickly, experience less pain, need less medication, and require shorter hospital stays. These safe approaches are making treatments accessible to more patients while lessening the burden on the health care system. "65% of patients who are hospitalized at the MHI are discharged the day after this new procedure. And most can resume their daily activities a week later," said Dr. Walid Ben Ali, a heart surgeon at the MHI. The MHI recently recruited Dr. Ralph Stephan von Bardeleben a physician renowned for his in-depth expertise in the clinical, research, and educational aspects of minimally invasive valve therapies. His clinical experience is simply unmatched; Dr. von Bardeleben has performed a record number of percutaneous mitral and tricuspid procedures. The MHI hired Dr. von Bardeleben as part of a strategy to reaffirm its expertise in valve therapies and become a world-class centre. An objective the MHI is already on the way to achieving. In fact, in only one week, the MHI's teams carried out mitral and tricuspid procedures in 23 patients in a single operating room. A record in North America. The MHI also aims to each year carry out 1,000 percutaneous aortic valve replacements (+100%) and 400 percutaneous mitral and tricuspid procedures (+300%), for a total of 1,400 valve procedures — a figure that would place it alongside the most advanced health institutions in Europe. This ambitious goal was made possible thanks to the MHI Foundation's pledge to invest more than $5 million to set up operating rooms, acquire simulation and modelling equipment, and deploy research and education projects. About the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation The Foundation was founded in 1977. It raises and administers funds to support the MHI's priority and innovative projects and fight cardiovascular diseases, the world's number one cause of mortality. The MHI was founded in 1954. It is affiliated with the Université de Montréal and houses Canada's largest cardiology research centre, cardiovascular prevention centre, and cardiovascular genetics centre ( The Foundation's philanthropic events and contributions from donors have enabled this world-renowned pioneer in cardiovascular health to become one of the country's leading cardiology research centres. Since its creation, the Foundation has raised more than $400 million in donations. Its donors helped make important discoveries and support specialists, professionals, and researchers of the Institute to provide care at the cutting edge of technology to tens of thousands of patients in Quebec.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Reducing waitlists for patients with heart valve disease
The Montreal Heart Institute's Heart Valve Centre is now open MONTREAL, June 18, 2025 /CNW/ - The Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) Foundation announces the opening of the MHI's Heart Valve Centre, a large-scale medical and scientific endeavour that aims to become a national hub of expertise. As a result, the new Centre will enable the MHI to double the number of patients with valve disease it can treat by 2028. The goal is to become a Canadian leader of heart valve disease and rank one of the world's top ten most advanced centres in this quickly evolving field. "This new centre for highly specialized care represents a major advance in how valve disease is treated. It also perfectly embodies our vision to make medical excellence accessible to patients both here and abroad. It's a cutting-edge centre that will allow us to save more lives," said Dr. Peter Guerra, Head of Specialized Medicine at the MHI. Heart valve disease affects 1 in 40 Canadians and is a significant cause of heart failure, morbidity, and mortality. Unfortunately, heart valve disease will become more prevalent as the population continues to age. It is estimated that by 2040, 1.5 million Canadians aged 65 and over will be living with heart valve disease. Over the past few years, percutaneous valve therapies have transformed the way these pathologies are treated. These procedures do not require open-heart surgery or general anaesthesia. Patients recover more quickly, experience less pain, need less medication, and require shorter hospital stays. These safe approaches are making treatments accessible to more patients while lessening the burden on the health care system. "65% of patients who are hospitalized at the MHI are discharged the day after this new procedure. And most can resume their daily activities a week later," said Dr. Walid Ben Ali, a heart surgeon at the MHI. The MHI recently recruited Dr. Ralph Stephan von Bardeleben a physician renowned for his in-depth expertise in the clinical, research, and educational aspects of minimally invasive valve therapies. His clinical experience is simply unmatched; Dr. von Bardeleben has performed a record number of percutaneous mitral and tricuspid procedures. The MHI hired Dr. von Bardeleben as part of a strategy to reaffirm its expertise in valve therapies and become a world-class centre. An objective the MHI is already on the way to achieving. In fact, in only one week, the MHI's teams carried out mitral and tricuspid procedures in 23 patients in a single operating room. A record in North America. The MHI also aims to each year carry out 1,000 percutaneous aortic valve replacements (+100%) and 400 percutaneous mitral and tricuspid procedures (+300%), for a total of 1,400 valve procedures — a figure that would place it alongside the most advanced health institutions in Europe. This ambitious goal was made possible thanks to the MHI Foundation's pledge to invest more than $5 million to set up operating rooms, acquire simulation and modelling equipment, and deploy research and education projects. About the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation The Foundation was founded in 1977. It raises and administers funds to support the MHI's priority and innovative projects and fight cardiovascular diseases, the world's number one cause of mortality. The MHI was founded in 1954. It is affiliated with the Université de Montréal and houses Canada's largest cardiology research centre, cardiovascular prevention centre, and cardiovascular genetics centre ( The Foundation's philanthropic events and contributions from donors have enabled this world-renowned pioneer in cardiovascular health to become one of the country's leading cardiology research centres. Since its creation, the Foundation has raised more than $400 million in donations. Its donors helped make important discoveries and support specialists, professionals, and researchers of the Institute to provide care at the cutting edge of technology to tens of thousands of patients in Quebec. SOURCE Montreal Heart Institute Foundation View original content: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Ottawa Citizen
24-04-2025
- Health
- Ottawa Citizen
New AI tool could reduce risks and hospital time for heart attack patients
The use of AI could change the way heart attack patients are cared for during emergency procedures, researchers from Ottawa and Montreal are reporting. Article content Article content In what is being called a major advance for heart attack treatment, researchers from the Ottawa Heart Institute, the Montreal Heart Institute, and the Centre hospitalier de l'Universite de Montreal (CHUM) have successfully used artificial intelligence to assess heart function in real time during emergency procedures. Article content Article content Researchers found the artificial intelligence tool — called CathEF — is able to accurately measure how well the heart is pumping in real time after a heart attack. That allows doctors to make 'faster, better-informed decisions, improving patient care in life-or-death situations,' said Dr. Pascal Thériault-Lauzier. He is a clinical scientist at the Ottawa Heart Institute and the lead author of the study, which was published in New England Journal of Medicine Artificial Intelligence this week. Article content Article content Using artificial intelligence to assess heart damage after a heart attack can give health care providers necessary information more quickly and prevent many patients from having to undergo more intrusive tests that carry a risk of complications. The AI tool could also allow some patients to leave hospital sooner, said Theriault-Lauzier. Article content Currently, patients rushed to hospital experiencing reduced blood flow to the heart undergo a series of procedures to assess and treat the heart. Those include a procedure called a coronary angiography in which dye is injected and doctors use X-rays to look at the heart's blood vessels and assess how well it is pumping. If a blockage is found, a balloon catheter is used to inflate and widen the artery, often followed by the placement of a stent to keep the artery open. Article content Article content Doctors assess the patient's so-called ejection fraction, which measures the heart's ability to pump blood out to the body. The information is crucial in order for health providers to decide which course of treatment the patient needs. Additional tests, such as echocardiograms or the more invasive imaging procedure, are currently used to assess ejection fraction in order to guide treatment decisions. Completing those tests takes time and can carry risks. Article content Article content Thériault-Lauzier said the use of artificial intelligence could change that by quickly assessing ejection fraction using the original images taken, without the need for further invasive procedures. Article content Patients found to be stable could leave hospital sooner and be followed up for further treatment, he said. Those with more damage would continue to be monitored in hospital and start medication quickly. Article content The results are promising, but the AI tool is not ready for clinical use. Approvals and commercialization could take a few years, said Thériault-Lauzier.
