Heart Failure News and Research

RSS

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.

Are there gender differences in management modalities?

There are major differences in the risk profile and characteristics of female patients treated for acute heart failure. Female patients are underrepresented in management trials on Heart Failure. According to data from the Euro Heart Survey on acute Heart Failure 2004-2005 in Europe, however, medical treatment has improved.

2 Sep 2007

Survey to evaluate arrhythmia rate in so-called high-risk MI patients

Sudden cardiac death is the leading cause of mortality in European and North-American countries. Studies have been attempting to identify the right population of patients at high risk of Sudden Cardiac Death ever since the introduction of the Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICD).

2 Sep 2007

Does physical activity provide a molecular key to longevity?

Fitness and physical exercise are among the most neglected means to improve prognosis. They are the healthiest cardiovascular intervention. Even cardiologists focus on pharmacological treatment and evaluate classical risk factors without asking about daily exercise or objective measures of physical capacity. It is surprising considering the strong data that underscores the survival benefit of regular exercise training.

2 Sep 2007

Small animal imaging facility is big boon to research

When powerful magnets line up the body's protons before radiofrequency waves can grab their attention away, it's called spin physics.

30 Aug 2007

COPD can no longer be judged as only a disease of the lungs

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) can no longer be judged as only a disease of the lungs, say authors of a Viewpoint in this week's COPD special edition of The Lancet.

30 Aug 2007

New generation of implanted heart-assisting pumps help patients survive, regain function til transplant

A new generation of implanted heart-assisting pump does very well at helping severely ill heart-failure patients survive, and thrive, until they receive a heart transplant, a new study shows.

30 Aug 2007

New ESC guidelines on cardiac pacing and cardiac resynchronization therapy

The European Society of Cardiology has released new guidelines for Cardiac Pacing and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy. These new guidelines cover two main areas: The permanent pacing in bradyarrhythmias, syncope and other specific conditions like hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy and ventricular resynchronization as an adjunct therapy in patients with heart failure.

28 Aug 2007

Geron demonstrates hESC-derived cardiomyocytes improve heart function after myocardial infarction

Geron Corporation has reported its scientists and collaborators have demonstrated that human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived cardiomyocytes improve heart function when transplanted after myocardial infarction.

28 Aug 2007

Novel heart repair therapy could be in the pipeline

The success of a new and experimental stem cell treatment used in animals could lead to a novel heart repair therapy for heart attack patients.

27 Aug 2007

Warning - OTC diet supplement contains undeclared diet drug

Canadians are being warned that an over-the-counter (OTC) dietary supplement has been recalled because it contains a prescription drug used in the treatment of obesity.

21 Aug 2007

New techniques for measuring blood volume

The July issue of The American Journal of Medical Sciences presents a special symposium on the measurement and clinical implications of blood volume and its measurement.

16 Aug 2007

Strengthened warnings on some type 2 diabetes drugs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced manufacturers of certain drugs approved to treat Type 2 diabetes have agreed to add a stronger warning on the risk of heart failure, a condition that occurs when the heart does not adequately pump blood.

16 Aug 2007

Longer term effects of dementia drugs to be investigated

A £50,000 grant from the Alzheimer's Research Trust will look at whether ACE inhibitors used to treat Alzheimer's could have a longer term effect.

15 Aug 2007

Why is heart disease so prevalent among diabetics?

Heart disease hits people with diabetes twice as often as people without diabetes.

13 Aug 2007

Impaired energy production in heart muscle may underlie heart failure in some hypertensive patients

Many people with long-standing high blood pressure develop heart failure. But some don't. Daniel P. Kelly, M.D., and colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and other institutions are trying to figure out what could explain that difference.

13 Aug 2007

Diovan (valsartan) granted pediatric exclusivity by FDA

Diovan (valsartan) has been granted pediatric exclusivity by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) based on studies conducted in children with high blood pressure.

13 Aug 2007

Improving the quality of primary care could prevent 4 million hospitalizations each year

More than 4 million hospitalizations potentially could be prevented each year by improving the quality of primary care, enhancing patients' access to effective treatments, and getting more Americans to adopt healthy behaviors, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

13 Aug 2007