Top five habits that harm the heart

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Plavix: What you need to know

Holmes DR, Jr., Dehmer GJ, Kaul S, Leifer D, O'Gara PT, Stein CM. ACCF/AHA clopidogrel clinical alert. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2010; 56:321-41.

Tiny pumps can help when heart failure advances

Click here to see a video of how a left ventricular assist device works.

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Slaughter MS, Rogers JG, Milano CA, et al. Advanced heart failure treated with continuous-flow left ventricular assist device. New England Journal of Medicine 2009; 361:2241-51.

Fang JC. Rise of the machines--left ventricular assist devices as permanent therapy for advanced heart failure. New England Journal of Medicine 2009; 361:2282-5.

Baughman KL, Jarcho JA. Bridge to life--cardiac mechanical support. New England Journal of Medicine 2007; 357:846-9.

Squeezing the arm to protect the heart

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Exercise at rest — no longer an oxymoron?

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Nanoburrs seek, heal injury in artery

Chan JM, Zhang L, Tong R, et al. Spatiotemporal controlled delivery of nanoparticles to injured vasculature. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2010; 107:2213-8.

A pacemaker to lower blood pressure

Scheffers IJ, Kroon AA, Schmidli J, et al. Novel baroreflex activation therapy in resistant hypertension: results of a European multi-center feasibility study. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2010; 56:1254-8.

An ICD that works without wires

Bardy GH, Smith WM, Hood MA, et al. An entirely subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. New England Journal of Medicine 2010; 363:36-44.

Removing fat makes HDL ("good cholesterol") even better

Waksman R, Torguson R, Kent KM, et al. A first-in-man, randomized, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the safety and feasibility of autologous delipidated high-density lipoprotein plasma infusions in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2010; 55:2727-35.