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.

cTnT blood biomarker may predict risk of cardiovascular problems: Study

Certain measures of the blood biomarker cardiac troponin T (cTnT), a cardiac-specific protein, using a highly sensitive test, are associated with the development of heart failure or cardiovascular death in older adults, according to a study that will appear in the December 8 issue of JAMA. The study is being released early online because it will be presented at the American Heart Association's annual meeting.

16 Nov 2010

Celladon’s Phase 2 CUPID trial shows improved clinical outcomes in advanced heart failure patients

Celladon Corp., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative treatments for cardiovascular diseases, today announced that 12-month data from its Phase 2 CUPID clinical trial of MYDICAR demonstrated significant improvements in clinical outcomes and key disease markers in advanced heart failure patients treated with the genetically-targeted enzyme replacement therapy.

15 Nov 2010

Novel heart attack treatment results presented at premier USA cardiology forum

Regenerative medicine company Mesoblast Limited (ASX:MSB; USADR:MBLTY) has announced that positive preclinical trial results were presented at the American Heart Association’s annual conference in Chicago showing that the company’s proprietary “off-the-shelf” stem cells can be injected simply, safely, and effectively into the coronary arteries after a heart attack to prevent heart failure.

15 Nov 2010

High-dose prescription omega-3 does not reduce recurrence of atrial fibrillation

Although some data have suggested that omega-3 fatty acid supplements, such as from fish oil, may improve treatment of atrial fibrillation, a randomized trial with more than 600 patients finds that treatment with high-dose prescription omega-3 did not reduce the recurrence of atrial fibrillation over six months, according to a study that will appear in the December 1 issue of JAMA. The study is being released early online because it will be presented at the American Heart Association's annual meeting.

15 Nov 2010

AHA/ASA announce need for comprehensive hospital certification program for heart and stroke care

The American Heart Association should develop a comprehensive hospital certification program with policies and evidence-based criteria for cardiovascular disease and stroke care in the United States, according to an American Heart Association Presidential Advisory published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

15 Nov 2010

Thomson Reuters releases results of annual study identifying top U.S. hospitals for inpatient cardiovascular services

Thomson Reuters today released its annual study identifying the top U.S. hospitals for inpatient cardiovascular services. The study, now in its twelfth year, for the first time singled out 50 hospitals rather than the traditional practice of naming 100 winners.

15 Nov 2010

Light alcohol consumption benefits post-coronary bypass patients

Light to moderate alcohol consumption (about two to three drinks daily) among male coronary artery bypass patients was associated with 25 percent fewer subsequent cardiovascular procedures, heart attacks, strokes and death compared to non-drinkers, in a study presented at the American Heart's Association's Scientific Sessions 2010.

15 Nov 2010

Scios announces results of ASCEND-HF trial for ADHF treatment

Scios Inc. announced today that the landmark investigational study of NATRECOR (nesiritide) for the treatment of acutely decompensated heart failure (ADHF), ASCEND-HF, demonstrated no statistically significant difference from placebo in the co-primary endpoints of dyspnea, measured at six and 24 hours, or in the composite of heart failure re-hospitalizations and death during the first 30 days following treatment.

15 Nov 2010

Bariatric surgery improves disease symptoms in obese heart failure patients

A small Mayo Clinic study has found that morbidly obese heart failure patients who undergo bariatric surgery gain long-lasting and meaningful improvements in disease symptoms and quality of life. The results were presented today at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2010 in Chicago.

15 Nov 2010

Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute implants VAD device to help individuals with advanced heart failure

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.

15 Nov 2010

Young father receives life-saving intervention prior heart transplant surgery

James "Jimmy" Armstrong hadn't missed a "Mac" in 28 years. At 44, he's one of the youngest "goats" in the Chicago Yacht Club. Sailors receive the designation of "goat" once they've completed 20 or more "Macs", the 333-mile boat race from Chicago to Mackinac, Mich. Armstrong has sailed the race every year since he was 16. But, he wasn't among the sailors this past July. Instead, he was in intensive care awaiting heart transplant following a harrowing experience spurred by severe case of myocarditis-a little-known condition causing inflammation of the heart muscle.

15 Nov 2010

Vit D deficiency does not raise stroke risk in African-Americans

While vitamin D deficiency is associated with fatal stroke among whites, it is not linked to more stroke deaths among blacks, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2010.

15 Nov 2010

New therapeutic implant synchronizes fading heart beat

One of the largest, most extensive worldwide investigations into heart failure, led by the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI), conclusively proves that a new therapeutic implant synchronizes and strengthens a fading heart beat while reducing risk of death by 24% compared to the current treatment.

14 Nov 2010

Research roundup: Doctors' industry ties; Patient safety and residents' hours; Designing a medical home

Archives of Internal Medicine: Physician Professionalism And Changes in Physician-Industry Relationships From 2004 to 2009 -"During the last 6 years a number of efforts have aimed to reduce, and in some cases eliminate, certain types of physician-industry relationships (PIRs)," including policies "that forbid physicians from accepting samples and receiving food and beverages in offices, limiting company representatives' access to physicians' offices and clinical areas, and banning faculty participation in speaker bureaus and other forms of promotional activity," write the authors.

12 Nov 2010

Nile third quarter net loss decreases to $1.8 million

Nile Therapeutics, Inc., a company focused on the development of novel therapeutics for therapeutics for cardiovascular disease, today announced its third quarter financial results for 2010.

12 Nov 2010

Not enough doctors for primary care medical homes

Provisions of new federal health care reforms will move the country toward a primary care medical home for patients, but the nation may not have enough primary care doctors to handle the workload, according to a study by the University of Michigan Health System.

12 Nov 2010

Statins benefit ‘at risk’ patients but are underused: Study

A look at some of the large clinical trials and studies has shown that thousands of deaths could be prevented a year if people at risk of heart attack or stroke are prescribed high doses of statins. The review involves data from 170,000 patients in 26 randomized trials. The paper is published in the journal The Lancet.

10 Nov 2010

Abbott presents results of 2 pivotal HUMIRA studies at American College of Rheumatology meeting

Today, Abbott presents results from a pooled analysis of two pivotal HUMIRA® (adalimumab) studies, which look at patients with early and long-standing moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA), at the American College of Rheumatology meeting in Atlanta.

10 Nov 2010

Covidien analysis finds lower incidence of GI adverse events with topical NSAIDs versus oral

Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products, announced the results of an analysis that will be presented at the American College of Rheumatology's Annual Scientific Meeting. A pooled analysis of safety data suggests that patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) receiving the topical PENNSAID® (diclofenac sodium topical solution) 1.5% w/w had significantly fewer gastrointestinal (GI)-related adverse events than those receiving an oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).

10 Nov 2010

SIMPONI injection improves inflammation, structural damage in RA patients

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analyses from two Phase 3 clinical trials showed that once every four week subcutaneous injections of SIMPONI (golimumab) 50 mg plus methotrexate resulted in statistically significant improvements in markers of inflammation and structural damage in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared with placebo plus methotrexate.

9 Nov 2010

Heart Failure News and Research

Further Reading

cTnT blood biomarker may predict risk of cardiovascular problems: Study

Celladon’s Phase 2 CUPID trial shows improved clinical outcomes in advanced heart failure patients

Novel heart attack treatment results presented at premier USA cardiology forum

High-dose prescription omega-3 does not reduce recurrence of atrial fibrillation

AHA/ASA announce need for comprehensive hospital certification program for heart and stroke care

Thomson Reuters releases results of annual study identifying top U.S. hospitals for inpatient cardiovascular services

Light alcohol consumption benefits post-coronary bypass patients

Scios announces results of ASCEND-HF trial for ADHF treatment

Bariatric surgery improves disease symptoms in obese heart failure patients

Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute implants VAD device to help individuals with advanced heart failure

Young father receives life-saving intervention prior heart transplant surgery

Vit D deficiency does not raise stroke risk in African-Americans

New therapeutic implant synchronizes fading heart beat

Research roundup: Doctors' industry ties; Patient safety and residents' hours; Designing a medical home

Nile third quarter net loss decreases to $1.8 million

Not enough doctors for primary care medical homes

Statins benefit ‘at risk’ patients but are underused: Study

Abbott presents results of 2 pivotal HUMIRA studies at American College of Rheumatology meeting

Covidien analysis finds lower incidence of GI adverse events with topical NSAIDs versus oral

SIMPONI injection improves inflammation, structural damage in RA patients

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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