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.

Scientists find link between Alzheimer's disease and chronic heart failure

A team of U.S., Canadian and Italian scientists led by researchers at Johns Hopkins report evidence from studies in animals and humans supporting a link between Alzheimer's disease and chronic heart failure, two of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States.

16 Nov 2009

Links present between Alzheimer's disease and chronic heart failure, support researchers

16 Nov 2009

PACE trial results presented at the American Heart Association congress

Pacing the two lower chambers of the heart, or bi-ventricular pacing, prevented cardiac enlargement as compared to only pacing the right ventricle in pacemaker patients with normal pumping hearts, according to results presented today from the Pacing to Avoid Cardiac Enlargement (PACE) trial, a clinical study supported by Medtronic, Inc..

16 Nov 2009

Just one test not enough to detect heart defects in young athletes

To best detect early signs of life-threatening heart defects in young athletes, screening programs should include both popular diagnostic tests, not just one of them, according to new research from heart experts at Johns Hopkins.

16 Nov 2009

Researchers develop microscopic polymer beads to deliver antioxidant enzyme into heart

Researchers at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed microscopic polymer beads that can deliver an antioxidant enzyme made naturally by the body into the heart.

16 Nov 2009

Health policy research round up - Medicare and Massachusetts

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: The Secrets of Massachusetts' Success - "By the summer of 2008, less than two years after Massachusetts' health reform law became effective, only 2.6 percent of state residents were uninsured—the lowest proportion ever recorded for any state." This study by the RWJF-funded State Health Access Reform Evaluation (SHARE) initiative "explains how national reforms can use similar methods to avoid the pitfalls that have plagued other coverage expansions."

13 Nov 2009

Study of GBHN Order Set project reveals improvements in the length of stay and ordering of best practices

A study of the Grey Bruce Health Network (GBHN) Order Set project has revealed impressive improvements in the length of stay and ordering of best practices.

13 Nov 2009

New minimally invasive laser treatment saves the lives of twins with TTTS

As the number of women having twins has increased, so has the odds of developing a serious pregnancy complication called twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). This disorder affects as many as 15 percent of identical twin pregnancies, and results in uneven blood flow between the fetuses. Until recently the outcome was usually death or disabilities for the surviving babies.

13 Nov 2009

First pediatric hospital to discharge child with mechanical heart assist device

Texas Children's Hospital is the nation's first pediatric hospital to discharge a child while on an intracorporeal ventricular assist device (VAD), a feat previously accomplished only at adult institutions. The patient, 16-year-old Francisco "Frank" De Santiago, who was implanted with a mechanical heart pump called the HeartMate II on May 19, 2009, was discharged on Oct. 29, 2009.

12 Nov 2009

Transplantation of hESC-derived OPCs spare spinal cord tissue in the cervical lesion site: Study

Geron Corporation today announced the publication of data showing that oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), when transplanted into a rodent model of cervical spinal cord injury, reduced tissue damage within the lesion and improved recovery of locomotor function.

12 Nov 2009

Catheter-directed therapy: First-line treatment option for massive pulmonary embolism

Catheter-directed therapy or catheter-directed thrombolysis-an interventional radiology treatment that uses targeted image-guided drug delivery with specially designed catheters to dissolve dangerous blood clots in the lungs-saves lives and should be considered a first-line treatment option for massive pulmonary embolism, note researchers in the November Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.

12 Nov 2009

Ventricular Assist Device/Destination Therapy certification for Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento

The Joint Commission has awarded Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento the Ventricular Assist Device/Destination Therapy certification, allowing the Sacramento region's only heart transplant program to implant left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) as permanent therapy and not just as bridges to transplant

11 Nov 2009

Academic Health Center receives 128 grants totaling nearly $35 million in federal stimulus money

Academic Health Center scientists, physicians, and research centers have attracted 128 grants totaling nearly $35 million in federal stimulus money (as of Nov. 10) since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was approved in February 2009. This will result in a total economic impact of more than $105 million; according to the National Institutes of Health, $1 of research funding multiplies to more than $2 of goods and services in the economy.

11 Nov 2009

Third-quarter 2009 results announced by Response Biomedical

Response Biomedical Corporation today announced financial results for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2009.

10 Nov 2009

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital celebrates 25th anniversary of pediatric heart transplantation

NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital is celebrating the 25th anniversary of pediatric heart transplantation. In 1984, the Hospital's surgeons performed the world's first successful heart transplant, giving the gift of life to a 4-year-old boy.

7 Nov 2009

Declining kidney function linked to higher risk of heart failure in individuals with or without kidney disease

Declining kidney function is linked to a higher risk of heart failure, heart attack, peripheral arterial disease, and early death in individuals with or without kidney disease, according to a pair of studies appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).

6 Nov 2009

Average cost of patient deaths much higher than patients who were discharged alive

One of every three people who died in 2007 in the United States were in the hospital for treatment at the time of their deaths, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The cost of their hospital stays was about $20 billion.

6 Nov 2009

Abiomed reports second quarter fiscal 2010 results

Abiomed, Inc., a leading provider of breakthrough heart support technologies, today announced second quarter fiscal 2010 revenue of $20 million.

5 Nov 2009

Statins may have negative effects on some cardiac patients, says study

Although statins are widely used to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular disorders, new research shows that the class of drugs may actually have negative effects on some cardiac patients. A new study presented at CHEST 2009, the 75th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), found that statins have beneficial effects on patients with systolic heart failure (SHF), but those with diastolic heart failure (DHF) experienced the opposite effect, including increased dyspnea, fatigue, and decreased exercise tolerance.

4 Nov 2009

PAH patients face life-threatening risks from medication errors

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients using infused drugs have suffered serious injury or in some cases died from medication errors in hospitals and other inpatient settings, according to a peer-reviewed study by Accredo Health Group and several university hospitals that surveyed doctors, nurses and pharmacists.

4 Nov 2009

Heart Failure News and Research

Further Reading

Scientists find link between Alzheimer's disease and chronic heart failure

Links present between Alzheimer's disease and chronic heart failure, support researchers

PACE trial results presented at the American Heart Association congress

Just one test not enough to detect heart defects in young athletes

Researchers develop microscopic polymer beads to deliver antioxidant enzyme into heart

Health policy research round up - Medicare and Massachusetts

Study of GBHN Order Set project reveals improvements in the length of stay and ordering of best practices

New minimally invasive laser treatment saves the lives of twins with TTTS

First pediatric hospital to discharge child with mechanical heart assist device

Transplantation of hESC-derived OPCs spare spinal cord tissue in the cervical lesion site: Study

Catheter-directed therapy: First-line treatment option for massive pulmonary embolism

Ventricular Assist Device/Destination Therapy certification for Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento

Academic Health Center receives 128 grants totaling nearly $35 million in federal stimulus money

Third-quarter 2009 results announced by Response Biomedical

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital celebrates 25th anniversary of pediatric heart transplantation

Declining kidney function linked to higher risk of heart failure in individuals with or without kidney disease

Average cost of patient deaths much higher than patients who were discharged alive

Abiomed reports second quarter fiscal 2010 results

Statins may have negative effects on some cardiac patients, says study

PAH patients face life-threatening risks from medication errors

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