Heart Defect News and Research

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First Edition: January 19, 2010

All eyes appear to be watching today's special election in Massachusetts to fill the seat of the late Senator Edward Kennedy. The outcome there could have a significant impact on what happens next in Washington regarding the Democrats' health overhaul.

19 Jan 2010

Open heart surgery without any blood transfusion on a 2-year-old with complex blue baby syndrome

A team of cardiac experts led by Dr. N S Devananda, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, Wockhardt Hospitals, Bangalore (Now a Network Hospital of Fortis) has performed a major open heart surgery on a 2-year-old baby from Nigeria. Baby Brendan was suffering from congenital heart defect called - Tetralogy of Fallot or complex blue baby syndrome.

19 Jan 2010

Scientists go beyond single-gene models to probe inborn heart defects

Studying genes that regulate early heart development in animals, scientists have solved a puzzle about one gene's role, finding that it acts in concert with a related gene. Their finding contributes to understanding how the earliest stages of heart development may go awry, resulting in congenital heart defects in humans.

12 Jan 2010

U-M Congenital Heart Center invites parents to submit queries on heart defect surgeries

The public, including parents of babies with severe heart defects, are invited to submit questions for inclusion in a tweet chat about surgical approaches for heart defects from noon-2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20 on Twitter.

12 Jan 2010

For pregnant African tourist, U.S. health care system comes through

Kaiser Health News, in collaboration with The Washington Post, reports about Jeanne d'Arc Kayembe, an African tourist who came to Washington in May 2007 on what was meant to be a month-long respite from an abusive boyfriend and a chance to visit relatives before going home. But sharp pains signaled trouble with her pregnancy and she eventually delivered her son here.

6 Jan 2010

Sharing Miracles: A TV program that features inspirational stories of real patients

Major League Baseball slugger Aaron Boone will be featured on January's episode of Sharing Miracles - a 30-minute public affairs television program that tells the compelling and inspirational stories of real patients. Sharing Miracles airs every week on more than 300 television stations nationwide.

31 Dec 2009

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia SDU delivers babies prenatally diagnosed with complex birth defects

More than 240 babies born in 2009 in the Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit (SDU) at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia are ringing in 2010 with their joyful families. Families from 24 states traveled to Children's Hospital for expert prenatal, delivery and postnatal care for their babies.

30 Dec 2009

NHLBI grant for identifying genetic and epigenetic causes of human congenital heart disease

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and Brigham and Women's Hospital have received funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to support their search for undiscovered gene defects that cause congenital heart disease. The $4.19 million, 6-year grant is part of the Pediatric Cardiac Genomics Consortium (PCGC), which seeks to identify genetic and epigenetic causes of human congenital heart disease, and relate genetic variants present in the congenital heart disease patient population to clinical outcomes.

23 Dec 2009

Landmark study provides new insight into congenital heart defects

Researchers from the UC San Diego, School of Medicine and colleagues have identified a new gene, ETS-1, that is linked to human congenital heart defects. The landmark study, recently published online in the journal of Human Molecular Genetics, provides important insights into some of the most prevalent forms of congenital heart defects in humans, including ventricular septal defects and potentially hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a uniformly fatal heart abnormality.

18 Dec 2009

Embryonic signalling pathways suggest a new therapeutic approach to recover from heart attack

Almost a century after it was discovered in fruit flies with notches in their wings, the Notch signalling pathway may come to play an important role in the recovery from heart attacks. In a study published today in Circulation Research, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Monterotondo, Italy, are the first to prove that this signalling pathway targets heart muscle cells and thus reveal its crucial role in heart development and repair

10 Dec 2009

Medical negligence: $22.3M for loss of left leg

A Cook County jury late yesterday awarded the parents of a now ten-year-old boy with a $22.3 million verdict in a medical negligence case arising out of the care and treatment on May 29, 1999 at Advocate Christ Medical Center/Hope Children's Hospital, in the Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn, which resulted in the loss of the boy's left leg.

25 Nov 2009

New computational tool may aid surgeons plan for life-saving pediatric operation

A team of researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Stanford University has developed a way to simulate blood flow on the computer to optimize surgical designs. It is the basis of a new tool that may help surgeons plan for a life-saving operation called the "Fontan" surgery, which is performed on babies born with severe congenital heart defects.

24 Nov 2009

Human-derived UCB stem cell transplant has positive therapeutic effects on specific lung and heart disorders

Two separate studies published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation (18:8), - now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct - have shown that transplanted human-derived umbilical cord blood (UCB) stem cells transplanted in an animal model had positive therapeutic effects on specific lung and heart disorders the animal models.

24 Nov 2009

NHLBI-supported research shares new strategies on hypertension, heart defect and air pollution

New education strategies for better controlling hypertension and research suggesting a possible link between short-term and long-term exposure to air pollution and increased risk of constricted blood vessels are among the research highlights from studies supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the American Heart Association's 2009 Scientific Sessions in Orlando held Nov. 14-18.

20 Nov 2009

Sildenafil drug improves cardiac performance in young adults with congenital heart disease

Heart function significantly improved in children and young adults with single-ventricle congenital heart disease who have had the Fontan operation following treatment with sildenafil, a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension, say researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

19 Nov 2009

Developmental biologists to participate in $100 million federal 'Bench to Bassinet' network

Developmental biologists at the University of Pittsburgh have been chosen to participate in a $100 million federal "Bench to Bassinet" network that is dedicated to learning about the formation of the cardiovascular system and applying that knowledge to create new diagnostic and intervention strategies for congenital heart disease.

18 Nov 2009

Sildenafil improves heart function in youngsters with single ventricle congenital heart disease

Heart function significantly improved in children and young adults with single ventricle congenital heart disease who have had the Fontan operation following treatment with sildenafil, a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension, say researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

18 Nov 2009

New shunt procedure may save infants with underdeveloped heart

Infants born with a severely underdeveloped heart are more likely to survive to their first birthday when treated with a new shunt procedure - yet it may not be the safest surgery long term, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009.

16 Nov 2009

Just one test not enough to detect heart defects in young athletes

To best detect early signs of life-threatening heart defects in young athletes, screening programs should include both popular diagnostic tests, not just one of them, according to new research from heart experts at Johns Hopkins.