Shunt News and Research

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UT Arlington, UNTHSC scientists to build prototype for implantable shunt flow monitoring system

Scientists from The University of Texas at Arlington and the University of North Texas Health Science Center are building a prototype for an implantable in-line shunt flow monitoring system that would deliver both on-demand and continuous readings of hydrocephalus.

8 Jul 2015

Commercially available headphones unlikely to interfere with programmable shunt valve settings

Researchers at Brown University examined three magnetically programmable shunt valves to see if the magnetic field emissions of headphones can cause unintentional changes in shunt valve settings. Based on their findings, the researchers state that it is highly unlikely that commercially available headphones will interfere with programmable shunt valve settings.

7 Jul 2015

Study explores effects of patent foramen ovale in high-altitude Bolivian setting

A common heart feature long thought to have negligible effects on human health and performance may be problematic at high altitude, according to University of Oregon researchers.

1 Jul 2015

DC Devices announces completion of enrollment in REDUCE LAP-HF trial for diastolic heart failure treatment

DC Devices, Inc., a medical device company pioneering first-in-class structural heart devices for heart failure, today announced that it has completed enrollment and implants in the REDUCE LAP-HF trial, an open label, multi-center, single-arm study of the InterAtrial Shunt Device (IASD) – the world's first transcatheter device for the treatment of diastolic heart failure (DHF), which is also known as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

22 Jun 2015

Using laparoscopy for VP shunt placement can decrease rate of distal shunt failures

Researchers conducted a prospective randomized controlled clinical trial at Bern University Hospital in Switzerland to compare a laparoscopic procedure with a mini-laparotomy for insertion of a peritoneal catheter during ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt surgery. The deciding factor was the rate of shunt malfunction.

23 Dec 2014

Ashish Nimgaonkar wins AGA-Boston Scientific Career Development Technology & Innovation Award

The American Gastroenterological Association Research Foundation is pleased to announce that Ashish Nimgaonkar, MBBS, MTech, MS, from John Hopkins University, has received the inaugural AGA-Boston Scientific Career Development Technology & Innovation Award. This award is graciously supported by a grant from Boston Scientific, a leading innovator of medical solutions.

5 Dec 2014

UCSD engineers propose new single-ventricle heart surgery for children

Engineers at the University of California, San Diego, are proposing a new surgical intervention for children born with a single ventricle in their heart--instead of the usual two. The new approach would potentially reduce the number of surgeries the patients have to undergo in the first six months of life from two to just one. If successful, it would also create a more stable circuit for blood to flow from the heart to the lungs and the rest of the body within the first days and months of life.

6 Nov 2014

Japanese surgeons first to implant InnFocus MicroShunt

InnFocus, Inc. reported today that the first two surgeries have been conducted in Japan in a clinical investigational study using the InnFocus MicroShunt™ glaucoma drainage implant.

10 Sep 2014

Prevalence of pulmonary arterial hypertension characterised in CHD patients

Pulmonary arterial hypertension affects just over 3% of individuals with congenital heart disease, reveal nationwide data from the Netherlands.

6 Jun 2014

Guerbet: FDA approves manufacturing plant for Lipiodol (ethiodized oil) Injection

Guerbet (GBT), the contrast agent specialist for medical imaging, today announced that it had received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new manufacturing plant for Lipiodol® (ethiodized oil) Injection, in Montreal, Canada.

20 Feb 2014

Cerebral pressure measurable anytime with hydrocephalus sensor

If the pressure in a patient's brain is too high, physicians implant a system in the head that regulates the pressure. A sensor can now measure and individually adjust brain pressure. The sensor system is approved for use as a long-term implant.

20 Jan 2014

New guidelines to manage heart failure in children

Heart failure in children is an important cause of childhood health problems and death. The Children's Heart Failure Study Group of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, in collaboration with the Canadian Pediatric Cardiology Association, has developed new guidelines to assist practitioners in primary care and emergency departments to recognize and successfully manage heart failure in children with undiagnosed heart disease and symptoms of possible heart failure.

12 Dec 2013

New guidelines developed to manage heart failure in children with undiagnosed heart disease

12 Dec 2013

Viewpoints: 'Death throes' of health law opponents; Ryan's plan on entitlements may offer way out of budget crisis

Politically, the biggest challenges facing the ACA are behind us. By my count, the law has already survived three near-death experiences: the Democrats' loss of a filibuster-proof Senate majority with the election of Scott Brown in Jan. 2010, the Supreme Court's June 2012 decision upholding (with one exception) the law's constitutionality, and President Obama's re-election last Nov. Much of what we see going on in Washington now is the death throes of the opposition, especially now that Americans are beginning to sign up for coverage (John McDonough, 10/9).

11 Oct 2013

Experts develop way to reduce radiation exposure in children who require repeated brain CT scans

A team of pediatric neurosurgeons and neuroradiologists at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center has developed a way to minimize dangerous radiation exposure in children with a condition that requires repeat CT scans of the brain.

4 Oct 2013

Clinical study shows that clopidogrel not effective in infants with congenital heart diseases

One of the largest clinical trials done in infants with congenital (present at birth) heart diseases, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, shows that the increasingly common practice of using the drug clopidogrel (Plavix-) to reduce shunt-related blood flow issues is not effective in the dose studied.

21 Jun 2013

New study identifies risk factors for rupture or bleeding in children with arachnoid cysts

Arachnoid cysts are a common type of brain lesion that is usually harmless, but with a risk of rupture or bleeding. A new study identifies risk factors for rupture or bleeding in children with "incidentally" detected arachnoid cysts, reports the May issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

22 May 2013

Study reports good long-term outcomes after surgery in infants with PFSDH

Posterior fossa subdural hematoma is a serious and rare condition in newborns, generally occurring after difficult deliveries. But with appropriate treatment, there's an excellent chance of good long-term outcomes even in severe cases of PFSDH, reports a study in the May issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

21 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

Study shows intraventricular chemotherapy increases overall survival in LMC patients

Lung cancer is one of the most common primary cancers that cause leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LMC), when cancer spreads to the membranes surrounding the spinal cord and brain. Cases of LMC have increased because of the improved survival of lung cancer patients with the help of new advances in treatment.

23 Apr 2013