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.

Yale study questions accuracy of relying on patient death rates to compare hospital quality

Hospitals, health insurers and patients often rely on patient death rates in hospitals to compare hospital quality. Now a new study by researchers at Yale School of Medicine questions the accuracy of that widely used approach and supports measuring patient deaths over a period of 30 days from admission even after they have left the hospital.

4 Jan 2012

Genomic architecture predisposes supercentenarians to age-related diseases

The first-ever published whole-genome sequences of not just one, but two supercentenarians, aged more than 114 years, reveal that both unusual and common genetic phenomena contribute to the genetic background of extreme human longevity.

4 Jan 2012

Home-monitoring interventions may benefit patients with heart failure

Heart failure affects 5.8 million people in the U.S. alone and is responsible for nearly 1 million hospitalizations each year, most resulting from a build-up of body fluid in the lungs and other organs due to the heart's inability to pump effectively. The disease needs to be closely tracked in order to avoid such hospitalizations, and home-monitoring interventions may be especially useful, UCLA researchers say.

4 Jan 2012

Researchers discover culprit that leads from heart failure to diabetes

Either heart failure or diabetes alone is bad enough, but oftentimes the two conditions seem to go together. Now, researchers reporting in the January Cell Metabolism appear to have found the culprit that leads from heart failure to diabetes and perhaps a novel way to break that metabolic vicious cycle.

4 Jan 2012

BioLineRx commences BCM CE Mark registration trial for prevention of cardiac remodeling following AMI

BioLineRx, a biopharmaceutical development company, announced today the commencement of the PRESERVATION I clinical trial, a CE Mark registration trial of BCM (BL-1040), a novel medical device intended for the prevention of cardiac remodeling following an acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

4 Jan 2012

AirStrip's mobile patient monitoring applications receive CE Mark

AirStrip Technologies, Inc. has received CE Mark certification to market its innovative mobile patient monitoring applications in the European Community as well as other international territories outside Europe, company officials announced today.

3 Jan 2012

Major European medical center includes Critical Diagnostics' Presage ST2 Assay for cardiac care

Critical Diagnostics, a U.S.-based biomarker company focused on cardiovascular diseases, announced today that a major European medical center, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol in Barcelona Spain, is now using the company's Presage ST2 Assay for routine care and management of their heart failure patients.

2 Jan 2012

ARCA biopharma extends pharmacogenetic intellectual property protection around bucindolol

ARCA biopharma, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing genetically targeted therapies for cardiovascular diseases, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent on methods for treating patients with bucindolol based on genetic targeting and focused on a specific genotype - homozygous wildtype for Deletion 322-325 in the alpha-2C adrenergic receptor.

31 Dec 2011

Researchers report how sildenafil can alleviate heart problems

How sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, can alleviate heart problems is reported by Bochum's researchers in cooperation with colleagues from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester (Minnesota) in the journal Circulation.

26 Dec 2011

Researchers report how sildenafil can alleviate heart problems

23 Dec 2011

Researchers identify molecules that can stimulate heart muscle regeneration

Damaged heart tissue is not known for having much inherent capacity for repair. But now, scientists are closing in on signals that may be able to coax the heart into producing replacement cardiac muscle cells. Using a zebrafish model system, researchers have identified a family of molecules that can stimulate stem cells to develop into beating heart muscle cells.

23 Dec 2011

Oak Pharmaceuticals acquires three Lundbeck hospital-based injectables

Akorn, Inc., a niche generic pharmaceutical company, today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Oak Pharmaceuticals, has acquired three off-patent, branded, hospital-based injectables from the US subsidiary of H. Lundbeck A/S.

23 Dec 2011

Tips to keep your heart happy and healthy during holiday season

'Tis the season to be jolly and heart healthy. "It is common for us to see an increase in heart-related issues, particularly around Christmas and New Year's," said Brandon Stacey, M.D., a cardiologist at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. "It is important to know that if you experience any chest pain or discomfort, seek immediate medical attention or call 911."

22 Dec 2011

Antihypertensive drug therapy associated with longer life expectancy

More than 68 percent of Americans 65 and older - 80 percent age 75 and over - have hypertension (high blood pressure), according to a 2010 report by the Centers for Disease Control. Left untreated, this chronic condition can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure or premature death. Researchers at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School have shown in a follow-up to the landmark clinical trial, Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP), that the use of antihypertensive drug therapy is associated with longer life expectancy.

21 Dec 2011

Despite improvements, disparities in diagnosis and treatment of depression remain

Despite improvements to diagnostic tools and therapies in the two last decades, significant disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of depression remain, according to Rutgers research published online by the American Journal of Public Health; print, February 2012.

21 Dec 2011

UCB initiates EXXELERATE study in rheumatoid arthritis

UCB today announced the start of the EXXELERATE study which will evaluate the short- and long-term efficacy of Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) plus methotrexate (MTX) compared with that of Humira(adalimumab) plus MTX in the treatment of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The start of this study confirms previously announced plans.

21 Dec 2011

Heart-related deaths, other emergencies peak in holiday season

Steven Polevoi, MD, has seen it all. During his 23-year career, the medical director of the UCSF Emergency Department has done everything from treat traumatic injuries to deliver babies. While medical emergencies occur throughout the year, Polevoi sees the winter season and its related overindulgence as a pivotal time for preventing emergencies by listening to our bodies.

21 Dec 2011

Women with breast cancer more likely to develop heart disease

Women who are at risk for breast cancer may also be at greater risk for heart disease, new research has found.

21 Dec 2011

FDA nod for pediatric Berlin heart

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Berlin Heart for pediatric patients waiting for heart transplants. The ventricular assist device is similar to the one worn by former Vice President Dick Cheney but scaled down in size for children and babies.

19 Dec 2011

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to expand coverage of MNT

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has prepared a request to submit to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to expand coverage of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) for specific diseases, including hypertension, obesity, and cancer, as part of the CMS National Coverage Determination (NCD) Process.

19 Dec 2011