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.

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

Cumberland to present clinical trial data of Caldolor at the AAPM annual meeting

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced today that data from two key clinical trials for Caldolor®, an intravenous formulation of ibuprofen approved for treatment of pain and fever in adults, will be presented at the American Academy of Pain Management's (AAPM) 20th Annual Clinical Meeting to be held in Phoenix, Ariz., on October 8-11, 2009.

5 Oct 2009

Baptist Healthcare System deploys Mckesson's Horizon Enterprise Revenue Management solution

Kentucky-based Baptist Healthcare System plans to stay ahead of the information technology curve. When a switch was flipped on Aug. 15 at Baptist Hospital Northeast in La Grange, Ky., the health system became the first to simultaneously implement both the access and business management modules of McKesson’s Horizon Enterprise Revenue Management™ solution.

5 Oct 2009

70% of Americans underestimate the seriousness of SCA

More than 250,000 deaths occur each year as a result of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). In fact, SCA claims one life every two minutes, taking more lives each year than breast cancer, lung cancer or AIDS. Yet, according to a recent survey issued by the Heart Rhythm Society, more than 70 percent of Americans not only underestimate the seriousness of SCA, but also believe SCA is a type of heart attack.

3 Oct 2009

USPTO grants Micardia's patent concerning reshaping the anatomy of the heart

MiCardia® today announced that The United States Patent Office granted patent number US7,594,887 B2, "Shape Memory Devices and Methods for Reshaping Heart Anatomy," on September 29th, 2009.

3 Oct 2009

FDA grants Fast Track designation to Corthera's relaxin for treating acute heart failure

Corthera Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation to relaxin, the company's investigational drug for the treatment of acute heart failure (AHF). The Fast Track program facilitates the development and expedites the review of new drugs intended to treat serious or life-threatening conditions and that demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs.

3 Oct 2009

Health Canada approves VIBATIV for treating complicated skin and skin structure infections

Astellas Pharma Canada, Inc. announced today that Health Canada has approved VIBATIV(TM) (telavancin) for the treatment of adult patients with complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI) caused by susceptible Gram-positive bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, both methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) strains.

1 Oct 2009

CVRx commences enrollment in study evaluating the Rheos System to treat heart failure

CVRx, Inc. reported the first enrollment of a patient in the HOPE4HF Trial, a study that is evaluating the Rheos System to treat heart failure. The Rheos System uses Baroreflex Activation Therapy® technology, an entirely new non-pharmaceutical approach designed to treat cardiovascular disease. The HOPE4HF Trial is being conducted under an approved investigational device exemption (IDE) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

1 Oct 2009

Consumption of fish has no major role in protection against heart failure

The consumption of fish has no major role in the prevention of heart failure, according to results from a large prospective population study. The study, which was started in 1990 and involved all men and women over the age of 55 living in a suburb of Rotterdam, found no difference in the risk of developing heart failure between those who did eat fish and those who didn't.

1 Oct 2009

Heart Failure News and Research

Further Reading

NHLBI grants for diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular and blood disorders

CIGNA and Prohealth Physicians to implement an enhanced care coordination program

Mitraclip is an experimental and controversial procedure, says heart specialist

Susquehanna Health acquires a Daxor blood volume analyzer

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

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

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

For one senior, Medicaid provides model care

First Edition: October 6, 2009

HeartWare International receives approval to expand its clinical sites

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

ResMed announces acquisition of Laboratoires Narval

Cumberland to present clinical trial data of Caldolor at the AAPM annual meeting

Baptist Healthcare System deploys Mckesson's Horizon Enterprise Revenue Management solution

70% of Americans underestimate the seriousness of SCA

USPTO grants Micardia's patent concerning reshaping the anatomy of the heart

FDA grants Fast Track designation to Corthera's relaxin for treating acute heart failure

Health Canada approves VIBATIV for treating complicated skin and skin structure infections

CVRx commences enrollment in study evaluating the Rheos System to treat heart failure

Consumption of fish has no major role in protection against heart failure

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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