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.

Connection between heart disease and cancer treatment

Advances in cancer treatment have resulted in a growing number of cancer survivors. However, powerful treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation treatments and some cancer drugs are not without their risks, including the potential for serious, long-term damage to the heart.

24 Feb 2018

Cell therapy for heart disease caused by muscular dystrophy also improves limb strength, study shows

Injections of cardiac progenitor cells help reverse the fatal heart disease caused by Duchenne muscular dystrophy and also lead to improved limb strength and movement ability, a new study shows.

23 Feb 2018

Beetroot juice supplements may benefit patients with heart failure

Beetroot juice supplements may help enhance exercise capacity in patients with heart failure, according to a new proof-of-concept study. Exercise capacity is a key factor linked to these patients' quality of life and even survival.

22 Feb 2018

Non-adherence to sleep apnea treatment linked to increased hospital readmissions

A study of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) suggests that non-adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is significantly associated with increased 30-day hospital readmissions.

22 Feb 2018

Portable ultrasound can help better detect fluid in the lungs of patients with end-stage kidney disease

A portable ultrasound can help nephrologists better detect fluid in the lungs of patients with end-stage kidney disease, according to a study by physicians at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.

22 Feb 2018

Catheter-based procedure increases treatment options for mitral valve disease

Some heart patients haven't yet been able to access the growing trend toward minimally invasive procedures. A new clinical trial, though, makes a form of mitral valve repair an option without an open-heart surgery.

22 Feb 2018

Scientists discover new treatment approach to curb severe myocarditis

The outcome of viral myocarditis is closely associated with the immune response of the affected individual. An inhibitor of the immunoproteasome, a protein degradation complex in immunocompetent cells, reduces the extent of the inflammation and thus also the damage to the heart during myocarditis.

22 Feb 2018

Treating sleep-disordered breathing may improve prognosis of heart failure patients

Severe sleep-disordered breathing is linked with stiffening of the arteries’ walls and may be related to the development of heart failure, according to a recent study in ESC Heart Failure, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology.

21 Feb 2018

Bioactive compound limits collateral damage in the kidneys after heart attack

A heart attack triggers an acute inflammatory response at the damaged portion of the heart's left ventricle. If this acute inflammation lingers, it can lead to stretching of the ventricle and heart failure. The inflammation can claim another victim -- the kidneys.

21 Feb 2018

Gout medication may help improve heart function in adult patients

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine have shown that probenecid, a drug long used to treat gout, may be able to improve heart function in adult patients who experience heart failure.

20 Feb 2018

Women with type 1 diabetes not protected against coronary artery disease

Constrictions of the coronary blood vessels is a possible consequence of type 1 diabetes, and one that can eventually lead to myocardial infarction or heart failure.

20 Feb 2018

Study finds higher risk of stroke among blacks with atrial fibrillation than whites

Blacks have a higher incidence of stroke and stroke-associated disability than whites. However, few studies have evaluated racial differences in stroke before a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF).

20 Feb 2018

Heart attack symptoms often missed in women

A new study has shown that symptoms of heart attack may often be missed among women aged 55 years or less as these symptoms may be less common than the traditional chest pains.

19 Feb 2018

UTA professor wins grant to study link between fat storage in the heart and cardiovascular disease

Michael Nelson, assistant professor of kinesiology at The University of Texas at Arlington, has received a new five-year, $3.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the link between fat storage in the heart and cardiovascular disease, as well as the influence of gender on the development of cardiac dysfunction.

15 Feb 2018

MGH researchers discover that macrophages contribute to untreatable type of heart failure

A team of Massachusetts General Hospital investigators has discovered, for the first time, that the immune cells called macrophages contribute to a type of heart failure for which there currently is no effective treatment.

14 Feb 2018

The training of Dr. Robot: Data wave hits medical care

The technology used by Facebook, Google and Amazon to turn spoken language into text, recognize faces and target advertising could help doctors combat one of the deadliest killers in American hospitals.

14 Feb 2018

Participation of family members in basic care enhances healing of hospitalized patients

A voluntary program being spearheaded by Intermountain Healthcare that allows family members of hospitalized patients to participate in their care enhanced healing and reduced readmission rates, according to a new study published in the February issue of the medical journal, CHEST.

13 Feb 2018