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.

BIOTRONIK receives FDA approval for Lumax 740 DX System

BIOTRONIK, a leading manufacturer of cardiovascular medical technology, announced the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted final approval for the BIOTRONIK Lumax 740 DX System.

26 Feb 2013

CHADS scores possibilities extend beyond atrial fibrillation

The CHADS-based risk scores can predict long-term vascular outcomes and mortality in patients with stroke who do not have atrial fibrillation, research suggests.

25 Feb 2013

COPD has negative prognostic impact in heart attack patients

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is associated with an increased risk for death and hospital readmission for cardiovascular causes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, research shows.

25 Feb 2013

Scientists identify mechanosensitive cellular signaling pathway in myofibroblasts

Pulmonary fibrosis is a scarring or thickening of the lungs that causes shortness of breath, a dry cough, fatigue, chest discomfort, weight loss, a decrease in the ability of the lungs to transmit oxygen to the blood stream, and, eventually, heart failure.

24 Feb 2013

Florida Hospital Pepin Heart Institute, USF partner for novel gene therapy trial

Cardiovascular disease specialists at Florida Hospital Pepin Heart Institute and Dr. Kiran C. Patel Research Institute affiliated with the University of South Florida announced they have enrolled their first patients into a clinical trial testing a novel gene therapy for the treatment of heart failure after ischemic injury. The therapy may promote the regeneration of heart tissue by encouraging the body to deploy more stem cells to the injury site.

22 Feb 2013

UCB seeks FDA and EMA marketing authorization for Cimzia to treat active psoriatic arthritis

UCB announced today two new regulatory filings with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to extend the marketing authorization for Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) for the treatment of adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and for adult patients with active axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).

20 Feb 2013

Symptom severity, hospice patient distress not necessarily linked

End-stage heart failure patients being treated in hospices have multiple symptoms with potential to cause distress, indicate US study findings.

20 Feb 2013

Heart OMics in AGEing project receives European Commission grant

The HOMAGE (Heart OMics in AGEing) project, coordinated by the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), has been awarded a grant by the European Commission for a 6 year period.

20 Feb 2013

Income inequality equals more hospital readmissions

Patients living in areas of uneven wealth-distribution are at an increased risk for hospital readmission, according to US research findings published in the BMJ.

19 Feb 2013

Canine Pompe disease can now be diagnosed with genetic test

Pompe disease, a severe glycogen storage disease appearing in Lapphunds is caused by a genetic defect in acid α-glucosidase gene. The same genetic mutation also causes the equivalent disease in humans. Based on this finding, canine Pompe disease can now be diagnosed with a genetic test.

16 Feb 2013

Dentists concerned about gaps in health law coverage; Mass. effort for small business insurance hampered by federal law

The federal overhaul requires dental care for children but advocates say the mechanism for that will often be complicated. Meanwhile, in a different article about the complications of implementing the health law, the Boston Globe examines efforts by small businesses to buy insurance.

16 Feb 2013

Elemental diet may help adults with eosinophilic esophagitis

Results from a small study suggest that consumption of an elemental diet for 2–4 weeks results in a significant histologic improvement in adult patients with eosinophilic esophagitis.

14 Feb 2013

Collaborative home-based palliative care for heart failure successful in UK

A collaborative home-based palliative care service for patients with advanced congestive heart failure could increase their chances of dying in their place of choice, show UK study results.

14 Feb 2013

Hospital mortality performance not boosted by readmission failure

Researchers say they have found no evidence of a link between hospital performance as measured by 30-day mortality rates and that by 30-day readmission rates in US hospitals.

14 Feb 2013

Activation of SK channels can lead to heart disease

Qing-Hui Chen's research focuses on hypertension, heart failure and the neuromechanisms that underlie these problems. Specifically, his research examines how a particular ion channel (that regulates resting and action in membranes)—the potassium channel (SK)—is linked to heart disease.

14 Feb 2013

Florida Hospital, Sanford-Burnham and Takeda renew research agreement

Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) and Florida Hospital announced today that they have renewed a research agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) to extend their collaboration to discover and evaluate new therapeutic approaches to obesity. The collaboration uses a research and drug-development model that creates an early feedback loop in the discovery pipeline.

12 Feb 2013

Arrhythmia may confound heart failure treatment

Meta-analysis findings question whether beta-blocker treatment remains effective in patients who have heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction if they also have atrial fibrillation.

11 Feb 2013

Steroid therapy impedes Duchenne’s cardiomyopathy

Steroid therapy is associated with a considerable reduction in all-cause mortality and new-onset and progressive cardiomyopathy in patients with the debilitating X-linked disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

11 Feb 2013

Researchers utilize molecular genetic engineering to tackle diastolic heart failure

Researchers at the University of Minnesota's Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology and the Lillehei Heart Institute have utilized molecular genetic engineering to optimize heart performance in models of diastolic heart failure by creating an optimized protein that can aid in high-speed relaxation similar to fast twitching muscles.

11 Feb 2013

Harvard's Wyss Institute completes first clinical study of new rapid neuroassessment device

Doctors routinely track their patients' hand-eye coordination to monitor any neuromuscular deficits, particularly as patients age or when they are injured -- but the tests they have been using to track this kind of information may be subjective and qualitative.

10 Feb 2013