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Benznidazole has significant antiparasitic activity, but does not reduce progression of Chagas cardiomyopathy

A 40 to 80 day treatment with the antiparasitic medication benznidazole significantly reduced parasite activity in the blood, but not progression, of serious heart problems over a 5-year period among patients with established Chagas disease (CD) cardiomyopathy, results of the BENEFIT trial show.

1 Sep 2015

Leadless cardiac pacemakers could overcome complications of conventional transvenous pacemakers

A leadless cardiac pacemaker showed "good safety and reliable function" during the initial six months of follow-up in the LEADLESS II study, investigators reported during a Hot Line presentation at the ESC congress 2015.

31 Aug 2015

Children's Hospital Los Angeles successfully implants Melody Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve in child actor

Cardiologists from Children's Hospital Los Angeles successfully implanted a Melody Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve in child actor Max Page, the boy who made headlines playing mini Darth Vader in a 2011 Super Bowl ad for Volkswagen.

28 Aug 2015

Urologists report success in treating bladder issues, pelvic pain through neuromodulation technique

Millions of people suffer from bladder dysfunction, including about 30 million in the U.S. One in seven women experience chronic pelvic pain. These are not only health issues, but quality of life issues.

18 Aug 2015

Orlando Health Heart Institute first in Central Florida to use CoreValve Evolut R System to replace heart valves

Leading edge heart valve technology is helping improve patient outcomes and giving doctors greater accuracy when implanting replacement valves. Interventional cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons at the Orlando Health Heart Institute are the first in Central Florida to use the newly approved recapturable, self-expanding CoreValve Evolut R System.

12 Aug 2015

One in four people with implanted defibrillators experiences improvements in heart function

A Johns Hopkins-led study of outcomes among 1,200 people with implanted defibrillators -- devices intended to prevent sudden cardiac death from abnormal heart rhythms -- shows that within a few years of implantation, one in four experienced improvements in heart function substantial enough to put them over the clinical threshold that qualified them to get a defibrillator in the first place.

28 Jul 2015

Kalorama's new report on global advanced patient monitoring market

According to Kalorama Information, the global advanced patient monitoring market is currently worth about $31.4 billion, inclusive of devices, peripherals, software, packaged services and other applications. The market has benefited from the demand to move to a more wireless and streamlined operation both within major health facilities and in the home treatment markets.

16 Jul 2015

EnteroMedics prices previously announced public offering of 32,000,000 units

EnteroMedics Inc., a developer and manufacturer of devices that use neuroblocking technology to treat obesity, metabolic diseases, and other gastrointestinal disorders, announced the pricing of its previously announced public offering of 32,000,000 units.

7 Jul 2015

EnteroMedics announces pricing of previously announced public offering of common stock

30 Jun 2015

Israeli researchers establish novel optogenetic method for cardiac pacing and resynchronization

Israeli researchers have successfully established a new approach for pacing the heart and synchronizing its mechanical activity without the use of a conventional electrical pacemaker. This novel biologic strategy employs light-sensitive genes that can be injected into the heart and then activated by flashes of blue light.

23 Jun 2015

UCSF researchers propose systematic methods to determine causes of death in patients with CIEDs

The current monitoring of patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) such as pacemakers and defibrillators may be underestimating device problems, according to UC San Francisco researchers who propose systematic methods to determine accurate causes of sudden death in those with CIEDs as well as improved monitoring for device concerns.

23 Jun 2015

Research: Patients test drive pacemaker outside the skin before deciding on permanent implant

Patients are test driving a pacemaker outside the skin before deciding whether to have a permanent implant, reveals novel research presented today at EHRA EUROPACE - CARDIOSTIM 2015 by Professor Michael Giudici, director of arrhythmia services in the Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, US.

22 Jun 2015

Cardiac device wearers ought to keep safe distance from smartphones to prevent unwanted painful shocks

Cardiac device wearers should keep a safe distance from smartphones to avoid unwanted painful shocks or pauses in function, reveals research presented today at EHRA EUROPACE -- CARDIOSTIM 2015 by Dr. Carsten Lennerz, first author and cardiology resident in the Clinic for Heart and Circulatory Diseases, German Heart Centre, Munich, Germany.

22 Jun 2015

New noninvasive brain stimulator may help tamp down Parkinson's symptoms at home

Parkinson's disease patients whose symptoms such as tremor, muscle stiffness and slowed movement make it tough to hold an eating utensil steady have few options for relief outside of a hospital or clinic. Medication can help, but over time it tends to become less effective.

12 Jun 2015

Recent CE Mark approvals expand St. Jude Medical’s MRI-compatible device portfolio in Europe

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced CE Mark approval of expanded labelling for its Ellipse implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), in addition to its Durata and Optisure defibrillation leads, allowing existing or future patients with these technologies to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans without compromising device performance.

14 May 2015

Small ion pump gives new hope for severe nerve pain sufferers

A small ion pump in organic electronics is giving new hope to people suffering from severe nerve pain. Researchers at Swedish Linköping University and the Karolinska Institute are the first in the world with technology that can stop pain impulses in living, freely moving rats using the body's own pain relief signals.

11 May 2015

UT Southwestern testing Vivistim System device in stroke patients

UT Southwestern Medical Center will be one of three national sites to pioneer U.S. testing for an implant device that stimulates the vagus nerve in stroke patients to see whether it can help restore lost arm function.

7 May 2015

Study paves way for greater understanding of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Researchers at the Angiocardioneurology Department of the Neuromed Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalisation and Health Care of Pozzilli (Italy), have found, in animal models, that the absence of a certain enzyme causes a syndrome resembling the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

16 Apr 2015

UW researchers use Activa PC+S DBS system to treat essential tremor

Essential tremor, a nervous system disorder that causes a rhythmic shaking in the hands, affects an estimated 10 million Americans and millions more worldwide. Deep brain stimulation, essentially a pacemaker for the brain, has been approved to treat essential tremor. But there is not an existing system that automatically provides electrical stimulation only when needed.