Congenital Heart Disease News and Research

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New guidelines on management of cardiovascular disease in pregnancy

New ESC guidelines emphasise the importance of screening and risk assessment. Pre-existing heart disease is rarely a contraindication to pregnancy - indeed, many women with heart disorders tolerate pregnancy well - but it remains a "major concern" that complications are frequent and in some cases may be life-threatening for both the mother and her child. In Europe maternal heart disease has now become the major cause of maternal death during pregnancy.

26 Aug 2011

Babies, toddlers with congenital heart disease more likely to have harmful toxins after surgery

Babies and toddlers with congenital heart disease are at an increased risk of having harmful toxins in their blood, particularly following surgery, according to research by a team at Imperial College London.

26 Aug 2011

Pulse oximetry to detect birth defects: Doctors propose nationwide screening

According to a recommendation by a federal advisory panel, before newborns leave the hospital, they should receive a simple, pain-free test to check for signs of congenital heart disease, one of the most common types of birth defects.

23 Aug 2011

Pulse oximetry can identify newborns with congenital heart disease

About 1 in every 120 babies are born with congenital heart disease (CHD), of which about 25 percent is critical, requiring special care early in life. CHD is responsible for more deaths in the first year of life than any other birth defect, but often outcomes can be improved with early detection.

22 Aug 2011

NHLBI selects U-M Congenital Heart Center for clinical research

The University of Michigan Congenital Heart Center has been selected as a new Pediatric Heart Network core site for clinical research. Created and funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, the Pediatric Heart Network is a cooperative network of pediatric cardiovascular clinical research centers that conducts studies in children with congenital or acquired heart disease.

20 Aug 2011

Peak of Australian flu season is imminent so take the necessary precautions now: Experts

The Influenza Specialist Group (ISG) is today warning that high rates of influenza outbreaks have been confirmed in QLD, SA and NSW, but there is still time for most Australians, especially those in at-risk groups, to protect themselves and those around them.

18 Jul 2011

Aspirin, simvastatin not effective in combating pulmonary artery hypertension

Despite their beneficial effects in treating heart disease, neither aspirin nor simvastatin appear to offer benefit to patients suffering from pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH), according to a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study conducted at four U.S. medical centers. This was the first NIH-funded randomized clinical trial (RCT) in PAH.

19 May 2011

Pfizer’s Revatio receives European Commission approval for pediatric treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension

Pfizer Inc. announced that Revatio (sildenafil citrate) has been approved by the European Commission for the treatment of pediatric patients aged 1 to 17 years old with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Efficacy in terms of improvement of exercise capacity or pulmonary hemodynamics has been shown in primary pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary hypertension associated with congenital heart disease.

5 May 2011

Doctors should consider catheterization for diagnosing children with heart defects: AHA

Doctors should consider using catheterization as a treatment tool in addition to its established role in diagnosing children with heart defects, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement.

3 May 2011

Fetal exposure to crude oil chemical may increase risk of heart disease

While it may be years before the health effects of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are known, a new study shows that fetal exposure to a chemical found in crude oil is associated with an increased risk of congenital heart disease.

30 Apr 2011

MAQUET introduces new pediatric oxygenators and reservoirs in the U.S.

MAQUET Cardiovascular today announced the launch of its QUADROX-i Neonatal and Pediatric oxygenators and reservoirs in the United States. Oxygenators are an integral part of a cardiopulmonary bypass system and function as an artificial lung during surgical procedures.

27 Apr 2011

KCMC uses Toshiba's diagnostic imaging systems to treat pediatric patients

As one of the leading pediatric centers in the United States, Kosair Children's Medical Center (KCMC) treats pediatric patients with conditions ranging from congenital heart disease to abdominal pain, to emergency trauma to juvenile diabetes and pediatric cancer.

20 Apr 2011

Study finds abnormal fetal circulation as a risk factor for fetal thrombotic vasculopathy

Examination of the placenta can offer answers to the questions that arise following an adverse perinatal outcome, such as stillbirth or intrauterine growth restriction. A placental lesion known as fetal thrombotic vasculopathy (FTV) has been associated with a number of adverse outcomes. By studying placentas with this lesion, researchers hope to determine the risks of such serious complications that affect fetuses and newborns.

19 Apr 2011

Scientists identify networks of genes critical in embryonic-heart development

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have identified networks of genes that play an important role in embryonic-heart development, advancing knowledge of how healthy hearts develop-and offering clues about how to combat a common birth defect known as congenital heart disease.

18 Apr 2011

Australian researchers say the search must widen for genes that cause heart defects in babies

Australian scientists have discovered a new group of genes that could be responsible for causing heart defects in children, which affect more than 2000 babies born each year in Australia.

29 Mar 2011

[UPDATE] Pediatric heart surgery unit of Royal Brompton faces closure

A London NHS trust would challenge proposals to end child heart surgery at the Royal Brompton Hospital. The Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust added that this would mean the loss of other services, which could call into question its viability.

18 Mar 2011

Sildenafil helps improve exercise performance in children with congenital heart disease

Sildenafil, a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension, has another possible use—helping children and young adults with congenital heart disease to better tolerate exercise.

11 Mar 2011

UK Healthcare announces significant milestone for Kentucky Children's Heart Center

UK HealthCare announces a significant milestone for the Kentucky Children's Heart Center at Kentucky Children's Hospital and UK Albert B. Chandler Medical Center.

8 Mar 2011

Doctors should transit patients to adult medical care for congenital heart disease during early adolescence

Doctors should transition their patients from pediatric to adult medical care for congenital heart disease during early adolescence, experts recommend in a scientific statement published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

1 Mar 2011

Mutated cancer pathway studies identify therapeutic targets for congenital heart disease

Cross-disciplinary teams of scientists studying genetic pathways that are mutated in many forms of cancer, but which also cause certain forms of congenital heart disease - including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a thickening of the heart muscle that is the leading cause of sudden death in children and young adults -, have introduced these mutations into mice and successfully treated HCM in the lab.

22 Feb 2011