Catheterization News and Research

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HIV is not an independent risk factor for severe heart disease

Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is no longer an automatic death sentence, thanks to the use of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART).

8 Mar 2005

Study finds potential link to help find blocked heart arteries

A blood test in combination with a stress test can help better determine if someone is likely to have a blocked heart artery, according to a study by doctors at Providence Hospital in Southfield, Mich.

8 Mar 2005

Large hole in boy's liver repaired using innovative catheterization procedure

Through an innovative catheterization procedure, a pediatric cardiologist at Texas Children's Heart Center in Houston repaired a severe liver condition in a 14-year-old male.

7 Mar 2005

African-Americans receive less aggressive treatment for heart attack than whites

According to a study at the Maya Angelou Research Center on Minority Health at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, African-Americans continue to receive less aggressive treatment for heart attack than whites.

1 Mar 2005

Gene therapy for heart patients with chest pains who do not benefit from other treatments

Individuals with moderate to severe chest pains (angina) who have not found relief from medication may benefit from a new gene therapy approach being used by cardiologists at Rush University Medical Center to grow new blood vessels in the heart.

3 Feb 2005

Invasive procedures do not necessarily improve survival for heart patients

Invasive procedures, often given to patients as soon as they are admitted to hospital with a life-threatening heart condition, do not necessarily improve survival, finds a study published on bmj.com today.

20 Jan 2005

Non-invasive fingertip test can identify coronary disease at its earliest stages

A non-invasive fingertip test can identify coronary disease at its earliest stages and may provide an easy to use tool for daily clinical practice, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

20 Jan 2005

Hypnosis helps kids undergoing difficult procedure called voiding cystourethography

Elaine Miller desperately wanted to find a way to help her daughter, Hannah, endure an awkward and painful medical examination in which doctors insert a catheter into her bladder, inject a dye and ask her to urinate while being X-rayed.

4 Jan 2005

Angioplasty may replace bypass for more patients who are also receiving a new heart valve

The death rate during combination surgery to bypass clogged coronary arteries and simultaneously replace a heart valve in very sick patients can be as high as one in five, but a review of records of very sick patients who underwent balloon angioplasty, followed by heart valve replacement surgery, found only one death among 26 patients.

4 Jan 2005

Study evaluates new stroke prevention treatment

Doctors at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center are evaluating a new treatment designed to prevent strokes caused by a small heart defect.

21 Dec 2004

Cardiovascular experts issue blueprint for safer X-Ray imaging

Millions of invasive cardiovascular procedures that involve the use of potentially hazardous X-rays are done in the United States each year.

8 Dec 2004

Carbon coatings to prevent bacteria collecting on indwelling catheters

This team of physicists have coated catheters and ureter stents with an extremely thin layer of diamond-like carbon. DLC-coated surfaces do not react chemically with their environment; they are hardwearing, can be sterilised and reduce friction.

18 Nov 2004

A new magnetic navigation system shows promise for use during percutaneous coronary interventions

The magnetic-assisted intervention is being introduced in the United States and Europe, with fewer than 15 systems installed at institutions worldwide. Developed by Stereotaxis, Inc., a St. Louis firm, the system was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2003.

9 Nov 2004

Scientists have developed a fast and safe method for collecting heart stem cells from small amounts of biopsied heart tissue

In human and animal studies, scientists at Johns Hopkins have developed a fast and safe method for collecting heart stem cells from remarkably small amounts of biopsied heart tissue (15 mg or less), and growing the cells in the lab to get more.

9 Nov 2004

New valve repair device that could replace major heart surgery

The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) is participating in a nationwide clinical trial of a new valve repair device that could replace major heart surgery in some patients.

8 Nov 2004

Coronary stents have no impact on mortality over the long term

While the placement of stents in newly reopened coronary arteries has been shown to reduce the need for repeat angioplasty procedures, researchers from the Duke Clinical Research Institute have found that stents have no impact on mortality over the long term.

8 Nov 2004

Rosiglitazone helps boost the effectiveness of a treatment for opening clogged arteries

Rosiglitazone, a drug taken to help improve blood sugar levels, also helps boost the effectiveness of a treatment for opening clogged arteries, according to a study in the November issue of Diabetes Care.

25 Oct 2004

Gene variations explain why people with type 2 diabetes are at much greater risk for coronary artery disease

New studies by an international team of scientists led by Joslin Diabetes Center have found variations in a gene that help explain why people with type 2 diabetes are at much greater risk for coronary artery disease, the leading cause of death for this group.

21 Oct 2004

Coronary angioplasty within 24 hours of medical therapy could improve the outcome for heart-attack patients

Results of a randomised trial in this week’s issue of THE LANCET suggest that a more aggressive approach involving coronary angioplasty soon after anticlotting medical therapy is safe and could offer a better prognosis than more conservative treatment for patients who have had heart attack.

17 Sep 2004

Surgery for angina in the elderly provides long-term mortality

Elderly people who undergo surgery or angioplasty to treat chest pain fare just as well long-term as those treated with medication, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

30 Aug 2004