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UC San Diego patient wakes up with two beating hearts

This Valentine's Day, Tyson Smith woke up with a brand new outlook and two beating hearts - his old failing heart and a newly transplanted heart. "I can tell that I am getting stronger every day," said Smith.

19 Feb 2011

New replacement valve can help patients to avoid multiple open-heart surgeries

Congenital heart defects are the most common type of major birth defects in the U.S., affecting about 34,000 babies each year. Twenty percent of these patients are born with a malformation of the pulmonary valve, which is a flap-like opening on the right side of the heart that is responsible for regulating the blood flow to the lungs. Now, a new replacement valve being used at Rush University Medical Center can help patients with damaged heart valves delay or avoid multiple open-heart surgeries.

3 Feb 2011

Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center chosen for critical percutaneous heart valve study

The Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center was chosen today as a site for a critical percutaneous heart valve study. As part of the research study, Methodist physicians will replace diseased cardiac valves through a single, tiny puncture hole in the research subject's groin.

24 Jan 2011

FDA approves On-X AAP with Vascutek Gelweave Valsalva Graft

On-X Life Technologies, announced today that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market the On-X Ascending Aortic Prosthesis with the Vascutek Gelweave Valsalva Graft.

23 Jan 2011

Study: Protein that plays a key role in some antioxidant therapies can promote atherosclerosis

UCLA researchers have found that a protein that plays an important role in some antioxidant therapies may not be as effective due to additional mechanisms that cause it to promote atherosclerosis, or clogging of the arteries.

11 Jan 2011

FDA approves Gore's C3 Delivery System to deploy EXCLUDER AAA Endoprosthesis

W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore) today announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the GORE® C3 Delivery System to deploy the GORE® EXCLUDER® AAA Endoprosthesis as a minimally invasive treatment for patients suffering from an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).

5 Jan 2011

Turns mortal heart attacks into non-mortal heart attacks -- NIH study

Three weeks of oral resveratrol or Longevinex- ingestion prior to an induced heart attack returned microRNA activity close to their pre-event levels in excised animal hearts. Among thousands of microRNA's studied, just six were attributed to exerting the majority of the gene-switching effects measured in the animal heart study - four microRNA optimally regulated by Longevinex- and two optimally by plain resveratrol.

28 Dec 2010

Scientists tweak gene to mimick heart-strengthening effects of endurance training in sedentary mice

By tweaking a single gene, scientists have mimicked in sedentary mice the heart-strengthening effects of two weeks of endurance training, according to a report from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC).

24 Dec 2010

Promising initial data from STABLE clinical trial for endovascular treatment of Type B aortic dissection

Study investigators reported positive steps in Cook Medical's efforts to gain FDA approval of the treatment assessed in the STABLE clinical trial, designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a proximal endograft and a distal uncovered stent for the endovascular treatment of Type B aortic dissection for purposes of seeking FDA approval. The findings were presented by Dr. Joseph Lombardi at the 37th annual VEITHsymposium.

23 Dec 2010

St. Luke’s second in nation to perform EVAR with Endurant AAA Stent Graft System

An 80-year-old patient at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital (St. Luke's) in Houston became the second in the nation to be treated with a newly approved FDA device for an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). The condition, often called, "the silent killer," is a dangerous bulge or ballooning in the main artery of the body that typically causes no symptoms until it ruptures.

23 Dec 2010

First implantation of Medtronic Transcatheter Aortic Valve Prosthesis in US performed at Mount Sinai

David H. Adams, MD, Marie-Jos-e and Henry R. Kravis Professor and Chairman of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Samin K. Sharma, MD, the Zena and Michael A. Weiner Professor and Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, and Annapoorna S. Kini, MD, Associate Professor and Associate Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at The Mount Sinai Medical Center, have performed the first implantation of the Medtronic CoreValve- Transcatheter Aortic Valve Prosthesis in the United States.

22 Dec 2010

El Camino announces first patient implant in Medtronic CoreValve clinical trial

El Camino Hospital today announced its first patient implant in the Medtronic CoreValve® U.S. Clinical Trial.

22 Dec 2010

FDA approves Medtronic Endurant AAA Stent Graft System for abdominal aortic aneurysms

An estimated 1.2 million people in the United States have an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) - a dangerous bulge or ballooning in their bodies' main artery that typically causes no symptoms until it ruptures, which can be deadly - and most of them don't know it. But for those with a known AAA of a certain size, there's a new medical device for a safe and effective treatment option that doesn't require major surgery, an extended hospital stay and a long recovery period.

21 Dec 2010

Gray’s Anatomy: Grey area for medical students!

In a new study researchers have found that Australian medical students are struggling to name important body parts. They found that only nine of the 26 students could answer half of 20 questions correctly. Some (nearly a quarter) answers were “of concern” indicating a perfunctory knowledge of human anatomy.

13 Dec 2010

Screening for CCDC40 gene mutations may help determine risk for congenital heart defects

A gene that can cause congenital heart defects has been identified by a team of scientists, including a group from Princeton University. The discovery could lead to new treatments for those affected by the conditions brought on by the birth defect.

7 Dec 2010

Cordis to distribute OSTIAL PRO Stent Positioning System worldwide

Cordis Corporation has entered into a distribution agreement with Ostial Solutions for the worldwide distribution of the OSTIAL PRO Stent Positioning System™. The OSTIAL PRO™ is the world's first and only aorto-ostial stent positioning system for coronary and peripheral applications. The OSTIAL PRO™ is intended to optimize the treatment of patients who require a stent implantation for treatment for aorto-ostial blockages.

30 Nov 2010

Medtronic's Valiant Stent System effective for thoracic aortic aneurysms treatment

An implantable medical device used in the minimally invasive treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms, the Valiant Thoracic Stent Graft System from Medtronic, Inc., delivered strong results through 30 days of patient follow-up in the company's U.S. pivotal study, according to clinical data presented at VEITHsymposium.

19 Nov 2010