Heart Failure News and Research

RSS

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.

Nile Therapeutics second quarter 2010 net loss decreases to $1.5 million

Nile Therapeutics, Inc.,a company focused on the development of novel therapeutics for heart failure patients, today announced its second quarter financial results for 2010.

16 Aug 2010

Researchers pace embryonic heart with laser

Scientists at Case Western Reserve University and Vanderbilt University found that pulsed light can pace contractions in an avian embryonic heart, with no apparent damage to the tissue. The work, "Optical pacing of the embryonic heart," will be published in the advanced online issue of Nature Photonics on Aug. 15, 2010.According to the scientists, this non-invasive device may prove an effective tool in understanding how environmental factors that alter an embryo's heart rate lead to congenital defects. It may also lead to investigations of cardiac electrophysiology at the cellular, tissue and organ levels, and possibly the development of a new generation of pacemakers.

16 Aug 2010

Treatment for diabetics cost U.S. hospitals 25% more than stays for non-diabetics

U.S. hospitals spent $83 billion in 2008 caring for people with diabetes, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In that year, nearly one of every five hospitalizations involved a person with diabetes.

16 Aug 2010

Study shows early diagnosis of atrial fibrillation reduces risk of stroke

The earlier that patients who suffer from atrial fibrillation obtain the correct treatment, the lower is the risk of serious secondary effects such as stroke. A thesis presented at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, shows that a well-established measurement score can easily assess the risks for this patient group.

16 Aug 2010

CD31 positive cells have potential for treating peripheral artery disease: Research

Isolating cells from a patient's blood or bone marrow that nourish blood vessels may be a safer and less arduous route to treatment of cardiovascular disease than obtaining rare stem cells, according to research from Emory University School of Medicine. In recent clinical trials, doctors in several countries have tested the ability of a patient's bone marrow cells to repair damage, such as heart attacks and peripheral artery disease, created by problems of blood flow.

16 Aug 2010

Study examines comparative value of different blood pressure lowering medications

Expensive brand-name medications to lower blood pressure are no better at preventing cardiovascular disease than older, generic diuretics, according to new long-term data from a landmark study.Paul Whelton, MB, MD, MSc, reported the results on Aug. 13 at the plenary session of the China Heart Congress and International Heart Forum in Beijing. Whelton is president and CEO of Loyola University Health System and chairman of the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heat Attack Trial (ALLHAT), which has examined the comparative value of different blood pressure-lowering medications.

13 Aug 2010

Omega-3 fatty acids consumption reduces age-related hearing loss: Research

Research continues to unveil potential benefits of omega-3 fatty acids found in seafood, pointing to healthful effects on the lungs in children, the uterus in women and hearing in older adults. The August 2010 PUFA Newsletter and Fats of Life e-newsletters for health professionals and consumers, respectively, report the latest findings about these and other topics.

12 Aug 2010

USPTO allows Regulus Therapeutics' claims of key Tuschl III patent covering Mir-155

Regulus Therapeutics Inc. announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has allowed claims in a patent application (US Serial No. 12/550,579) derived from the "Tuschl III" patent series. The allowed claims relate to human microRNA miR-155, a microRNA that is a potential target for immuno-inflammatory indications, and a lead program of the Regulus-GSK Strategic Alliance.

11 Aug 2010

Molecular imaging helps physicians determine patient suitability for ICD therapy

A study published in the August Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM) finds that molecular imaging-a non-invasive imaging procedure-can identify high-risk patients with potentially life-threatening cardiovascular conditions and help physicians determine which patients are best suited for implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy.

11 Aug 2010

Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute implants two Heartware ventricular assist devices

The Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute of Northwestern Memorial Hospital recently implanted a patient with two of the smallest experimental ventricular assist devices (VADs) currently available for study in humans. VADs are designed to assist either the right (RVAD) or left (LVAD) ventricle, or both (BiVAD) at once. This is the first time that two Heartware VADs have been implanted in the left and right ventricles anywhere in North America—a "game changer" in the realm of heart assist devices according to Patrick M. McCarthy, MD, chief of the hospital's division of cardiac surgery and director of the hospital's Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute.

11 Aug 2010

Sinobiopharma inks agreement with Lianhuan to co-develop, manufacture and commercialize Eplerenone

Sinobiopharma, Inc., an innovative biopharmaceutical products company with primary operations in China, today announced that the Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Dong Ying Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., has signed an agreement with Jiangsu Lianhuan Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. to co-develop, manufacture and commercialize Eplerenone, a therapeutic agent formulated to treat high blood pressure and vascular diseases.

11 Aug 2010

Acoustic cardiography improves diagnostic accuracy in acute heart failure

It allows them to hear the S3, an abnormal third sound in the heart's rhythm strongly associated with cardiac disease and heart failure. However, the low-frequency, low-pitch sound is notoriously very difficult to hear with a stethoscope alone.It allows them to hear the S3, an abnormal third sound in the heart's rhythm strongly associated with cardiac disease and heart failure. However, the low-frequency, low-pitch sound is notoriously very difficult to hear with a stethoscope alone.

11 Aug 2010

Telephone monitoring can save heart failure patients: Study

Chronic heart failure needs constant care and regular monitoring. Now research says remote monitoring, either over the phone or using wireless technology, helps people with heart failure live longer and stay out of hospital.

10 Aug 2010

Response Biomedical second-quarter revenue from product sales increases 2%

Response Biomedical Corporation today announced financial results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2010.

10 Aug 2010

New scaffold supports growth, integration of stem cell-derived cardiac muscle cells

These days people usually don't die from a heart attack. But the damage to heart muscle is irreversible, and most patients eventually succumb to congestive heart failure, the most common cause of death in developed countries.Stem cells now offer hope for achieving what the body can't do: mending broken hearts. Engineers and physicians at the University of Washington have built a scaffold that supports the growth and integration of stem cell-derived cardiac muscle cells. A description of the scaffold, which supports the growth of cardiac cells in the lab and encourages blood vessel growth in living animals, is published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

10 Aug 2010

Ikaria announces voluntary recall of INOMAX DS drug-delivery system in US and Canada

Ikaria, Inc. announced today that its INOMAX® DS drug-delivery systems in the United States are being voluntarily recalled due to the potential failure of a pressure switch which may have an impact on the administration of INOMAX® (nitric oxide) for inhalation to patients. This potential failure was identified by Ikaria as part of its ongoing quality monitoring and review processes. This class I recall is being conducted with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). All INOMAX DS systems in Canada also are being voluntarily recalled.

10 Aug 2010

BioVentrix announces First-in-Man milestone for PliCath heart failure system

BioVentrix, developer of the PliCath HF™ System for use in Epicardial Catheter-based Ventricular Reconstruction (ECVR), today announced achievement of its First-in-Man milestone, performed on a 52-year-old male heart failure patient in Krakow, Poland. The PliCath HF System is designed to treat heart failure (HF) by reducing the enlarged Left Ventricle (LV) through an anchoring system that is delivered across the cardiac chambers with the use of a catheter.

9 Aug 2010

Remote monitoring of chronic heart failure patients can reduce pressure on resources

Providing patients with chronic heart failure access to remote monitoring, for example by telephone or telemonitoring using wireless technology, reduces deaths and hospitalisations and may provide benefits on health care costs and quality of life. These are the conclusions of a new Cochrane Systematic Review by an international team of researchers.

9 Aug 2010

Myths and realities of Medicare bidding program for durable medical equipment

Providers of home medical equipment and services across California are proposing a fiscally responsible alternative to the mislabeled "competitive" bidding scheme currently under way in Medicare that will actually discourage competition, reduce access to care for many of California's 4.6 million Medicare beneficiaries, and put thousands of California homecare providers out of business.

7 Aug 2010

Research Roundups: Expanding Medicaid; More spending doesn't reduce mortality; Colonoscopy cost effectiveness; Kids, asthma and access to care

Health Affairs: Little Evidence Of Correlation Between Growth In Health Care Spending And Reduced Mortality - This study examines differences in hospital mortality and cost between 2000 and 2004 for patients at 122 U.S. hospitals, with seven common medical diagnoses: acute myocardial infarction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, community-acquired pneumonia, congestive heart failure, cerebrovascular accident (also called ischemic stroke), sepsis, or urinary tract infection.

7 Aug 2010

Heart Failure News and Research

Further Reading

Nile Therapeutics second quarter 2010 net loss decreases to $1.5 million

Researchers pace embryonic heart with laser

Treatment for diabetics cost U.S. hospitals 25% more than stays for non-diabetics

Study shows early diagnosis of atrial fibrillation reduces risk of stroke

CD31 positive cells have potential for treating peripheral artery disease: Research

Study examines comparative value of different blood pressure lowering medications

Omega-3 fatty acids consumption reduces age-related hearing loss: Research

USPTO allows Regulus Therapeutics' claims of key Tuschl III patent covering Mir-155

Molecular imaging helps physicians determine patient suitability for ICD therapy

Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute implants two Heartware ventricular assist devices

Sinobiopharma inks agreement with Lianhuan to co-develop, manufacture and commercialize Eplerenone

Acoustic cardiography improves diagnostic accuracy in acute heart failure

Telephone monitoring can save heart failure patients: Study

Response Biomedical second-quarter revenue from product sales increases 2%

New scaffold supports growth, integration of stem cell-derived cardiac muscle cells

Ikaria announces voluntary recall of INOMAX DS drug-delivery system in US and Canada

BioVentrix announces First-in-Man milestone for PliCath heart failure system

Remote monitoring of chronic heart failure patients can reduce pressure on resources

Myths and realities of Medicare bidding program for durable medical equipment

Research Roundups: Expanding Medicaid; More spending doesn't reduce mortality; Colonoscopy cost effectiveness; Kids, asthma and access to care

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Latest News