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.

Patient outcomes better in highly rated hospitals than others

The largest annual study of patient outcomes at each of the nation's 5,000 nonfederal hospitals found a wide gap in quality between the nation's best hospitals and all others. According to the study, issued today by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization, patients at highly rated hospitals have a 52 percent lower chance of dying compared with the U.S. hospital average, a quality chasm that has persisted for the last decade even as mortality rates, in general, have declined.

13 Oct 2009

Five principles recommended by Iowa Committee for high-value health care

The Iowa Committee for Value in Healthcare today issued a report on five key principles for high-value, fiscally responsible health care that Congress and the Obama administration should consider as they continue discussions over national reform.

13 Oct 2009

COPD Management Program for South Region TRICARE beneficiaries

Humana Military Healthcare Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Humana Inc., announced today an additional benefit available for South Region TRICARE beneficiaries. The Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Management Program offers telephonic education and coaching by dedicated registered nurses.

12 Oct 2009

NIH awards Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center $38.2M in grants

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has been awarded $38.2 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

12 Oct 2009

Persistent, growing disparities underscore the need for national reform

The cost and quality of health care, as well as access to care and health outcomes, continue to vary widely among states, according to the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System's second state scorecard report released today.

9 Oct 2009

SCAA to host Survivor Celebration event to mark SCA Awareness Month

A nationwide gathering of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) survivors will mark SCA Awareness Month with a Survivor Celebration on Friday, October 9th at 7 p.m. in Chicago. This survivor event, hosted by the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA) at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, 9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue in Rosemont, is part of three-day program that will make up the organization’s annual meeting.

9 Oct 2009

Cambridge Heart to showcase Microvolt T-Wave Alternans technology at 2009 Annual Meeting Conference

Cambridge Heart, Inc. (OTCBB-CAMH) will participate in the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association’s 2nd Annual Meeting and Medical Education Conference in Chicago, Illinois October 9th through the 11th, to showcase their Microvolt T-Wave AlternansTM (MTWA) technology designed to identify patients at risk for Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA).

9 Oct 2009

Calcium to cure cardiovascular problems

Calcium is crucial for heart regeneration by cardiac stem cells following cardiovascular problems say scientists in an article to be published in the journal Circulation Research this 9th of October.

9 Oct 2009

NHLBI grants for diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular and blood disorders

Two teams led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers, also members of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), are among 18 groups receiving National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) grants for the development of stem-cell based tools and treatments to understand and treat cardiovascular and blood disorders.

9 Oct 2009

CIGNA and Prohealth Physicians to implement an enhanced care coordination program

CIGNA and ProHealth Physicians, Inc., have expanded their longstanding relationship by implementing an enhanced care coordination program that includes pay-for-performance provisions and many of the features of a patient-centered medical home program. This is the first program of its kind in Connecticut.

9 Oct 2009

Mitraclip is an experimental and controversial procedure, says heart specialist

Seventy-seven year-old Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor announced on Tuesday she was having a Mitraclip heart procedure. Leading cardiothoracic surgeon and heart surgery expert Dr. Lishan Aklog, M.D. appeared on EmpowHer, the home of women's health online, to explain why her surgery is "experimental and controversial."

8 Oct 2009

Susquehanna Health acquires a Daxor blood volume analyzer

Daxor Corporation, a medical instrumentation and biotechnology company, today announced the receipt of a signed trial agreement from Susquehanna Health of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. This will provide Susquehanna Health with a Blood Volume Analyzer-100 (BVA-100), an instrument which enables semi-automated measurement of a patient's total blood volume, red blood cell volume and plasma volume.

8 Oct 2009

Relypsa commences patient enrollment in Phase 2b clinical trial of RLY5016 for treating hyperkalemia

Relypsa, Inc., today announced the initiation of patient enrollment in the PEARL-HF study, a Phase 2b clinical trial of the company’s lead compound, RLY5016. A novel potassium binder designed for chronic use, RLY5016 is being evaluated in the prevention and treatment of hyperkalemia, for which there are no current satisfactory treatments.

7 Oct 2009

Award-winning GWTG hospitals have lower mortality rates for heart attack and heart failure patients: Study

Hospitals receiving performance awards from the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) quality improvement initiative have lower mortality rates for heart attack and heart failure patients than all other hospitals, according to a new study.

7 Oct 2009

Diuretics effective as second-line agents in treating high blood pressure

A new review shows that diuretics — drugs often recommended as a first-line treatment for high blood pressure — are also effective when added as a second agent to other blood-pressure lowering drugs.

7 Oct 2009

For one senior, Medicaid provides model care

Also as part of the "Are You Covered?" series, NPR's Jeff Brady profiles Gracie Scarrow, 94. She was diagnosed with congestive heart failure she didn't have the money to pay for the care she needed.

7 Oct 2009

First Edition: October 6, 2009

Kathy Young, the veteran benefits administrator for a large plumbing supply company headquartered in Madison, Wis., is well versed in the often fiendish complexities of medical bills (Kaiser Health News and The Washington Post).

6 Oct 2009

HeartWare International receives approval to expand its clinical sites

HeartWare International, Inc. today announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expand the number of clinical sites participating in its U.S. bridge-to-transplant trial, known as the ADVANCE trial.

6 Oct 2009

Gene therapy to improve ailing heart's contractions of muscle cells

Scientists from the Universities of Michigan and Minnesota show in a research report published online in the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) that gene therapy may be used to improve an ailing heart's ability to contract properly. In addition to showing gene therapy's potential for reversing the course of heart failure, it also offers a tantalizing glimpse of a day when "closed heart surgery" via gene therapy is as commonly prescribed as today's cocktail of drugs.

6 Oct 2009

ResMed announces acquisition of Laboratoires Narval

ResMed Inc. (NYSE: RMD), a leading developer, manufacturer and distributor of sleep and respiratory medical equipment, announced today that it has acquired Laboratoires Narval. Based in France, Laboratoires Narval manufactures and distributes the Narval O.R.M.(TM), an innovative mandibular repositioning device (MRD) that offers a solution to patients for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), especially for those with mild OSA.

From ResMed Corp 6 Oct 2009