Heart Defect News and Research

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AGA Medical Holdings files patent infringement lawsuit against Gore

AGA Medical Holdings, Inc. today announced that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against W.L. Gore & Associates (Gore). AGA Medical is alleging that Gore is infringing AGA Medical's U.S. Patent No. 5,994,738 which covers certain transcatheter occlusion products for the treatment of structural heart defects.

25 Aug 2010

Zebrafish-yeast approach for studying copper deficiency, complex multifactorial diseases

Copper deficiency diseases can be devastating. Symptoms can range from crippling neurological degeneration in Menkes disease ,a classic copper deficiency disease to brittle bones, anaemia and defective skin pigmentation in gastric bypass patients. Unfortunately, very little is known about how the body uses this essential nutrient. Knowing that melanocytes (the cells that give rise to hair, skin and eye pigmentation) are dramatically affected by the effects of copper deficiency, Elizabeth Patton from the University of Edinburgh, UK, and other colleagues from UK and US based labs decided to find out how melanocytes metabolise copper.

17 Aug 2010

Spinal muscular atrophy may lead to cardiac dysfunction: Study

Along with skeletal muscles, it may be important to monitor heart function in patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). These are the findings from a study conducted by Nationwide Children's Hospital and published online ahead of print in Human Molecular Genetics. This is the first study to report cardiac dysfunction in mouse models of SMA.

11 Aug 2010

CryoPatch SG pulmonary human cardiac patch receives FDA clearance for 5-year shelf-life extension

CryoLife, Inc., an implantable biological medical device and cardiovascular tissue processing company, today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a five-year shelf-life on its CryoPatch® SG pulmonary human cardiac patch processed with the Company's proprietary SynerGraft® technology. CryoLife's SynerGraft technology is designed to remove allogeneic donor cells and cellular remnants from tissue without compromising the integrity of the underlying collagen matrix.

9 Aug 2010

AGA Medical second-quarter 2010 net sales increase 7.6% to $53.8 million

AGA Medical Holdings, Inc., a leading developer of interventional medical devices for the minimally invasive treatment of structural heart defects and vascular abnormalities, today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

3 Aug 2010

Thymosin beta 4 is essential to healthy heart development, embryonic survival: Research

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that a research team from the Molecular Medicine Unit at UCL-Institute of Child Health in London reported preclinical findings that Thymosin beta 4, is essential to healthy heart development and embryonic survival.

2 Aug 2010

Genetics research team discovers new recurrent translocations

A genetics research team based at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia continues to discover recurrent translocations—places in which two chromosomes exchange pieces of themselves. As many as 1 in 600 persons carry balanced chromosome translocations, which involve no loss or gain of DNA. Most such people appear healthy, but may have a child with abnormal chromosome composition and disabilities resulting from disrupted, extra or missing copies of genes.

30 Jul 2010

Report on neuropsychological effects after surgery for acyanotic heart defects

School-aged children who undergo cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) during surgery for less complicated congenital heart defects do not appear to suffer any impairments in neurocognitive abilities, such as intelligence, memory, motor skills and behavior.

26 Jul 2010

Essential nutrient in eggs may reduce risk of infant heart defects

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a choline-deficient diet is associated with increased risk for heart defects during prenatal development. Choline is an essential nutrient required for normal cell activity, healthy brain and nerve function, liver metabolism and transportation of nutrients throughout the body.

16 Jul 2010

BioSTAR biodegradable implant achieves comparable closure rates to Amplatzer ASO

A novel study by Canadian physicians reported that the BioSTARTM biodegradable implant achieved comparable closure rates to the Amplatzer Septal OccluderTM (ASO) in children with atrial septal defect (ASD). The BioSTAR device displayed successful outcomes, while avoiding issues associated with implants containing substantial amounts of metal.

16 Jul 2010

Gore provides update on REDUCE Clinical Study of HELEX Septal Occluder for PFO closure

W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore) today provided an update on the Gore REDUCE Clinical Study, a prospective, randomized, multi-center, multi-national trial designed to demonstrate safety and effectiveness of the GORE HELEX Septal Occluder for Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) closure in patients with history of cryptogenic stroke or imaging-confirmed Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA). The unique study, which includes up to fifty investigational sites in the U.S., Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, is on track to meet its estimated completion in 2015.

9 Jul 2010

Study shows gene-environment interaction in congenital heart disease

A pregnant mother's diet may be able to interact with the genes her unborn child inherits and influence the type or severity of birth defect according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust and the British Heart Foundation. The study, published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics, suggests that mothers who eat a high fat diet before and through pregnancy could be inadvertently putting the health of their offspring at risk.

7 Jul 2010

Researchers identify gene abnormality for most common congenital birth defect, clubfoot

Although clubfoot is one of the most common congenital birth defects, few genetic causes have been found. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found what they believe to be the most common cause of inherited clubfoot yet discovered.

2 Jul 2010

Düsseldorf court awards AGA Medical €2.1 million in Occlutech patent infringement case

AGA Medical Holdings, Inc. today announced the Düsseldorf Regional Court has awarded €2.1 million in damages to AGA Medical as a result of a patent infringement case filed by AGA Medical against Occlutech GmbH (Occlutech), based in Jena, Germany. AGA Medical is a leading developer of interventional devices for the minimally invasive treatment of structural heart defects and vascular abnormalities.

1 Jul 2010

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia first in region to implant transcatheter pulmonary heart valves

Signaling a new frontier in the treatment of congenital heart disease (CHD), The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is the first hospital in our region to implant transcatheter pulmonary heart valves in children with heart defects. This minimally invasive procedure gives patients a non-surgical option in their ongoing treatment.

18 Jun 2010

First hospital in Mexico to use GORE HELEX Septal Occluder for transcatheter closure of ASD

W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore) today announced that Instituto Nacional De Cardiologia in Mexico City, Mexico, is the first hospital in the country to use the GORE® HELEX Septal Occluder for the transcatheter closure of an atrial septal defect (ASD). Department Chief, Dr. Carlos Zabal and Dr. Jose Garcia Montes of the Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia, in Mexico City, achieved the milestone procedure in March, 2010.

14 Jun 2010

FDA grants CryoLife 510(k) clearance for shelf-life extension of CryoValve SG pulmonary heart valve

CryoLife, Inc., a biomaterials, medical device and tissue processing company, today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a five-year shelf-life on its CryoValve® SG pulmonary human heart valve processed with the Company's proprietary SynerGraft® technology.

8 Jun 2010

New surgical procedure improves survival in infants with severely underdeveloped hearts

Pediatric researchers report that a recently introduced surgical procedure offers infants with severely underdeveloped hearts a better chance at surviving during their first year of life in comparison to the standard surgery.

28 May 2010

Usage of shunts to direct blood flow to lungs can help kids born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome

A trial on shunts used to direct blood flow to the lungs, led by researchers at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, will lead to better outcomes for kids worldwide born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the most common severe heart birth defect.

27 May 2010

Largest clinical trial to compare surgical treatments for congenital heart disease