Congenital Heart Disease News and Research

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Cardiac stem cells from newborns show stronger regenerative ability

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who are exploring novel ways to treat serious heart problems in children, have conducted the first direct comparison of the regenerative abilities of neonatal and adult-derived human cardiac stem cells.

11 Sep 2012

Maternal posttraumatic stress, depression and anxiety common after prenatal diagnosis of CHD

Heart defects are the most common form of congenital malformations affecting newborns. Infants who were prenatally diagnosed with congenital heart disease (CHD) are more stable and have better outcomes than infants who were diagnosed after birth. Diagnosing CHD in a fetus also allows mothers to educate themselves on heart malformations, consider their options, and potentially plan for intervention or surgery after birth.

7 Sep 2012

Convention news: Dems embrace health law

In speeches from the podium and in the buzz from the convention floor, it was apparent on the first day of the Democratic National Convention that delegates and speakers aimed to reclaim the health law as an important accomplishment of the Obama administration.

6 Sep 2012

'Obamacare' plays starring role in first night of convention (video)

This collection of Kaiser Health News video excerpts show clips in which several speakers cited the 2010 health law as a signature achievement of the Obama administration Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

6 Sep 2012

GeneTex to introduce new antibody against hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha

GeneTex, Inc., a leading manufacturer of antibodies, has announced that they will be launching a new antibody against HIF1a (hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha).

29 Aug 2012

New blood test can predict which heart failure patients would benefit from ICDs

A novel blood test that predicts sudden death risk in heart failure patients is set to help physicians decide which patients would benefit from implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).

27 Aug 2012

Home is where the heart is for congenital defect children

The American Heart Association recommends that children with a congenital heart defect deemed as being at high risk for developmental disorders are treated under a “medical home” model of care.

3 Aug 2012

Kids with congenital heart defect should receive early evaluation for developmental disorders

Children born with a congenital heart defect should receive early evaluation, prompt treatment and ongoing follow-up for related developmental disorders affecting brain function, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published in Circulation.

31 Jul 2012

Experts call for add-on to athletes’ cardiac screening

Modified echocardiography should be included as part of the screening process for athletes at risk for sudden cardiac death, say researchers presenting at the annual meeting of the American Society of Echocardiography in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

11 Jul 2012

Shear forces cause vessel identity crisis

Lymphatic vessels exposed to fast-flowing blood take on characteristics associated with blood vessels, report researchers.

10 Jul 2012

Echocardiography can help identify athletes with heart problems at risk for sudden death

A new study suggests that echocardiography be included as part of screenings to help identify student athletes with heart problems that could lead to sudden death.

10 Jul 2012

Scientists now have clues to how GATA4 gene mutation leads to septal defects in babies with CHD

Scientists now have clues to how a gene mutation discovered in families affected with congenital heart disease leads to underdevelopment of the walls that separate the heart into four chambers.

27 Jun 2012

World-renowned pediatric cardiac surgeon performs 10,000th milestone operation

Edward L. Bove didn't know he was hitting a major milestone this spring, but the world-renowned pediatric cardiac surgeon performed his 10,000th surgery on March 27 at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.

26 Jun 2012

IACs may increase risk of arrhythmias in young individuals with asthma

Use of inhaled anticholinergics (IACs) has been associated with an increased risk of potentially dangerous heart arrhythmias among young asthma patients, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

23 May 2012

$Children with pelvic and thigh fractures rarely develop dangerous blood clots$

Children with pelvic and thigh fractures rarely develop dangerous blood clots

Children with pelvic and thigh fractures develop dangerous blood clots so rarely that anti-clotting therapy should be given only to those with underlying conditions that increase clotting risk, according to a study from Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

21 May 2012

$Anti-clotting drugs rarely needed in children with big-bone fractures$

Anti-clotting drugs rarely needed in children with big-bone fractures

21 May 2012

Sildenafil may improve cardiac function in children, young adults with single ventricle defects

Sildenafil, also known as the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, may give a boost to underdeveloped hearts in children and young adults with congenital heart defects. Researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia report that sildenafil significantly improved echocardiographic measures of heart function in children and young adult survivors of single ventricle heart disease palliation.

9 May 2012

State roundup: Calif. fight over group homes for seniors; New agency proposed to police disabled care in NY; Conn. retiree health plan expansion could endanger protections

Neighbors were already concerned about the growing number of group homes for the elderly and recovering addicts in the area, many of them for profit. A Times analysis found 24 licensed facilities offering residential care for the elderly within a mile of the proposed project and three more waiting for state approval. It is one of several such clusters that have emerged in Los Angeles County -- including parts of the San Fernando Valley and South Bay -- where families can afford fees that run into thousands of dollars per month. Large swaths of the county's less affluent areas have no such facilities.

8 May 2012

TCFC completes two in-utero fetal cardiac interventions to treat HLHS

The team at Texas Children's Fetal Center, a national leader for treating fetal anomalies, has successfully completed two in-utero fetal cardiac interventions to treat hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a congenital heart defect that is one of the most complex heart defects to treat.

5 May 2012

First study to look at link between gender and mother's cardiac disease

Women with heart disease are more likely to give birth to female rather than male babies according to a new study presented today at the World Congress of Cardiology. The study found that three-quarters of the 216 children born to 200 pregnant women with diagnosed heart disease were female.

20 Apr 2012