Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Ixmyelocel-T shows promise against progressive heart failure

An investigational therapy derived from a patient's own bone marrow stem cells improves heart function in some patients with progressive heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), according to the results of a Phase 2a study presented today as a late-breaking clinical trial at the SCAI 2012 Scientific Sessions.

11 May 2012

Patients with mitral regurgitation live longer after surgery

Patients with mitral regurgitation, a type of valvular heart disease common in the elderly, are living longer after surgery, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

11 May 2012

Maternal gluten sensitivity may increase risk of schizophrenia in children

Babies born to women with sensitivity to gluten appear to be at increased risk for certain psychiatric disorders later in life, according to research by scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore.

11 May 2012

ICD therapy significantly reduces mortality in patients with moderate heart failure

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced results of the SCD-HeFT (Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure Trial) 10-Year Follow-up Study at Heart Rhythm 2012, the Heart Rhythm Society's 33rd Annual Scientific Sessions in Boston. The study demonstrated implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy significantly reduces mortality for at least 11 years in patients with moderate heart failure (HF).

11 May 2012

Preclinical evidence demonstrates link between psoriasis and cardiovascular disease

The link between psoriasis and cardiovascular events has been observed for years, however the mechanics were unknown. For the first time, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researchers have discovered preclinical evidence demonstrating that the inflammatory skin disease leads to cardiovascular disease. Further, the research demonstrated that aggressive reversal of psoriasis reduces the cardiovascular risk as well.

11 May 2012

Review finds 74% decline in annual ICU admissions for asthma

A review of 30 years of life-threatening asthma cases in a San Antonio intensive care unit found that annual ICU admissions for the condition have dropped 74 percent. The study, by UT Medicine San Antonio physicians who reviewed cases at University Hospital between 1980 and 2010, also showed intubation in the emergency department to help patients breathe did not result in longer hospital stays.

11 May 2012

Inflammation might be an important factor in the progression from reﬂux to esophageal cancer

Inﬂammation might be an important factor in the progression from reﬂux to esophageal cancer, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

11 May 2012

Biosense Webster introduces new curve visualization technology in the U.S.

Biosense Webster, Inc., a worldwide leader in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, announced the launch of the new THERMOCOOL SF NAV irrigated ablation catheter with Curve Visualization in the United States.

11 May 2012

Sorin launches full portfolio of pacing, defibrillation and left ventricular leads

Sorin Group, a global medical device company and a leader in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, announced today at Heart Rhythm 2012, the Heart Rhythm Society's 33rd Annual Scientific Sessions, FDA approval and commercial launch for a full portfolio of pacing, defibrillation and left ventricular leads.

11 May 2012

Robotic system can safely assist interventional cardiologists in performing PCI

A robotic system can safely assist interventional cardiologists in performing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) while significantly reducing the physician's exposure to radiation and improving precision and control, according to results of the PRECISE study (CorPath Percutaneous Robotically-Enhance Coronary Intervention Study), presented today as a late-breaking clinical trial at the SCAI 2012 Scientific Sessions.

11 May 2012

BIOTRONIK receives FDA approval for new Lumax 740 ICDs and CRT devices

BIOTRONIK, a leading manufacturer of innovative medical technology, has received FDA approval of its new Lumax 740 implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices (CRT-Ds). Lumax 740 helps physicians monitor and treat their patients' arrhythmias and heart failure under ever-changing medical conditions.

11 May 2012

Prototype device would help obese patients breathe during medical procedures

The best doctors strive to relieve their patients' burdens. A physician in Houston asked Rice University students to help him do so in the most literal way. A team of bioengineering seniors built a prototype device to literally lift the weight from obese patients who, while undergoing surgical procedures, might otherwise have trouble breathing.

10 May 2012

New University of Florida research center to focus on rare genetic illness

With the support of a Major League Baseball star, a new University of Florida research center on an island settled by the Vikings could lead to breakthroughs about a rare genetic disorder and potentially change the course of care for high blood pressure and other common conditions.

10 May 2012

New approach to advance quality of pregnancy monitoring

The University of California, San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering announced today that it is a Grand Challenges Explorations winner, an initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Bioengineering Professor Todd Coleman, in collaboration with Materials Science and Engineering Professor John A. Rogers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will pursue an innovative global health and development research project, titled "Epidermal Electronics for Continuous Pregnancy Monitoring."

10 May 2012

New report provides detailed criteria for rational and timely use of cardiac catheterization

A new report issued today by the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF) and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) in collaboration with a dozen other professional societies provides detailed criteria to help clinicians determine when cardiac catheterization is a reasonable option for the evaluation of patients for heart disease.

10 May 2012

Caffeine consumption: How much is too much?

Chocolate, coffee and cola are perhaps three of your favourite consumables; however, they are also three caffeine-rich substances which all contribute to your daily caffeine consumption. According to the BBC, people should not exceed 400mg caffeine a day, and this limit halves for pregnant women, for which only 200mg/day is recommended.

10 May 2012

Medical counseling may help AMI patients to recapture their sex lives

Patients who were sexually active before suffering a heart attack were one and a half times more likely to recapture their sex lives if they received guidance on the topic before leaving the hospital, a new study finds.

10 May 2012

Orexigen reports net loss of $10.4 million for first quarter 2012

Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of obesity, today announced financial results for the first quarter of 2012.

10 May 2012

Discovery Labs reports data from SURFAXIN preclinical study on RDS

Discovery Laboratories, Inc., a specialty biotechnology company dedicated to advancing a new standard in respiratory critical care, reported that data from a preclinical study of SURFAXIN LS (lyophilized KL4 surfactant) was recently published in the May issue of Pediatric Research.

10 May 2012

Article evaluates benefits and costs of screening programs for prevention of SCD

An article, published in Circulation by Laurel K. Leslie, MD, MPH from the Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and colleagues from Tufts Medical Center and Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, has evaluated the lifesaving benefits and costs of screening programs for the prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in children and adolescents.

10 May 2012