Echocardiogram News and Research RSS Feed - Echocardiogram News and Research

First Edition: April 8, 2013

First Edition: April 8, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the politics surrounding the Wednesday unveiling of President Barack Obama's budget as well as other news about the health law's implementation. [More]
Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A predicts cardiovascular events: Study

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A predicts cardiovascular events: Study

Higher levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein A were associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events in people with cardiac chest pain that developed as a result of heart disease/coronary artery disease, according to a study published in CMAJ. [More]
Study shows simple blood test may help patients with risks for heart disease

Study shows simple blood test may help patients with risks for heart disease

For at-risk patients, a simple screening and management program can be effective in preventing heart failure, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session. [More]
AHA/ASA identify top cardiovascular and stroke research advances for 2012

AHA/ASA identify top cardiovascular and stroke research advances for 2012

Resuscitation, cell regeneration, a new high blood pressure treatment and developments in devices for treating stroke are among the key scientific findings that make up this year's top cardiovascular and stroke research identified by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. [More]
New survival results from Genentech’s Perjeta Phase III combination study on HER2-positive mBC

New survival results from Genentech’s Perjeta Phase III combination study on HER2-positive mBC

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, today announced updated survival results from the Phase III CLEOPATRA study, which showed that the combination of Perjeta (pertuzumab), Herceptin (trastuzumab) and docetaxel chemotherapy significantly extended the lives (overall survival) of people with previously untreated HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC), compared to Herceptin, chemotherapy and placebo. [More]
Janssen receives positive opinion from EMA CHMP for ZYTIGA to treat mCRPC

Janssen receives positive opinion from EMA CHMP for ZYTIGA to treat mCRPC

Janssen-Cilag International NV (Janssen) announced today that the Committee for Medical Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted a positive opinion recommending approval of the oral, once-daily medication ZYTIGA for use in combination with prednisone or prednisolone in the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), in adult men who are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic after failure of androgen deprivation therapy and in whom chemotherapy is not yet clinically indicated. [More]
Case reports highlight importance of vitamin and mineral supplementation after bariatric surgery

Case reports highlight importance of vitamin and mineral supplementation after bariatric surgery

Non-compliance with vitamin and mineral supplementation protocols after bariatric surgery could lead to nutritional deficiencies and related health complications, such as heart damage, according to two separate case reports unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 77th Annual Scientific meeting in Las Vegas. [More]

Duke researchers develop new 3-D tool for heart surgery

A team of researchers from Duke University speaking at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2012 annual meeting revealed the development of a new 3-D tool that enables trainees in transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to have real-time instruction in obtaining and interpreting high-quality images of the heart and major vessels - and it's all just a finger swipe away on your Apple iPad. [More]
E-cigarettes light up battle against adverse effects of smoking

E-cigarettes light up battle against adverse effects of smoking

The use of electronic cigarettes has no adverse impact on cardiac function, a study suggests. [More]

Catheter ablation for Afib is safe and suppresses arrhythmia recurrences

Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (Afib) is safe and suppresses arrhythmia recurrences in 74% of patients after a single procedure, according to results from the one-year follow-up of the Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Pilot Study, the first European registry to evaluate the real-life epidemiology of catheter ablation for AFib. [More]
Cardiovascular screening with ECG in young athletes is cost effective

Cardiovascular screening with ECG in young athletes is cost effective

Cardiovascular screening with ECG in young athletes is a cost effective way of diagnosing cardiac abnormalities, at just 138 Swiss Francs (about €115) per athlete. The findings were presented today at the ESC Congress 2012 by Dr Andrea Menafoglio from Switzerland. [More]

Screening checks in adolescents with hypertension diverge from guidelines

Guideline-recommended diagnostic tests for hypertension complications, such as echocardiograms and renal ultrasonography, are being poorly used in adolescents, a study suggests. [More]
BCVI introduces comprehensive program for patients with BAV

BCVI introduces comprehensive program for patients with BAV

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) disease is the most common congenital heart defect, occurring in approximately one to two percent of the population. The condition is present when the aortic valve, the valve that connects the heart to the main artery that distributes blood to the body, contains two leaflets instead of three, which open and close to regulate blood flow. As a result, the valve does not function properly, which can cause strain on the heart over time and may lead to serious health complications. [More]

First clinical trial to test cardiac drug regimen for DMD

The first landmark randomized clinical trial for a cardiac drug regimen in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is testing whether earlier treatment can stop or slow down heart damage that usually kills people with the disease. [More]

Physically fit patients with LVH have a significantly lower risk of death

Being physically fit may improve survival rates among diabetes patients with a particular type of heart abnormality, a new study determines. The results will be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston. [More]
Genentech's Perjeta helps people with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer live longer

Genentech's Perjeta helps people with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer live longer

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced today that people with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC) lived significantly longer (overall survival) when treated with the combination of Perjeta (pertuzumab), Herceptin (trastuzumab) and docetaxel chemotherapy, compared to Herceptin and docetaxel chemotherapy alone in the Phase III CLEOPATRA study. [More]

Routine screening with echocardiogram can detect more cases of RHD

Routine screening with echocardiogram can detect three times as many cases of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) as clinical examinations, offering a novel approach in preventing this common disease, according to a new study in Circulation. [More]
Special echocardiograms show promise for early detection of heart disease in RA patients

Special echocardiograms show promise for early detection of heart disease in RA patients

Special echocardiograms show promise for early detection of a potentially deadly complication in rheumatoid arthritis: heart disease, Mayo Clinic research shows. The findings were being presented at The European League Against Rheumatism annual meeting in Berlin. [More]

Study investigates link between BMI and cardiac function in obese adolescents

Obese adolescents with no symptoms of heart disease already have heart damage, according to new research. [More]

Asymptomatic patients can benefit from ExE after coronary revascularization

Asymptomatic patients who undergo treadmill exercise echocardiography (ExE) after coronary revascularization may be identified as being at high risk but those patients do not appear to have more favorable outcomes with repeated revascularization, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication. The article is part of the journal's Less is More series. [More]