Aorta News and Research

RSS

Cardiac rehab can prolong patients' lives and reduce risk of second heart attack

Twenty-eight year-old Alex Holton is an active young Torontonian, but five years ago, shortly after receiving life-saving heart surgery, Alex Holton was unsure he'd ever be active again.

28 Jul 2011

Heart experts begin to test new device for treatment of blocked aortic valves

Heart experts at Johns Hopkins have begun testing a new device designed to replace blocked aortic valves in patients for whom traditional open-heart surgery is considered too risky, such as elderly patients and those with other serious medical conditions.

13 Jul 2011

First transcatheter aortic valve implantation performed at Loyola University Hospital

Toni Meyer's heart-valve disease was so severe that she suffered shortness of breath even while sitting in a chair. But after Loyola University Hospital physicians replaced her diseased aortic valve in a catheter procedure as part of a clinical trial, Meyer said she is feeling "100 percent better."

From Medtronic 7 Jul 2011

Redefinition of cardiac hypertrophy term needed

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Working Group on Myocardial Function is calling for a redefinition of the term cardiac hypertrophy which is currently used to describe changes to the morphology (structure) of the heart. Instead the position paper, published online today in the European Journal of Heart Failure, suggests that use of the general term myocardial remodelling should be preferred.

27 Jun 2011

Medtronic Valiant stent graft safe and effective for patients with thoracic aortic aneurysm

An innovative medical device used in the minimally invasive treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms, the Valiant Thoracic Stent Graft System from Medtronic, Inc., delivered excellent clinical results through one year of patient follow-up in the company's U.S. pivotal study, VALOR II, according to data presented today at a meeting for vascular surgeons.

From Medtronic 20 Jun 2011

Only 35% of anaesthesiologists carry out cardiac output monitoring during high-risk surgery

Only 35% of anaesthesiologists are carrying out a simple procedure during high-risk surgery that can make a significant impact on how well patients recover from their operations, according to new research presented today at the European Anaesthesiology Congress in Amsterdam.

13 Jun 2011

Stent graft can repair abdominal aortic aneurysm

When Dr. Ross Milner repaired Lydia Strebing's life-threatening abdominal aortic aneurysm, she was astonished at how easy it was. "I've had more pain from dental procedures," she said. "This was nothing." Milner, chief of vascular surgery at Loyola University Hospital, repaired the bulging aneurysm by using a catheter to deploy a device called a stent graft.

8 Jun 2011

Aptus EndoStapling System receives CE Mark approval

Aptus Endosystems, Inc., a medical device company developing advanced technology for endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), announced CE Mark approval for the Aptus EndoStapling System. The innovative helical staple technology enables independent endograft fixation, and is designed to mimic the hand suturing performed during open surgical repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

From Medtronic 24 May 2011

Bedside screening tool can help diagnose acute aortic dissection

The most lethal and sudden cardiovascular event can be the toughest for doctors to diagnose. But a study by the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center shows new guidelines are effective for determining who's most likely suffering from an aortic dissection, which is tearing in the lining of the body's largest blood vessel.

16 May 2011

Relay stent-graft safe and effective for patients with aortic dissections

Aortic dissection is rare, but when it occurs, a patient's prognosis can be poor, even with timely medical diagnosis and treatment. It is the most frequently diagnosed lethal condition of the aorta.

12 May 2011

Pregnancy via egg donation for women with Turner's syndrome potentially risky

Pregnancy via egg donation for women with Turner's syndrome is potentially risky, both for the mother and the child, according to a multi-centre study presented today at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Rotterdam.

4 May 2011

Study finds association between ERBB4 gene, LVOT malformations

A gene known to be important in cardiac development has been newly associated with congenital heart malformations that result in obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract. These are the findings from a study conducted by Nationwide Children's Hospital and appearing in the journal Birth Defects Research Part A.

30 Apr 2011

Live surgical procedure to repair abdominal aortic aneurysm broadcast to CICE 2011 in Sao Paolo, Brazil

Scott & White Healthcare today teleconferenced one of the world's first live international surgical procedures to repair an abdominal aortic aneurysm to conference attendees in Sao Paolo, Brazil. The meeting, CICE (Current Issues in Comparative Education) 2011, is one of the globe's largest vascular surgery events and includes over 2,000 attendees. The procedure demonstrated the use of an endograft device called a repositionable endoprosthesis.

22 Apr 2011

Scott & White Healthcare teleconferences first live aortic aneurysm surgical procedures

Scott & White Healthcare today teleconferenced one of the world's first live international surgical procedures to repair an abdominal aortic aneurysm to conference attendees in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

22 Apr 2011

Loyola enrolls patients in clinical trial for open-heart valve replacement surgery

Loyola University Hospital is enrolling patients in a clinical trial that offers an alternative to traditional open-heart surgery for patients who need new aortic heart valves.

20 Apr 2011

Scientists discover new clues about mechanism behind losartan drug's protective effects

The Johns Hopkins researchers who first showed that the commonly used blood pressure drug losartan may help prevent life-threatening aneurysms of the aorta in patients with Marfan syndrome have now discovered new clues about the precise mechanism behind the drug's protective effects.

16 Apr 2011

Cosmic radiation can increase risk of atherosclerosis in astronauts

Astronauts anticipate more trips to the moon and manned missions to Mars. But exposure to cosmic radiation outside the Earth's magnetic field could be detrimental to their arteries, according to a study by University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers published April 6, 2011, online in the journal Radiation Research.

8 Apr 2011

New heart valve procedure helpful for the elderly: Study

Researchers revealed this Sunday a new heart valve that can be implanted without surgery. The device may hold promise for tens of thousands of elderly patients who might not survive a standard valve-replacement operation.

3 Apr 2011

Two experts to comment on new transcatheter heart valve studies

New transcatheter heart valve studies will be presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting in New Orleans on April 3 and 4. The studies compare patient outcomes from minimally invasive catheter procedures with those from open-heart surgery.

2 Apr 2011

Viewpoints: Boehner, Mcconnell, Thune, major new organizations opine on health law

We now know that lawmakers who promised that "if you like your plan, you can keep your plan" were wrong. The president likes to say Americans aren't interested in revisiting the debates of the past. No one would accept an answer like that from an electronics store manager who refused to offer a refund on a defective television.

24 Mar 2011