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.

Low weight gain reported among women with nausea and vomiting of pregnancy

In one of the largest studies of its kind, clinicians and researchers with Carolinas HealthCare System found that nearly 25% of women with nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) reported weight gain below recommended levels for their pre-pregnancy body mass index (PPBMI).

7 May 2012

CardioKinetix Parachute Ventricular Partitioning Device trial data presented at 2012 EuroPCR

CardioKinetix Inc., a medical device company pioneering a catheter-based treatment for heart failure, today announced that clinical trial data from the first-of-its-kind Parachute Ventricular Partitioning Device for the treatment of patients with ischemic heart failure will be presented at the 2012 EuroPCR Conference in Paris.

7 May 2012

No functional difference in effects of Lucentis and Avastin on preventing vision loss

The one year results from a study into whether two drug treatments (Lucentis and Avastin), are equally effective in treating neovascular or wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), have been reported today at an international research meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The findings will also appear online shortly in the leading journal Ophthalmology.

7 May 2012

Seattle Children's Hospital performs 100th heart transplant on 5-month-old baby

On Saturday, April 28, a 5-month-old baby received the 100th heart transplant performed at Seattle Children's Hospital, a significant milestone for him as well as the hospital's Heart Center and Heart Transplant Program teams.

7 May 2012

Aspirin versus warfarin for heart failure patients

In a new study on more than 2,000 patients, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that aspirin was as effective as the commonly prescribed drug warfarin. It said each drug had risks, but they had similar benefits overall.

4 May 2012

Transcatheter Valve Therapies event to take place from June 2-5

Press registration is now open for Transcatheter Valve Therapies: An Advanced Scientific and Clinical Workshop (with LAA Occlusion) at http://www.tvtconference.com/conference/press-registration.html. TVT is a unique educational event, offering an in-depth review of the diagnostic and therapeutic options for the treatment of valvular heart disease.

4 May 2012

Regular jogging increases life expectancy

Undertaking regular jogging increases the life expectancy of men by 6.2 years and women by 5.6 years, reveals the latest data from the Copenhagen City Heart study presented at the EuroPRevent2012 meeting.

4 May 2012

Comorbidities common among patients with COPD

Comorbidities are common among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and a number of these comorbidities are independently associated with an increased mortality risk, according to a new study.

4 May 2012

Fish oil may improve outcomes for kidney patients undergoing hemodialysis

Over the past decade, there has been a steady stream of information promoting the health benefits of fish oil capsules. According to Dr. Louise Moist, a Scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute, fish oil may also improve outcomes for kidney patients undergoing hemodialysis.

2 May 2012

Thoratec first quarter revenues increase 27% to $126.8M

Thoratec Corporation, a world leader in device-based mechanical circulatory support therapies to save, support and restore failing hearts, said today that revenues for the first quarter of 2012 were $126.8 million, an increase of 27% versus revenues of $99.5 million in the same period a year ago.

2 May 2012

Reducing levels of SUN1 protein increases life span of mice with progeria, heart disease

Scientists have discovered that they can dramatically increase the life span of mice with progeria (premature ageing disease) and heart disease (caused by Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy) by reducing levels of a protein called SUN1.

30 Apr 2012

Milner-Fenwick releases four new ‘Hospital Quality of Care’ videos

Hospitals are under fire. With heightened regulations and guidelines by the federal government and national health care organizations, the pressure to improve patient outcomes has never been greater. In response, the leading publisher of patient education videos, Milner-Fenwick, has released four new videos within its Hospital Quality of Care Series to help facilities comply with growing regulatory requirements. These videos address key hospital issues such as medication safety, infection control, fall prevention and discharge education.

30 Apr 2012

Novel liquid drug used successfully in a heart attack patient

They did the first procedure of its kind by injecting the dissolvable liquid device into a patient - a Victorian grandmother. The device flows to the damaged heart muscle and helps it repair. The liquid is derived from seaweed and was injected into Pauline Fulton's heart, a fortnight ago, two days after she suffered a major heart attack.

29 Apr 2012

Gas NO plays a fundamental regulatory role in controlling bacterial function

Bacteria provide a well-known playground for scientists and the evolution of these earliest life forms has shed important perspective on potential therapies for some of the most common, deadly diseases. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have now discovered that, the gas nitric oxide (NO), produced in all cells of the human body for natural purposes, plays a fundamental regulatory role in controlling bacterial function, via a signaling mechanism called S-nitrosylation (SNO), which binds NO to protein molecules.

27 Apr 2012

Cardiovascular emergencies may benefit from regionalized systems of care

Experts are proposing a new model of care collaboration to diagnosis, treat and follow patients who present with various emergent cardiovascular conditions which require rapid, resource-intensive care and confer a high risk of mortality, in an article published April 24 in Circulation.

26 Apr 2012

Kv7.4 channels may play a fundamental role in high blood pressure

Scientists have identified what could be a biological tipping point in the development of high blood pressure, in a discovery that could one day lead to new treatment.

26 Apr 2012

Body’s own DNA can cause inflammation in the heart

DNA from the heart's own cells plays a role in heart failure by mistakenly activating the body's immune system, according to a study by British and Japanese researchers, co-funded by the British Heart Foundation.

26 Apr 2012

Omega-3 supplements do not improve diastolic function in older adults

Over the past three decades, researchers have firmly established that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have healthy effects on the heart. Omega-3 fatty acids seem to help both in preventing cardiovascular disease as well as in preventing future heart attacks, strokes, and other adverse events in people who have established cardiovascular disease.

25 Apr 2012

ICDs may increase risk of complications in patients with infective endocarditis

Patients with infective endocarditis involving implanted cardiac devices experience a high rate of complications such as valve infections, heart failure, and persistent bacteremia, and high in-hospital and 1-year mortality rates, particularly if there is valve involvement, according to a study in the April 25 issue of JAMA.

24 Apr 2012

TGA approves Ikaria’s LUCASSIN to treat Hepatorenal Syndrome Type 1

Ikaria, Inc., a critical care company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for critically ill patients, announced today the approval of LUCASSIN (terlipressin) by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) of Australia.

24 Apr 2012