Here are four recent heart transplant updates and firsts:

Surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital recently performed the organization's first heart transplant without the use of outside blood products, the Boston hospital said April 20.

Stanford (Calif.) Medicine surgeons are the first to transplant a beating heart into a patient.

Elias Saadi, MD, a renowned Ohio cardiologist, died April 17 at age 90, The Vindicator reported.

People infected with influenza are six times more likely to have a heart attack within the first week of illness, and a recent study may have identified why, according to an article on Minneapolis-based University of Minnesota's website.

Researchers at Evanston, Ill.-based Northwestern University and University of Texas at Austin have developed the thinnest known cardiac implant: a graphene "tattoo" implant that functions as a pacemaker.

The American Heart Association is calling on physicians to change the way they screen women for heart disease.

Here are 10 recent firsts in cardiology:

A recent study found that wireless pacemakers could be an effective and safe short-term treatment for children with slow heartbeats, U.S. News & World Report reported April 11.

Middletown, N.Y.-based Garnet Health's Peter Frommer, MD, Heart Center launched an open-heart surgery program.

A 102-year-old woman in Israel is the oldest known person to receive a cardiac pacemaker, The Jerusalem Post reported April 9.

A recent study found cardiologists agree more with an artificial intelligence-guided assessment of echocardiogram images than sonographers'.

Hackensack (N.J.) University Medical Center joined a trial to test the benefits of transcarotid artery revascularization in patients with an average surgical risk.

Dallas-based UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers found a video on implantable cardioverter-defibrillators can help patients understand their options but did not impact their willingness to accept treatment.

The American Heart Association released guidelines on how to determine and communicate cardiovascular disease risk after genetic testing shows gene variants.

Shirlene Obuobi, MD, a cardiologist, cartoonist and author, uses art and writing to build empathy and connect between patients and healthcare workers, The Washington Post reported March 31.

Researchers at Los Angeles-based Smidt Heart Institute found the shape of a patient's heart can indicate risk of disease.

The American College of Surgeons and the Society for Vascular Surgery launched a national quality verification program for vascular surgical and interventional care in an inpatient setting.

Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute opened the region's first women's cardiovascular health center.

A new study is debunking the "obesity paradox" and found better measures than body mass index to determine heart failure in overweight patients, Science Daily reported March 22.