Heart stem cells are in demand because damaged hearts have difficulty repairing themselves. Now researchers have identified a pool of heart stem cells capable of expanding and forming several cell types, including bone.

Race may play a role in determining which patients are more likely to need repeated procedures to widen narrowed arteries caused by coronary artery disease.

Physical or sexual abuse can leave lingering emotional scars on young girls. Such abuse also may affect them physically -- increasing their risk for heart disease, including heart attacks and strokes, once they become adults.

Less than 10 percent of heart attack patients requiring a life-saving emergency procedure are being transferred to larger hospitals within the recommended 30 minutes.

There may be no way to predict when a heart attack will strike, but new research suggests that the day of day may indicate the severity. Late night heart attacks appear to be most devastating.

For years, the health care community has agreed that people at risk of heart disease should lower their salt intake. Now, it seems that too little salt may be just as harmful as too much salt.

High salt consumption has long been associated with heart disease including hypertension, stroke and heart attack. Low levels of sodium also may negatively impact cardiovascular health.

A drug that aids patients with intermittent atrial fibrillation, a common heart arrhythmia, increased the risk of death among patients with permanent atrial fibrillation. As a result the study was halted early.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials have announced that cholesterol-lowering drug fenofibric acid (Trilipix) might not lower a patient's risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

Kidney disease patients face a high risk of heart-related events like stroke. As such, patients need ways to protect against potentially deadly problems. Now, health advisors are backing a drug that does just that.