Pacemaker News and Research

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Cardiologists receive K23 research grant from NIH

Brian H. Annex, M.D., chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Virginia Health System, says he feels like the coach of a championship team. "Going three for three is truly extraordinary," he says with a mixture of pride and awe in his voice.

10 Dec 2009

St. Jude Medical announces implantation of the first patient in China with its Eon rechargeable neurostimulator

St. Jude Medical, Inc. announced today that a 62-year-old man from Shenzhen, Guangdong province has become the first patient in China to be implanted with the Eon™ neurostimulator, a rechargeable device used to help manage chronic pain. Despite prior back surgeries, the patient suffered from chronic back pain for more than a decade.

18 Nov 2009

Mayo Clinic Health Letter provides treatment options for people with heart disorders

Fewer than one-third of patients with heart failure are taking the three types of medications that are most effective in prolonging life and improving quality of life. The November issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter provides an overview of treatments recommended by national guidelines.

16 Nov 2009

Self-care tips for hemorrhoids from Mayo Clinic

By about age 50, more than half of adults have dealt with hemorrhoids. The November issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers home treatments that can relieve symptoms of this common and embarrassing problem.

16 Nov 2009

PACE trial results presented at the American Heart Association congress

Pacing the two lower chambers of the heart, or bi-ventricular pacing, prevented cardiac enlargement as compared to only pacing the right ventricle in pacemaker patients with normal pumping hearts, according to results presented today from the Pacing to Avoid Cardiac Enlargement (PACE) trial, a clinical study supported by Medtronic, Inc..

16 Nov 2009

'Hormone of darkness' melatonin regulates sleep effectively

Melatonin, a natural hormone segregated by the own human body, is an excellent sleep regulator expected to replace somniferous, which are much more aggressive, to correct the sleep/wakefulness pace when human biological clock becomes altered.

6 Nov 2009

Deep brain stimulation can help patients with severe forms of depression

In deep brain stimulation, doctors specifically target the impaired function of certain areas of the brain with an electric brain pacemaker. For the purpose of this study, they implanted electrodes in what is known as the nucleus accumbens. That is an important part of the 'reward system' which ensures that we remember good experiences and puts us in a state of pleasant anticipation.

2 Nov 2009

PEM scanners outperform MRI in detecting breast cancer

An NIH-sponsored, multi-year study of hundreds of women diagnosed with breast cancer found that Positron Emission Mammography (PEM) scanners significantly outperform MRI when differentiating between benign and cancerous lesions.

30 Oct 2009

TOPROL-XL and metoprolol succinate are available for patients in all regions across the country: AstraZeneca

Following published reports that two generic companies had recalled or suspended shipments of metoprolol succinate, a beta-blocker medication taken by over half a million Americans for the treatment of high blood pressure, TOPROL-XL and its authorized generic, metoprolol succinate extended-release tablets are available.

28 Oct 2009

BIOTRONIK launches its new, unified platform pacemaker series in Europe

BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG, the pioneer of wireless remote monitoring technologies and leading manufacturer of implantable cardiac devices, today announced the European launch of its new, unified platform pacemaker series, Evia, and several new products to further strengthen its bradycardia portfolio.

27 Oct 2009

Genetic mutations cause for SIDS and SUDS

Scientists and clinicians at the Montefiore-Einstein Center for Cardiogenetics have teamed up and found that genetic mutations leading to Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) could be causing electrical malfunctioning of the heart resulting in the mysterious deaths more commonly known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Sudden Unexplained Death Syndrome (SUDS) in people older than 12 months of age.

27 Oct 2009

Deep brain stimulation: New treatment option for people with severe Tourette syndrome

Deep brain stimulation may be a safe and effective treatment for Tourette syndrome, according to research published in the October 27, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

27 Oct 2009

Aldosterone antagonist therapy can be adopted for treating heart failure

Less than one-third of patients hospitalized for heart failure and participating in a quality improvement registry received a guideline-recommended treatment of heart failure, aldosterone antagonist therapy, according to a study in the October 21 issue of JAMA.

26 Oct 2009

Bionate II PCU launched by DSM Biomedical

DSM PTG, part of DSM Biomedical, a global leader in biomedical materials science, today announced the availability of Bionate® II PCU, a versatile medical polymer with built-in surface technology designed for chronic implants.

21 Oct 2009

Third-quarter financial results of Boston Scientific announced

Boston Scientific Corporation today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2009, as well as guidance for net sales and earnings per share (EPS) for the fourth quarter and full year 2009.

20 Oct 2009

Refurbished pacemakers: No complications for patients

Patients who received refurbished pacemakers donated from Detroit area funeral homes survived without complications from the devices, according to a case series reported by the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center.

9 Oct 2009

Clinical trial of gene transfer therapy for advanced Parkinson's disease

Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital is embarking on a research study for advanced Parkinson's disease using a state-of-the-art treatment called gene transfer.

7 Oct 2009

St. Jude Medical's cardiovascular healthcare portfolio to be presented at TCT meeting

St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) today announced it will display products and technologies from the company’s portfolio of solutions for cardiovascular healthcare professionals at the 21st annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics meeting in San Francisco. The featured products reflect the company’s continued commitment to developing comprehensive, high-performance solutions which advance the practice of interventional cardiology by improving efficiencies and giving physicians more control.

23 Sep 2009

Women have higher incidence of stroke and mortality than men

Even though the incidence of atrial fibrillation is higher in men than women, a review of past studies and medical literature completed by cardiac experts at Rush University Medical Center shows that women are more likely than men to experience symptomatic attacks, a higher frequency of recurrences, and significantly higher heart rates during atrial fibrillation, which increases the risk of stroke.

23 Sep 2009

Transcatheter valve implantation is an effective treatment for patients with aortic stenosis

Research presented at the 21st annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), demonstrated an "exceptionally low" rate of complications one year after implantation of transcatheter aortic valve prostheses.

22 Sep 2009