Brenda Hemmelgarn, Business Week, Kidney, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, Protein, University of Calgary
In Researchers on February 8, 2010 at 4:01 pm
Business Week recently featured research by the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta’s Dr. Brenda Hemmelgarn.
“Right now, the guidelines say you should use a blood test called serum creatinine [which measures a waste product processed by the kidneys] to give you an estimate of how well the kidneys are working,” said study author Dr. Brenda R. Hemmelgarn, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. “We found that including another marker of kidney health — the level of protein in the urine — helps to better predict risk than that single measure.”
“I think it’s very likely to get adopted in the new guidelines,” she added. And, in fact, she is probably right.
Visit Business Week to read the rest of the article.
Alka Patel, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, Merril Knudtson, Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, University of Calgary, William Ghali
In Researchers on February 4, 2010 at 5:02 pm
Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta trainee Alka Patel, along with co-authors Dr. William Ghali and Dr. Merril Knudtson, has just published a study highlighting the inequity across Canada when it comes to life-saving PCI access.
Highlights:
- Best access exists in certain urban settings such as Calgary, which has 24/7 PCI access and the best heart attack survival rate in the country for several years running.
- Only 15.8% of adults aged 40 and older in New Brunswick have access to PCI.
Read the Press Release
Read the Journal Article
In the media – CTV Article, CTV Video, Global Article, Global Video, CBC, Globe & Mail, Calgary Sun, Vancouver Sun, Winnipeg Free Press, Calgary Herald 1, Calgary Herald 2, Vancouver Province, Amherst Daily, iNews 880, Metro Calgary, Metro Edmonton, Metro Vancouver, Metro Toronto, Metro Ottawa, Metro Halifax, Montreal Gazette, Canadian Press, Telegraph-Journal, Top News (UK), University of Calgary
What is PCI?
PCI stands for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention and is also known as coronary angioplasty. The most common procedure uses a balloon to open up narrowed blood vessels. The procedure was invented in Switzerland by Dr. Andreas Gruntzig in 1977. Dr. Gruntzig moved to North America in 1980, where his first group of three trainees at Emory University included Dr. Merril Knudtson (a co-author on the above study). Dr. Knudtson, a member of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, has been widely credited with large-scale introduction and training on the procedure in Canada. He was Chair of the Interventional Cardiology Workshop at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress for the first twenty years of its existence.
Cardiac Sciences, Cho Oyu, Denali, Everest, K2, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, Stuart Hutchison, University of Calgary
In Researchers on February 3, 2010 at 10:06 pm
The Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta’s Dr. Stuart Hutchison is an experienced climber who has tackled some of the tallest peaks in the world. Below is a sampling of the many thousands of pictures he has taken. Look out for the next edition of the Institute’s newsletter, Libin Life, for an article on what all Dr. Hutchison is about!
Click on thumbnails for larger images (and the ability to leave comments):
