University of Michigan Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center

01/22/2026

The ability to quickly move patients from one hospital to another is a key component of treating strokes. But gaps in the national stroke transfer system are drastically reducing the chances that patients receive treatment and increasing the risk of leaving the hospital with a disability.

Researchers say these problems especially affect areas with larger rural populations and those lacking formal stroke systems of care.

Check out this link to learn more about barriers to timely stroke treatment and potential solutions: https://michmed.org/qNM27

[📸 Getty Images]

01/19/2026

Through a statewide partnership, hospitals in Michigan drastically increased the number of patients who receive follow up imaging after undergoing aortic aneurysm repair — from nearly 28% in 2017 to just below 80% in 2023, according to a recent study.

"We saw sweeping improvements in surveillance imaging that will allow clinicians to detect early problems that can lead to device failure or future, threatening complications such as aortic rupture," said Dr. Frank Davis, lead author and vascular surgeon at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center.

Read more: https://michmed.org/3GeWR

[📸 Getty Images]

01/15/2026

Cheers to the teams in our Cardiovascular Network of West Michigan for completing 500 open-heart surgeries. This collaboration creates more access to complex, comprehensive cardiac surgery for people across West Michigan. Here's to the next 500!

Congratulations to the Cardiovascular Network of West Michigan on recently caring for its 500th open-heart surgery patient.

This milestone shows the strength of partnership between UM Health-West, Trinity Health MI in Grand Rapids and Muskegon, the University of Michigan Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center and our cardiovascular surgeons, nurses and care teams.

Patient outcomes across the Network continue to exceed national benchmarks, bringing advanced heart care closer to home for West Michigan families. We are proud of the team and the patients who place their trust in us every day.

01/12/2026

Our teams in 2026: 🔒in

01/09/2026

Weight loss drugs are becoming more accessible and affordable. Should heart patients take them? Dr. Eric Brandt, Director of Preventive Cardiology at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center, answers key questions.

Read more: https://michmed.org/vkVbZ

01/06/2026

"The results further solidify the risk COVID-19 poses for pregnant patients.

Not only may they experience increased respiratory distress, but they also face greater rates of unique, cardiovascular pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia, peripartum cardiomyopathy and spontaneous coronary dissections."

Check out this story, which features an adjunct professor of cardiology and the co-directors of the U-M Health Cardio-Obstetrics Program⬇️

When hospitalized for COVID-19, pregnant women — and their eventual newborn children — have a higher risk of complications, according to a Michigan Medicine study.

Experts say COVID-19 vaccination "in research and in practice" provides some protection against poor maternal and fetal outcomes.

Read more: https://michmed.org/3G289

[📸 Getty Images]

01/02/2026

Our most-read story of 2025: why va**ng is bad for the heart.

More than 6,000 v**e products are available in the United States, yet research into them is relatively new. Dr. Geoffrey Williams from the Frankel CVC talks about e-cigarettes, how va**ng affects the cardiovascular system and your overall health.

Full story: https://michmed.org/PYJD9

[📸 Getty Images]

01/01/2026

Happy New Year!

Our second most-read story of the year covered congestive heart failure. In this piece, cardiologist and advanced heart failure specialist Dr. Abbas Bitar explains its causes, symptoms and treatments.

Read more: https://michmed.org/VngPY

12/31/2025

As we begin the new year, we are reflecting on some of our most popular stories from 2025!

Our third most-read story was about a unique potential drug to treat atherosclerosis, a leading driver of global cardiovascular death.

The compound, developed at Michigan Medicine, limited the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in both the aorta and coronary arteries of nonhuman primates. The results bring hope for clinical trials and the potential to treat a root cause of major cardiovascular events.

Read more: https://michmed.org/WXyqM

[📸 Getty Images]

12/23/2025

Happy Holidays from all of us at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center. We wish you a healthy, safe and meaningful season — and a wonderful start to 2026!

12/19/2025

Hundreds of thousands of Americans experience cardiac arrest each year, with nearly three quarters of cases occurring in the home.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, known more commonly as CPR, must be started immediately to improve a person's chance at survival.

A cardiologist and emergency physician answer key questions: https://michmed.org/yqxB3

12/16/2025

Doctors may soon be able to diagnose coronary microvascular dysfunction, an elusive form of heart disease, within seconds by using an AI model developed at Michigan Medicine.

In a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine AI, the prediction tool significantly outperformed earlier AI models in nearly every diagnostic task.

"Our model creates a way for clinicians to accurately identify a condition that is notoriously hard to diagnose — and often missed in emergency department visits — using a 10-second EKG strip,” senior author Dr. Venkatesh Murthy said.

Read more: https://michmed.org/KDMNM

[📸 Getty Images]