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.

BHF Help a Heart Campaign aims to raise £1.5 million pounds in June to achieve pioneering heart research solutions

British Heart Foundation (BHF) researchers Dr Elinor Griffiths and Dr Andy James and the rest of the team at the Bristol Heart Institute joined up with BHF fundraisers Paul Bancroft and Lucy Culverhouse to launch the BHF Help a Heart Campaign in Bristol this week (Monday 9 June) at Bristol University.

11 Jun 2008

Heart Failure 2008 - Congress to address a heart condition whose prevalence is increasing with 'exponential growth'

Heart failure is by far the single biggest reason for acute hospital admission. Around 30 million people in Europe have heart failure and its incidence is still increasing: more cases are being identified, more people are living to an old age, and more are surviving a heart attack but with damage to the heart muscle.

11 Jun 2008

Sunshine vitamin protect against heart attacks

In a study by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, it has been found that men with low levels of vitamin D have an increased risk for heart attacks.

10 Jun 2008

Many patients with heart failure miscalculate life expectancy

Many patients with heart failure - especially younger ones and those with more severe disease - significantly overestimate how long they going to live, say Duke University Medical Center researchers.

3 Jun 2008

Consumers Union to launch hospital ratings service

Consumers Union, the not-for-profit group that publishes Consumer Reports magazine, plans to offer a new online service that will rate hospitals, the Wall Street Journal reports.

30 May 2008

More aggressive hospital care does not lead to improved patient outcomes in all cases, study finds

More aggressive hospital care -- such as higher numbers of tests and procedures and longer stays -- does not lead to improved patient outcomes in all cases, according to a study released on Thursday, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.

30 May 2008

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients benefit more from pulmonary rehab in earlier stages

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who are in their final years of survival do not get the same benefits from pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) as patients who have more years left to live-regardless of their age, complicating illnesses or lung function, according to new research funded by the Veteran's Administration, which will be presented at the American Thoracic Society's 2008 International Conference in Toronto on Tuesday, May 20.

20 May 2008

Thiazide-type diuretic shown to be best first-choice drug for hypertensive patients

A study based at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston provides added justification that a thiazide-type diuretic is the best first-choice drug for hypertensive patients. The findings, published in the American Heart Association's Circulation, Volume 117, Issue 20, evaluate the results of a previous trial coordinated by researchers at The University of Texas School of Public Health, along with other recent studies.

19 May 2008

Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea with CPAP may lower blood pressure

Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) may also lower blood pressure among hypertensive adults, according to researchers in Spain, who will present his findings at the American Thoracic Society's 2008 International Conference in Toronto on Sunday, May 18.

19 May 2008

Sildenafil could become a treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

A new study appears to have found another use for the drug Viagra other than for treating problems such as erectile dysfunction.

15 May 2008

Drug therapy for phenylketonuria reverses heart damage

A pricy drug used to treat a rare but well-known genetic disorder may hold wider promise as a treatment for millions of Americans with potentially lethal enlarged hearts, due mainly to high blood pressure, a study from Johns Hopkins shows.

13 May 2008

Chronic disease management: Does it improve health and save money?

A study published in the May/June issue of Health Affairs reports on the first randomized trial providing a scientifically valid look at what one might expect from chronic disease management programs that serve low-income individuals. The study result provides good news for state Medicaid leaders struggling to meet the needs of individuals with chronic conditions and also suggests that some disease management efforts, even among relatively low-risk patients, may be an effective strategy.

13 May 2008

Physician Gainsharing programs reduce hospital spending

Giving physicians cash payments for reduced hospital spending can help control costs without sacrificing quality or access to care, researchers report in a study released today in the May/June 2008 issue of the journal Health Affairs. The issue is a thematic volume on health reform supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

13 May 2008

Childhood and adolescent obesity impacts cardiac health

Study findings presented at the May 2008 Pediatric Academic Societies and Asian Society for Pediatric Research Joint Meeting indicate that childhood and adolescent obesity negatively impacts vascular endothelial function, which relates to cardiac health.

11 May 2008

New journal - Circulation: Heart Failure

The American Heart Association has named the editor of Circulation: Heart Failure, its second of the planned six-publication extension to the weekly flagship journal, Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. The journals will be published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

7 May 2008

Geron Corporation awarded UK grant funding for human embryonic stem cell research

Geron Corporation announced today two grant awards to the University of Edinburgh from the UK Stem Cell Foundation, with funding from the Medical Research Council and Scottish Enterprise.

6 May 2008

CMS announces decision on Medicare coverage of artificial hearts, long-term acute care hospital reimbursements

CMS recently announced a decision on Medicare coverage of artificial hearts and a final rule on reimbursements for long-term acute care hospitals.

6 May 2008

Study identifies new mechanism linking activation of key heart enzyme and oxidative stress

A study, led by University of Iowa researchers, reveals a new dimension for a key heart enzyme and sheds light on an important biological pathway involved in cell death in heart disease.

1 May 2008

Obesity and heart failure risk

Heart specialists at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere report what is believed to be the first wide-scale evidence linking severe overweight to prolonged inflammation of heart tissue and the subsequent damage leading to failure of the body's blood-pumping organ.

1 May 2008

Chinese authorities again accused of concealing outbreak of deadly virus

As the number of people in China affected by a deadly intestinal virus continues to rise, Chinese authorities have been accused of trying conceal the outbreak

1 May 2008

Heart Failure News and Research

Further Reading

BHF Help a Heart Campaign aims to raise £1.5 million pounds in June to achieve pioneering heart research solutions

Heart Failure 2008 - Congress to address a heart condition whose prevalence is increasing with 'exponential growth'

Sunshine vitamin protect against heart attacks

Many patients with heart failure miscalculate life expectancy

Consumers Union to launch hospital ratings service

More aggressive hospital care does not lead to improved patient outcomes in all cases, study finds

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients benefit more from pulmonary rehab in earlier stages

Thiazide-type diuretic shown to be best first-choice drug for hypertensive patients

Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea with CPAP may lower blood pressure

Sildenafil could become a treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Drug therapy for phenylketonuria reverses heart damage

Chronic disease management: Does it improve health and save money?

Physician Gainsharing programs reduce hospital spending

Childhood and adolescent obesity impacts cardiac health

New journal - Circulation: Heart Failure

Geron Corporation awarded UK grant funding for human embryonic stem cell research

CMS announces decision on Medicare coverage of artificial hearts, long-term acute care hospital reimbursements

Study identifies new mechanism linking activation of key heart enzyme and oxidative stress

Obesity and heart failure risk

Chinese authorities again accused of concealing outbreak of deadly virus

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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