Congenital Heart Disease News and Research

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NCDR provides data to study appropriate use of oral anticoagulant therapy

The American College of Cardiology's National Cardiovascular Data Registry was the source of data for research published throughout 2016, including a study examining if atrial fibrillation patients are being prescribed oral anticoagulants, how appropriate use criteria correlates to angioplasty rates and the variation among racial groups for revascularization procedures.

30 Sep 2016

Study finds mutations in three new genes can cause rare syndromic CHD disorders

Researchers at The University of Nottingham have been involved in one of the largest international studies of congenital heart disease, which has discovered gene mutations linked to three new rare congenital heart disorders (CHD).

1 Aug 2016

Children born with CHD more likely to develop type 2 diabetes in adulthood

Children born with heart disease have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes after age 30, according to a new study.

19 Jul 2016

Study identifies genetic mutations responsible for development of cardiac hypertrophy in adults

Investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have identified a developmental cause of adult-onset cardiac hypertrophy, a dangerous thickening of the heart muscle that can lead to heart failure and death.

8 Jul 2016

Innovative website reveals NHS children's heart surgery statistics to decision makers and parents

Researchers are calling for the end to an era of confusion and alarm about children's heart surgery statistics by launching an innovative communication tool that will help people make sense of published survival data about children's heart surgery in the UK and Ireland.

21 Jun 2016

New blood test could help predict severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that rising blood levels of a protein called hematoma derived growth factor (HDGF) are linked to the increasing severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension, a form of damaging high blood pressure in the lungs.

20 Jun 2016

Scientists aim to heal failing heart with the body’s own cells

Babies born with heart defects live longer than ever thanks to advances in the diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart disease. Yet, despite substantial progress, many continue to face bleak odds, lifelong medication, multiple surgeries and progressive heart failure, often requiring a transplant.

15 Jun 2016

First-ever clinical trial of bioabsorbable cardiovascular device in children shows promise

Current cardiovascular valve or blood vessel implants are generally associated with a number of complications, have limited efficacy over time, and may necessitate repeated interventions over a patient's lifetime, especially when implanted in a young child.

18 May 2016

Japanese surgeons develop new technique to relieve airway obstruction in children

Several pediatric medical conditions, such as congenital heart disease, vascular compression, and congenital softening of the cartilage lining the trachea or bronchi, can compromise the airway and cause breathing difficulty.

18 May 2016

Clinicians describe placement of first implantable hemodynamic monitor in single ventricle Fontan anatomy

While the Fontan procedure has improved the short- and mid-term outcomes for patients born with single ventricle anatomy, long-term complications of Fontan circulation include heart failure. These complications are thought to be secondary to elevated central venous pressure, chronic venous congestion and low cardiac output.

29 Apr 2016

Acid suppression drugs frequently prescribed for high-risk newborns, study shows

Since 2006, several published studies have associated the use of some acid suppression medications in hospitalized high-risk babies with infections, necrotizing enterocolitis and increased risk of death. Those medications - histamine-2 receptor antagonists, such as ranitidine (Zantac and others), and proton pump inhibitors, such as esomeprazole (Nexium and others) - were originally approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in adults and older children.

27 Apr 2016

Pediatric researchers develop minimally invasive techniques to treat plastic bronchitis

Pediatric researchers have devised an innovative, safe and minimally invasive procedure that helps relieve rare but potentially life-threatening airway blockages occurring in children who had surgery for congenital heart defects.

22 Apr 2016

Boston Children's, Edwards Lifesciences launch new prosthetic heart valve study for congenital heart defect

Surgeons in the Heart Center at Boston Children's Hospital have partnered with Edwards Lifesciences to launch a clinical study of a new prosthetic heart valve for patients born with a congenital heart defect.

17 Mar 2016

Anti-anxiety drug reduces autistic features in Jacobsen syndrome mice

About half of children born with Jacobsen syndrome, a rare inherited disease, experience social and behavioral issues consistent with autism spectrum disorders. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and collaborators developed a mouse model of the disease that also exhibits autism-like social behaviors and used it to unravel the molecular mechanism that connects the genetic defects inherited in Jacobsen syndrome to effects on brain function.

16 Mar 2016

Adults living with congenital heart disease may have higher risk of PTSD

Adults living with congenital heart disease (CHD) may have a significantly higher risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than people in the general population.

15 Mar 2016

TBX5 gene expression could play key role in congenital heart disease

Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect and the leading cause of all infant deaths in the United States. Mutations in the gene TBX5 have been shown to cause both rare and more prevalent forms of congenital heart disease, yet the underlying mechanisms have remained unclear.

9 Feb 2016

ISHLT issues new list of criteria to determine patient eligibility for heart transplant

To determine patient eligibility for heart transplant, the International Society for Heart Lung Transplantation maintains a list of criteria, first issued in 2006, that acts as a guideline for physicians.

7 Jan 2016

LifeVest wearable cardioverter defibrillator approved for children at risk for sudden cardiac arrest

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a new indication for the LifeVest wearable cardioverter defibrillator. The LifeVest is approved for certain children who are at risk for sudden cardiac arrest, but are not candidates for an implantable defibrillator due to certain medical conditions or lack of parental consent.

17 Dec 2015

CAP2 gene responsible for cardiac conduction disease in mice

The presence or absence of the CAP2 gene causes sudden cardiac death in mice, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. In particular, the absence of the gene interrupts the animal's ability to send electrical signals to the heart to tell it to contract, a condition called cardiac conduction disease.

15 Dec 2015

New biobank initiative may help unlock some of the mysteries linked to Down syndrome

Nationwide Children's Hospital and research advocacy group DownSyndrome Achieves have joined forces to create the first biobank in the country dedicated to collecting and managing blood samples from people with Down syndrome.

12 Dec 2015