News

Richard Nolan, a 74-year-old from Kansas City, Missouri, is a longtime patient at Saint Luke’s Cardiovascular Consultants. Over the years, he has been treated for claudication, a painful condition caused by reduced blood flow to the calf muscles during exercise. But when his symptoms worsened in July 2025, he was scheduled for surgery at Saint Luke’s East Hospital.

Janette Platter is the community chaplain at Saint Luke’s Bishop Spencer Place, a vibrant senior living community just steps from the Country Club Plaza. But in early 2025, she was just another mom seeking the very best care for her child. Fortunately, she knew it wasn’t too far away.

Kirsti Millar, a 35-year-old of Kansas City, was 23 weeks pregnant with her second child in early 2023 when her water suddenly broke. What should have been a season of joy and anticipation became a medical emergency.

The same genes that predispose humans to atherosclerosis, the disease that causes heart attacks and strokes, may have advantages earlier in life, new findings published in the American Heart Association’s scientific journal Circulation suggest.

Many are familiar with the Mediterranean diet, which focuses on plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, seeds and nuts, plus the liberal use of extra virgin olive oil.

At 66, Craig has spent half his life with coronary heart disease (CAD). His first heart attack occurred in his early 30s, and he has since had two bypass surgeries and 30-plus coronary stent placements to keep his heart healthy.

Born with congenital heart disease, 41-year-old Christin Murphy has undergone three heart surgeries to repair pulmonary valves. They have been tough to get through, but Murphy says this latest one at Saint Luke’s changed her outlook.

To combat rising maternal mortality, researchers at Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute and UMKC are leading a first of its kind study to create better care for moms with heart conditions during pregnancy.

The NIH awarded more than $8.3 million to study 1,000 pregnant individuals with heart conditions in an effort to combat maternal mortality and morbidity.