Pulmonary Artery News and Research

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Uninsured patients less likely to receive critical care services

Among the general U.S. population, people who are uninsured are about half as likely to receive critical care services as those with insurance, according to systematic review of the literature by the American Thoracic Society's Health Disparities Group.

29 Apr 2010

Magnetically guided nanoparticles for delivering DNA, cells and drugs

Scientists and engineers have used uniform magnetic fields to drive iron-bearing nanoparticles to metal stents in injured blood vessels, where the particles deliver a drug payload that successfully prevents blockages in those vessels. In this animal study, the novel technique achieved better results at a lower dose than conventional non-magnetic stent therapy.

20 Apr 2010

MAP Pharmaceuticals initiates PD trial comparing LEVADEX to IV DHE

MAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the Company initiated a pharmacodynamics (PD) trial to compare the acute effect of LEVADEX™ orally inhaled migraine therapy to intravenous dihydroergotamine mesylate (IV DHE) and placebo on pulmonary artery pressure as measured by echocardiography.

8 Apr 2010

Masimo PVI predicts hemodynamic effects of PEEP in mechanically ventilated patients

Masimo, the inventor of Pulse CO-Oximetry™ and Measure-Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, announced today that a new clinical study published in the March 2010 issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, shows Masimo PVI successfully predicts the hemodynamic effects of Positive End-Expiratory Pressure in mechanically ventilated patients after cardiac surgery.

1 Apr 2010

Researchers find retinoic acid regulates SHF tissue formation

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California have identified a key cellular mechanism that guides embryonic heart tissue formation-a process which, if disrupted, can lead to a number of common congenital heart defects.

18 Mar 2010

SEBM announces the 2010 winners of Young Investigator Award

SEBM is pleased to announce the 2010 winners of the Young Investigator Award. This is a $500 travel grant for undergraduate/ graduate students and/or individuals within 5 years of receiving doctoral degrees who are members of the Society to attend the Experimental Biology 2010 meeting in Anaheim in April 2010.

4 Mar 2010

VentriPoint Diagnostics to present abstract on VMS clinical validation study

VentriPoint Diagnostics Ltd. today announced the abstract of a clinical validation study of the second application of the VentriPoint Medical System (VMS) will be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 59th Annual Scientific Session, March 14 to 16 in Atlanta, Georgia. The study demonstrates the accuracy of the method used by the VentriPoint Medical System (VMS) to generate critical heart measurements in three dimensions from two-dimensional ultrasound images with significantly greater speed and accuracy and at considerably lesser cost than is otherwise possible.

27 Jan 2010

FDA approves first heart valve conduit that can delay need for open-heart surgery

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the Medtronic Melody Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve and Ensemble Delivery System, the first heart valve to be implanted through a catheter, or tube, in a leg vein and guided up to the heart. This new approach to the treatment of adults and children with previously implanted, poorly functioning pulmonary valve conduits can delay the need for open-heart surgery.

27 Jan 2010

U-M Congenital Heart Center invites parents to submit queries on heart defect surgeries

The public, including parents of babies with severe heart defects, are invited to submit questions for inclusion in a tweet chat about surgical approaches for heart defects from noon-2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20 on Twitter.

12 Jan 2010

Second pivotal efficacy study not required for MAP Pharmaceuticals' LEVADEX NDA

MAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has informed the Company that a second pivotal efficacy study is not required for the Company's LEVADEX(TM) new drug application (NDA) submission for the acute treatment of migraine. The Company announced in May 2009 that the efficacy portion of its Phase 3 FREEDOM-301 clinical study of LEVADEX met all four primary endpoints. The Company had previously anticipated initiating a second pivotal efficacy study in the first quarter of 2010.

12 Jan 2010

Cardiologist wins stimulus grant to identify biomarkers of idiopathic pulmonary hypertension

Johns Hopkins Children's Center cardiologist Allen Everett recently won more than $460,000 in stimulus grant funding to identify the biomarkers of idiopathic pulmonary hypertension (IPH), a progressive and highly lethal condition in children and adults marked by persistently elevated pressure in the artery that carries blood from the heart to the lungs.

31 Dec 2009

NHLBI-supported research shares new strategies on hypertension, heart defect and air pollution

New education strategies for better controlling hypertension and research suggesting a possible link between short-term and long-term exposure to air pollution and increased risk of constricted blood vessels are among the research highlights from studies supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the American Heart Association's 2009 Scientific Sessions in Orlando held Nov. 14-18.

20 Nov 2009

Non-clinical data from Cytokinetics' smooth muscle contractility program presented

Cytokinetics, Incorporated announced today that three abstracts summarizing non-clinical data regarding its smooth muscle contractility program were presented at the 2009 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida.

17 Nov 2009

New shunt procedure may save infants with underdeveloped heart

Infants born with a severely underdeveloped heart are more likely to survive to their first birthday when treated with a new shunt procedure - yet it may not be the safest surgery long term, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009.

16 Nov 2009

Transcatheter valve may eliminate repeat surgeries in children with heart defects; multicenter study shows good outcomes

Children born with certain heart defects have impaired blood flow from the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery leading to the lungs, requiring implanted devices (known as right-ventricular outflow tract conduits) to maintain the flow. However, these conduits fail over time, and children typically face multiple open-heart operations during their lives to reopen the passage.

27 Oct 2009

Cook Medical launches next-generation IVC filter delivery system for treating pulmonary embolism

Physicians can now navigate even the most tortuous anatomy with greater speed and safety with the next-generation inferior vena cava (IVC) filter delivery system introduced today by Cook Medical at TCT 2009. The release of the NavAlign™ delivery system marks the 20th anniversary of Cook’s first IVC filter and further advances the treatment of pulmonary embolism (PE), a life-threatening condition caused by blood clots in the lungs that affects thousands of Americans annually.

24 Sep 2009

CardioMEMS raises $22.1M to fund clinical trial of its heart failure pressure measurement system

CardioMEMS, Inc., a medical technology company that has developed and is commercializing proprietary wireless sensing and communication technology for the human body, today announced the completion of a $22.1M financing. The financing provides the company with additional capital to fund the company's CHAMPION clinical trial.

27 Aug 2009

Complex, eight-hour open procedure removes life-threatening blood clots from 17-year-old's lungs

After visiting the emergency room with fainting spells and shortness of breath, a 17-year-old Morningside Heights boy was diagnosed with rare, life-threatening blood clots blocking his pulmonary arteries. To address the problem, surgeons at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital successfully performed a pulmonary thromboendartectomy (PTE) surgery -- reportedly, the first time it has been performed on a child in the New York City area.

6 Aug 2009

Short-term complications after bariatric surgery for extreme obesity low

Short-term complications and death rates were low following bariatric surgery to limit the amount of food that can enter the stomach, decrease absorption of food or both, according to the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS-1). The study was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health. Results are reported in the July 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

30 Jul 2009

FHL2 protein regulates blood vessel maintenance

In a study led by Akiko Hata, PhD, of Tufts University School of Medicine, researchers have shown that a protein expressed in the heart, FHL2, inhibits the genes necessary for the quiescence of vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs), which line blood vessels.

12 May 2009