Cardiac Surgery News and Research

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Filtering white cells from donor blood before transfusion is much safer for patients

The practice of removing the white cells from blood is called leukoreduction. But despite the recommendations of two national advisory committees in 10 years that voted in favor of all patients in the United States receiving leukoreduced blood, ("universal leukoreduction"), the practice is still not wholly supported in the medical community, nor recommended by the Food and Drug Administration. Part of the reason is fear of increased cost.

3 Apr 2007

Bioengineering heart parts

Some day, heart attack survivors might have a patch of laboratory-grown muscle placed in their heart, to replace areas that died during their attack.

30 Mar 2007

Blood pressure control with Clevidipine

Researchers report that an investigational anti-hypertensive therapy may perform better in controlling blood pressure than standard treatments for patients undergoing heart surgery, during a presentation at the American College of Cardiology's 56th Annual Scientific Session.

30 Mar 2007

Aprotinin use associated with an increased risk of death following CABG surgery

Aprotinin, a drug used for limiting blood loss in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, is associated with an increased risk of death during five years following the surgery, according to a new study in the February 7 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

7 Feb 2007

FDA approves Neuren's phase 3 Glypromate trial

Neuren Pharmaceuticals has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted its investigational new drug application (IND) and authorised the Company to proceed with its Phase 3 trial to prevent cognitive impairment following major cardiac surgery using Glypromate.

30 Jan 2007

Psychological effects of heart surgery

Cases of congenital heart disease (CHD), in both adolescents and adults, have been on the rise for many years.

30 Jan 2007

Incidence of kidney damage associated with coronary artery bypass surgery has increased significantly

The incidence of kidney damage associated with coronary artery bypass surgery has increased significantly over the past 16 years in the United States, but the rate of death from such damage has decreased significantly during the period, according to a new analysis.

16 Oct 2006

Major breakthrough could lead to improved recovery of the heart after heart attack or cardiac surgery

For the first time ever, researchers at the University of Bristol have been able to directly measure energy levels inside living heart cells, in real time, using the chemical that causes fireflies to light up.

21 Sep 2006

U.S. Army to trial of Glypromate to reduce brain injury from cardiac arrest

Neuren Pharmaceuticals today announced that physicians from Madigan Army Medical Center (Madigan) in Tacoma, Washington, will conduct an investigator- initiated Phase 2 trial to determine the safety and efficacy of Glypromate in reducing brain injury caused by out of hospital cardiac arrest.

4 Sep 2006

Researchers use proteins to 'switch on' heart tissue repair system

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are utilizing a protein to "switch on" the ability to repair damaged heart tissue.

9 Jul 2006

Bone marrow adult stem cells repair a damaged heart

Researchers at the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine at Toronto General Hospital have discovered the 'SOS' distress signal that mobilizes specific heart repair cells from the bone marrow to the injured heart after a heart attack.

3 Jul 2006

Future of children's hospitals threatened in Britain

The crisis in the National Health Service in the UK deepened this week as four children's hospitals warned health ministers they will be forced to cut specialist services.

18 Apr 2006

First artificial heart implant on the East Coast

A cardiac surgery team at Virginia Commonwealth University's Pauley Heart Center has performed the first artificial heart implant on the East Coast. The CardioWest temporary Total Artificial Heart, or TAH-t, is the only total artificial heart approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

6 Apr 2006

Three-dimensional ultrasound probes poised to advance minimally invasive surgery

Three-dimensional ultrasound probes built by researchers at Duke's Pratt School of Engineering have imaged the beating hearts of dogs. The engineers said their demonstration showed that the probes could give surgeons a better view during human endoscopic surgeries in which operations are performed through tiny "keyhole" incisions.

4 Apr 2006

UT Southwestern embraces robotic technology to advance future of surgery

Having a surgeon with four arms is one of the advantages of the latest robotic technology now being studied at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

14 Feb 2006

Minimally invasive surgery okay for problems of the upper part of the aorta

Tens of thousands of Americans live with a ticking time bomb in their chests. Now, a new University of Michigan study demonstrates that many of them may not need surgery in order to defuse it.

12 Feb 2006

Patients checking into a top rated hospital have a 27 percent lower chance of mortality

Patients checking into a hospital rated in the top five percent in the country have, on average, a 27 percent lower chance of mortality and a 14 percent lower risk of complications, according to a study released today by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings company.

7 Feb 2006

Drug used worldwide doubles risk of kidney failure

A drug approved by the FDA, and sold worldwide for the last 13 years, has now been proven to double a patient's risk of kidney failure, and increase the risk of heart attack, heart failure, and stroke.

26 Jan 2006

Emergency angioplasty better than clot-busting drugs

Across America, hospitals large and small have been racing to offer angioplasty and other minimally invasive treatments to open blocked heart arteries. But not all of them have the ability to do it on an emergency basis, performing angioplasty around the clock on heart attack patients. So, during evenings and weekends, many hospitals use clot-busting drugs instead.

16 Jan 2006

Quality of care for acute myocardial infarction in elderly patients with alcohol-related diagnoses

Older Americans with alcohol problems do not get worse treatment than their sober peers when they are hospitalized for a heart attack, according to new research on Medicare patients across the country.

6 Jan 2006