Heart Transplantation News and Research

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A heart transplant is an operation in which the diseased heart in a person is replaced with a healthy heart from a deceased donor. Ninety percent of heart transplants are performed on patients with end-stage heart failure.

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is damaged or weakened and can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. "End-stage" means the condition has become so severe that all treatments, other than heart transplant, have failed.

Heart transplant could get a second chance to save life

Human hearts which are not used each year because they are deemed unsuitable for an organ transplant could get a second chance to save a life, with the help of new research taking place in the North East.

11 Jul 2013

New ESC cardiac pacing and resynchronization guidelines presented at EHRA EUROPACE meeting

The 2013 ESC Guidelines on Cardiac Pacing and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy- developed in collaboration with the European Heart Rhythm Association, have created a new classification system for bradyarrhythmias according to mechanisms rather than aetiology.

25 Jun 2013

Diaxonhit, XDx agree to market and perform AlloMap Molecular Expression Testing in Europe

Diaxonhit, the leading French provider of specialty diagnostic solutions, and XDx, Inc., a U.S. molecular diagnostics company focused on non-invasive tests for transplantation and autoimmune disease, announced today that they have entered into a memorandum of agreement for the exclusive license to market and perform AlloMap Molecular Expression Testing (AlloMap) in Europe.

4 Jun 2013

UCLA researchers find decrease in overall mortality rates for advanced heart failure

UCLA researchers examining outcomes for advanced heart-failure patients over the past two decades have found that, coinciding with the increased availability and use of new therapies, overall mortality has decreased and sudden cardiac death, caused by the rapid onset of severe abnormal heart rhythms, has declined.

24 May 2013

Heart Failure Congress 2013 to feature more than 100 scientific sessions on heart failure

The Heart Failure Congress 2013 promises more science than ever this year, with a record number of abstracts submitted. The congress takes place 25-28 May at the Centro de Congressos de Lisboa in Lisbon, Portugal.

29 Apr 2013

Cedars-Sinai surgeons perform more adult heart transplants in 2012, statistics show

For the third year in a row, the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and Comprehensive Transplant Center performed more adult heart transplants than any other U.S. medical center, according to statistics compiled by the United Network for Organ Sharing, the nonprofit organization that manages the nation's transplant system.

21 Mar 2013

Survival following heart transplantation associated with several patient characteristics

Survival following heart transplantation is associated with several patient characteristics, including patient education, higher social and economic satisfaction, and patient adherence with medications, according to a study published in the March 2013 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

28 Feb 2013

FDA approves Novartis’ Zortress to prevent organ rejection after liver transplantation in adults

Novartis announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Zortress (everolimus) for the prophylaxis of organ rejection in adult patients receiving a liver transplant.

16 Feb 2013

Thoratec to start REVIVE-IT study using HeartMate II Left Ventricular Assist System

Thoratec Corporation, a world leader in device-based mechanical circulatory support therapies to save, support and restore failing hearts, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted an Investigational Device Exemption to commence the REVIVE-IT study utilizing the HeartMate II Left Ventricular Assist System.

8 Jan 2013

Heart transplant patient becomes unexpected ambassador for organ donation

Kevin Riepl arrived at Cedars-Sinai in October 2010, suffering from sudden heart failure that left him fighting for his life. Surgeons swiftly installed a heart pump and later transplanted a new heart, saving his life and turning him into an unexpected ambassador for organ donation.

29 Dec 2012

Pharmacological stress echo can identify rejected hearts suitable for transplantation

Hearts previously rejected due to donors' age or other risk factors can now be declared viable for transplantation using pharmacological stress echo, according to research presented at EUROECHO and other Imaging Modalities 2012.

5 Dec 2012

Belgian FAMHP authorizes C3BS Phase III Congestive Heart failure Cardiopoietic Regenerative Therapy trial

The Belgian biotechnology company, Cardio3 BioSciences (C3BS), a leader in the discovery and development of regenerative and protective therapies for the treatment of cardiac diseases, today announces it has received authorization from the Belgian Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP) to begin its Congestive Heart failure Cardiopoietic Regenerative Therapy (CHART-1) European Phase III trial for C3BS-CQR-1 in Belgium.

22 Nov 2012

FDA approves HeartWare Ventricular Assist System to treat end-stage heart failure

HeartWare International, Inc., a leading innovator of less invasive, miniaturized circulatory support technologies that are revolutionizing the treatment of advanced heart failure, today announced that it has received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the HeartWare Ventricular Assist System as a bridge to heart transplantation in patients with end-stage heart failure.

20 Nov 2012

CHOP presents new findings on pediatric cardiovascular disease at AHA 2012

Physician-researchers from the Cardiac Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia presented new findings on pediatric cardiovascular disease at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012 in Los Angeles.

9 Nov 2012

Paragonix files PMNA with FDA for Sherpa Pak Cardiac Transport System

Paragonix Technologies, Inc. today announced that it has successfully completed filing of a Pre-Marketing Notification Application (510(k)) with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Paragonix Sherpa Pak Cardiac Transport System (CTS).

6 Nov 2012

Clinical study to investigate Cytori's adipose-derived cell therapy in patients with heart failure

Timothy Henry, M.D. of the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation treated the first patient in the ATHENA study, injecting the patient's own stem cells into the heart to restore blood flow and help regenerate heart muscle. Henry, the Foundation's Director of Research is co-principal investigator of the ATHENA study sponsored by Cytori Therapeutics.

12 Oct 2012

FAST-MI highlights young women at risk for heart disease

An analysis of four French registries has shown a dramatic drop in ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction mortality from 1995 to 2010, accompanied by a significant change in patient characteristics.

29 Aug 2012

Study confirms electrical storm as potent risk factor for death and impaired quality of life

Electrical storm (ES) is a potent risk factor for mortality and morbidity, according to research presented today at the ESC Congress 2012 by Dr Federico Guerra from Italy. Data was also presented on which patients are prone to developing ES and how effective current treatments are.

27 Aug 2012

Kids with congenital heart defect should receive early evaluation for developmental disorders

Children born with a congenital heart defect should receive early evaluation, prompt treatment and ongoing follow-up for related developmental disorders affecting brain function, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published in Circulation.

31 Jul 2012

Being overweight may actually benefit some cardiac patients

A high body mass index and large waist circumference are associated with improved outcomes in both men and women with heart failure, research shows.

10 Jul 2012