Heart Failure News and Research

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Heart failure (HF) is a condition in which a problem with the structure or function of the heart impairs its ability to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the body's needs. It should not be confused with cardiac arrest or myocardial infarction.

Cambridge Heart enters agreement with EO Medical for MTWA technology

Cambridge Heart, Inc., a developer of non-invasive diagnostic tests for cardiac disease, today announced that it has executed an exclusive agreement with EO Medical Pte Ltd to distribute its HearTwave II System and proprietary Microvolt T-Wave Alternans (MTWA) software and Micro-V Alternans Sensors in Singapore upon regulatory approval.

22 Sep 2011

Poor neighborhoods linked to higher risk of out-of-hospital cardiac deaths

People living in poor neighborhoods are at higher risk of dying of heart disease outside a hospital than are people who live in wealthier neighborhoods, research suggests.

21 Sep 2011

Risk factors for variety of complications following spine surgery

In the last 20 years, due to diagnostic and surgical advances, more and more patients have become appropriate candidates for spine surgery, and the number of these procedures performed has risen significantly. While medical experts acknowledge the potential benefits of spine surgery, they also understand that complications can reduce the success in the short and long term.

21 Sep 2011

U-M Professor to review data from three prominent studies on heart failure

Roughly 5 million people in the United States live with heart failure, a condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood around the body effectively. The causes and types of heart failure vary greatly, and treatment must be tailored to each patient. In some cases, doctors will prescribe a class of diuretic drugs called aldosterone antagonists.

20 Sep 2011

Enrollment commences in MINI-AMI study of Impella in STEMI patients

Abiomed, Inc., a leading provider of breakthrough heart support technologies, today announced the first patient enrolled in MINI-AMI, an FDA prospective, randomized, controlled multi-center study to assess the role of 24-hours of direct unloading of the left ventricle with Impella 2.5 support to reduce infarct size in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) without cardiogenic shock.

19 Sep 2011

NeuroVive, Selcia sign research collaboration agreement to develop new mitochondrial drugs

UK-based contract research organisation Selcia Limited and Swedish drug development company NeuroVive Pharmaceutical AB have signed a significant research collaboration agreement to develop new medicines and drug compounds targeting mitochondrial physiology and pathophysiology.

19 Sep 2011

HFSA scientific meeting to discuss long-term management care for LVAD patients

The 15th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) will feature a discussion by Laura Coyle, ACNP, on strategies for caring for LVAD patients in an outpatient setting entitled "Long-Term Management: Caring for Patients to Keep Them at Home."

19 Sep 2011

Research roundup: Personalized info helps consumer decision-making; Racial disparities in knee replacement

Comparison Friction: Experimental Evidence From Medicare Drug Plans – Defining comparison friction as "the wedge between the availability of comparative information and consumers' use of it," the authors determined that providing prescription drug pricing information, even though it was free and accessible in other ways, increased the amount of "plan-switching" in the group to 28 percent compared to 17 percent in another that did not get the individual information.

17 Sep 2011

Estrogen therapy can reverse progression of pulmonary hypertension

UCLA researchers have found that the hormone estrogen may help reverse advanced pulmonary hypertension, a rare and serious condition that affects 2 to 3 million individuals in the U.S., mostly women, and can lead to heart failure.

16 Sep 2011

St. Jude Medical to again participate in Asia-Pacific Heart Rhythm Society Scientific Session

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, is pleased to again participate in the Asia-Pacific Heart Rhythm Society Scientific Session (APHRS), which is being held this year in conjunction with the Japanese Heart Rhythm Society (JHRS) and the Japanese Society of Electrocardiology (JSE) in Fukuoka, Japan.

16 Sep 2011

Synthon announces European approvals for Eplerenone

Synthon has successfully concluded multiple registration procedures for the cardiovascular drug Eplerenone. Synthon has obtained regulatory clearance for the product in nine European countries, for both 25 and 50 mg film coated tablets.

15 Sep 2011

Loyola tests new pressure-sensing catheter to treat atrial fibrillation

Loyola University Medical Center is testing a high-tech catheter device that's intended to improve outcomes of patients treated for atrial fibrillation, the most common irregular heartbeat.

15 Sep 2011

Heart specialists reveal how pacemaker works at the biological level

Heart specialists at Johns Hopkins have figured out how a widely used pacemaker for heart failure, which makes both sides of the heart beat together to pump effectively, works at the biological level.

15 Sep 2011

Study determines incidence of aortic complications in BAV and general population

While the incidence of the life-threatening condition of aortic dissection is significantly higher than in the general population, it remains low among patients with the congenital heart defect, bicuspid aortic valve; however, the incidence of aortic aneurysms is significantly high, according to a study in the September 14 issue of JAMA.

14 Sep 2011

Miracor closes first round of Series B financing

Miracor Medical Systems GmbH, a private Austrian medical device company, announced today that the company has secured €7M/$10M in the first closing of the Series B financing round.

14 Sep 2011

New data from Pfizer's investigational oncology compounds to be presented at EMCC 2011

Pfizer Oncology announced today that data evaluating crizotinib in anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as well as data from Pfizer's renal cell carcinoma (RCC) portfolio on axitinib, an investigational compound, and SUTENT(sunitinib malate) will be presented at the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress in Stockholm, Sweden, September 23 - 27, 2011.

14 Sep 2011

Data on veterans affairs hospitals shows high rates of readmissions

The Veterans Health Administration, the largest integrated health care system in the country, has long employed many of the approaches Medicare is pushing on all hospitals to reduce unnecessary readmissions. But new data show VA hospital patients are just as likely to end up back in a hospital bed as are patients at private hospitals.

13 Sep 2011