Heparin News and Research

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Heparin, a highly-sulfated glycosaminoglycan, is widely used as an injectable anticoagulant, and has the highest negative charge density of any known biological molecule. It can also be used to form an inner anticoagulant surface on various experimental and medical devices such as test tubes and renal dialysis machines. Pharmaceutical grade heparin is derived from mucosal tissues of slaughtered meat animals such as porcine (pig) intestine or bovine (cow) lung.

Analysis explores impact of valve design on post-TAVR outcomes

For patients who undergo transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), their risk factors, not the type of valve used, determined their 30-day post-TAVR outcomes.

15 May 2017

Women who participate in clinical trials experience improved health outcomes, research finds

Women who participate in obstetric and gynaecology clinical trials experience improved health outcomes compared to those who are not involved in trials, according to research by Queen Mary University of London.

14 Feb 2017

New self-regulating smart patch releases blood-thinning drugs when necessary

An interdisciplinary team of researchers has developed a smart patch designed to monitor a patient's blood and release blood-thinning drugs as needed to prevent the occurrence of dangerous blood clots - a condition known as thrombosis.

29 Nov 2016

Study finds two differing medications to be safe and effective for preventing blood clots during PCI

Two differing blood clot prevention medications are just as safe and effective for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, a non-surgical procedure to open blood vessels narrowed by plaque buildup, according to a new study.

14 Nov 2016

Protamine may be useful in developing new types of disinfectant solutions for contact lenses

Protamine -- a natural protein with a proven safety record -- may be useful in developing new types of disinfectant solutions for contact lenses, according to a study published in the November issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

7 Nov 2016

Genetic susceptibility could help identify breast cancer patients at risk of developing VTE

Genetic testing could help identify breast cancer patients with high risk of experiencing venous thromboembolism (VTE), a serious and potentially fatal complication that can occur during cancer treatment.

2 Nov 2016

Novel approach could help counter Influenza A virus in immune-compromised patients

To infect its victims, influenza A heads for the lungs, where it latches onto sialic acid on the surface of cells.

24 Oct 2016

Study finds blood thinning drugs derived from cattle and pigs have equivalent anti-clotting properties

As demand for the widely used blood thinning drug heparin continues to grow, experts worry of possible shortages of the essential medication.

6 Oct 2016

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

Cesarean-section leaves women more vulnerable to VTE than vaginal delivery

Roughly one-third of all births in Europe and North America now occur via cesarean section (CS). Following any birth, women are at an increased risk for a venous thromboembolism (VTE), but it's believed that CS leaves women more vulnerable to VTE, blood clots, than vaginal delivery (VD).

22 Sep 2016

New research seeks to find most effective medication for preventing life-threatening clots

Every year in the United States, thousands of high-risk fracture patients who have been admitted to trauma centers will suffer life-threatening blood clots related to the fracture. In rare cases these clots can even travel to the lungs, where they can cause sudden death.

16 Sep 2016

Updated AAN guidelines state closure not recommended for individuals with stroke and heart defect

An updated recommendation from the American Academy of Neurology states that catheter-based closure should not be routinely recommended for people who have had a stroke and also have a heart defect called a patent foramen ovale (PFO), a channel between the top two chambers in the heart.

28 Jul 2016

Early initiation of prophylaxis linked to lower rates of PE and DVT in patients with severe brain injuries

People who sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are at high risk for developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). PE is a leading cause of death in these patients.

21 Jul 2016

Clinical trial to test low-dose heparin treatment for patients with ruptured brain aneurysm

A Louisville patient is the first to be enrolled in a national clinical trial to test a new treatment for patients who have suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm.

7 Jul 2016

Novel blood coagulation analyzer may help detect stroke risk in AF patients

Researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University show that an analyzer recently developed to measure blood coagulability has the sensitivity to detect hypercoagulatibility associated with stroke risk in those without atrial fibrillation

4 Jul 2016

Accumulation of fat droplets makes cancer cells more aggressive

It has been established that not all cancer cells are equally aggressive - most can be neutralised with radiation and chemotherapy. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now discovered that some cancer cells can accumulate fat droplets, which appear to make them more aggressive and increase their ability to spread.

3 Jun 2016

Study finds no gender-based differences on use of anticoagulation medications in TAVR patients

A study on the impact of using different anticoagulation medications on men and women who have undergone a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) found no difference in early vascular complications or mortality.

9 May 2016

Novel biochemical method can extend lifetime of implantable medical devices

Blood-contacting implantable medical devices, such as stents, heart valves, ventricular assist devices, and extracorporeal support systems, as well as vascular grafts and access catheters, are used worldwide to improve patients' lives. However, these devices are prone to failure due to the body's responses at the blood-material interface; clots can form and inflammatory reactions can prevent the device from performing as indicated. Currently, when this occurs, the only solution is to replace the device.

13 Apr 2016

Micra Transcatheter Pacing System approved to treat heart rhythm disorders

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first pacemaker that does not require the use of wired leads to provide an electrical connection between the pulse-generating device and the heart. While the Micra Transcatheter Pacing System works like other pacemakers to regulate heart rate, the self-contained, inch-long device is implanted directly in the right ventricle chamber of the heart.

7 Apr 2016

FDA clears Sangamo BioSciences' SB-318 IND application for treatment of MPS I

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc., the leader in therapeutic genome editing, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the Company's Investigational New Drug (IND) application for SB-318, a single treatment strategy intended to provide a life-long therapy for Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I (MPS I).

8 Feb 2016