New Atlas

Medical Audio available

Harvard scientists uncover how poor sleep leads to cardiovascular disease

Michael Irving March 19, 2019

The main risk factors for heart disease are lifestyle choices like a bad diet, smoking, lack of exercise – and poor sleep. That last point has gone relatively unstudied, but new research out of Harvard has found the chemical chain reaction that links disrupted sleep and cardiovascular disease.

Harvard researchers have uncovered the chemical chain reaction that links a lack of sleep to cardiovascular ...

Health & Wellbeing

How the right "dose" of exercise can reverse aging-related heart damage

Rich Haridy January 8, 2018

A new study suggests the damage caused to a person’s heart from years of sedentary behavior can be successfully reversed by the right “dose” of exercise. The study found that exercising four to five times per week can improve heart elasticity as long as the training begins before the age of 65

A new study suggests heart elasticity can be improved if a person starts exercising regularly later ...

Health & Wellbeing

Research suggests that sudden cardiac arrest after sex is rare but deadly

Anthony Wood November 13, 2017

Great news! According to the results of a new study, sexual activity is very unlikely to result in a sudden cardiac arrest, especially if you are a woman. On the flip side, if you are unlucky enough to experience a not-so-happy ending, your chances of survival are pretty poor.

A lack of CPR from "partners" could be the reason behind the high mortality rate in ...

Health & Wellbeing

Life-saving app gets civilians restarting hearts

Ben Coxworth June 19, 2017

When someone has a cardiac arrest, their chance of survival decreases by 10 percent for every minute that passes before they receive treatment. That's why an app has been created, that finds civilians who are trained in CPR and gets them to the location of cardiac arrest victims.

The First Responder App locates civilians trained in CPR, and directs them to nearby cardiac arrest ...

Drones

Defibrillator drones are four times faster than ambulances

Rich Haridy June 13, 2017

With less than 10 percent of people surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, the time it takes to get a defibrillator to a patient can be the difference between life and death. A new study has shown that a drone can transport a defibrillator over four times more quickly than an ambulance.

A new study has shown that a drone can be dispatched and arrive at the scene ...

Automotive

Toyota investigates heart-monitoring vehicles to prevent accidents

Rich Haridy June 7, 2017

Heart attacks behind the wheel are dangerous not only for the the driver but for everyone else on the road. Toyota has recently joined forces with a team of researchers at the University of Michigan to explore the potential of creating a cardiac monitoring system that could be built into cars.

Toyota is working with the University of Michigan in exploring how cardiac monitoring technology could be ...

Medical

How a 30-year-old drug helps prevent heart-attack damage

Michael Franco April 18, 2017

Much like in the case of strokes, the time immediately after a heart attack provides a critical window in which damage to the body can be minimized. Researchers in Madrid have just figured out how a drug that's been around for decades helps doctors use that time to best advantage.

When it comes to recovering from a heart attack, minutes matter

Medical

Painless light pulses, instead of harsh electric shocks, shown to restore heart rhythms

Michael Irving September 15, 2016

Current treatments for arrhythmia involve administering an intense burst of electricity in times of cardiac arrest, but these pulses are painful and harmful. Now scientists have found that beams of light can restore regular heart function, as a gentle and safe alternative to a harsh electric shock.

Scientists have found, in tests on mice and simulated human hearts, that administering painless pulses of ...

Medical

Freedom Driver allows man with artificial heart to await transplant at home

Nick Lavars January 12, 2015

Traditionally, heart failure patients awaiting organ transplants have been anchored to a hospital bed by a washing machine-sized device that keeps blood pumping through their veins. But for Stan Larkin, a new form of wearable technology called the Freedom Driver is allowing him to keep on the move.

The Freedom Driver fits inside a backpack, and drives compressed air into Stan Larkin's artificial heart ...

Medical

Fraunhofer develops smartwatch-based assistance and home-health monitoring systems

Helen Clark November 9, 2014

Technology clearly has an increasing role to play in improving home care and health monitoring facilities for the elderly. The latest developments from German research group Fraunhofer are a case in point.

This smart watch-like device is designed to assist the elderly with basic tasks like remembering to ...