Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

First Hybrid Cath Lab in Louisiana at Tulane Hospital for Children

The Pediatric Heart Center at Tulane Hospital for Children has opened the first and only Hybrid Cath Lab in Louisiana. The cutting-edge facility -- one of only 10 in the country -- is a fully equipped pediatric catheterization lab and operating room that allows both cardiologists and surgeons to work side by side to open the chest, place delivery catheters in the heart and deploy devices. Outcomes are improved by avoiding cardiopulmonary bypass and shortened procedure times.

23 Jan 2010

Air pollution is associated with increased cardiac events

Even healthy people exposed to ultrafine particulate pollution associated with traffic and fossil-fuel combustion for just two hours show changes in heart rhythm and evidence of clot formation that may herald the potential for serious cardiac events, according to research from the Environmental Protection Agency.

23 Jan 2010

New ACS report outlines 21 challenges and needs for global tobacco control

A new American Cancer Society report outlines 21 challenges and needs for global tobacco control, covering the wide range of issues to be addressed and expertise needed to reduce the rising tide of tobacco use worldwide, particularly in the low- and middle-income nations that are the target of the multinational tobacco industry.

23 Jan 2010

Lifestyle changes are best defense against heart attack

When it comes to heart health, whether or not your job is stressful isn't what you should be worried about, according to doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Diet, exercise and risk factors like high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity are what contribute to a person's chance of having a heart attack.

23 Jan 2010

New report describes state of lupus research, impact of disease and barriers to care

A major report on lupus from the Secretary of Health and Human Services to the U.S. Congress this week reviews the state of the disease and documents the need for a comprehensive national provider health education program to help eliminate the barriers of racial disparities in the early medical diagnosis and treatment of lupus.

23 Jan 2010

Challenges related to premarket clearance process for medical devices: FDA schedules public meeting

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that it has scheduled a public meeting on Feb. 18, 2010, to discuss key challenges related to the premarket notification, or 510(k) process, used to review and clear certain medical devices marketed in the United States. The FDA receives more than 3,000 510(k) submissions each year.

23 Jan 2010

SJRMC picks ProVation MD software for Gastroenterology and Cardiology

Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information for healthcare professionals and students, announced today that San Juan Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) has selected its ProVation® MD software for Gastroenterology and Cardiology.

23 Jan 2010

NJHA honors professionals and organizations for sustainable healthcare

Several individuals and organizations were honored at the 91st Annual Meeting of the New Jersey Hospital Association today at the Hyatt Regency Princeton.

23 Jan 2010

NCMHD awards Weill Cornell Medical College $8M for establishing CEDREC in New York City

Weill Cornell Medical College has established a new research center to improve medical care in ethnically diverse and medically underserved communities in New York City.

23 Jan 2010

Pfizer reports final results from randomized Phase 3 trial of Sutent

Pfizer Inc. today announced final results from a randomized Phase 3 trial of Sutent (sunitinib malate) in patients with advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, a type of cancer which originates in the hormone-producing area of the pancreas.

23 Jan 2010

Experts recommend cholesterol screening for teens and young adults

Experts recommend that cholesterol screening should begin as early as 20 years of age because it is a key indicator of heart-attack risk, and should be rechecked at least once every five years.

23 Jan 2010

Dark chocolates may ease emotional stress

There may well be another important reason for giving your sweetheart sweets for Valentine's Day besides the traditional romantic one: The "chocolate cure" for emotional stress is now getting new support from a clinical trial published online in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research. It found that eating about an ounce and a half of dark chocolate a day for two weeks reduced levels of stress hormones in the bodies of people feeling highly stressed.

23 Jan 2010

LifeNet Health to launch CardioGRAFT decell pulmonary patch with MATRACELL technology

LifeNet Health, a leading allograft bio-implant company, will nationally launch the CardioGRAFT® decell pulmonary patch with MATRACELL™ technology at the Society of Thoracic Surgeons annual meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on January 24.

23 Jan 2010

A personal account of a heart attack survivor

People would say, myself included, that this can not be true. I had lived my life being active and fit. I had been living a healthful and happy life, trying to set a good example for those around me.

23 Jan 2010

Hypertensive patients should monitor their salt intake

About one in four Americans has hypertension, a disease that elevates blood pressure and can lead to a host of serious problems including heart attacks and strokes.

23 Jan 2010

World Heart to sell nearly 1.5M shares of its common stock to raise $7.3M

World Heart Corporation, a developer of mechanical circulatory systems, announced today that it has obtained commitments from institutional and individual investors to purchase approximately $7.3 million of its common stock in a private placement. WorldHeart has entered into a securities purchase agreement with the investors pursuant to which WorldHeart will sell an aggregate of 1,418,726 shares of its common stock and warrants to purchase up to 2,837,452 additional shares of common stock.

23 Jan 2010

Heart murmurs in pediatric patients is not a serious condition, says physician

Your 3-year-old's doctor discovers a heart murmur during a visit for a mild cold with fever and recommends referral to a pediatric cardiologist. You worry and wonder how your healthy, active child could possibly have a heart problem.

23 Jan 2010

Study shows certain heart medications may decrease risk of Parkinson's disease

UCLA researchers have discovered that a specific type of medication used to treat cardiovascular conditions such as hypertension, angina and abnormal heart rhythms may also decrease the risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

22 Jan 2010

Benefits of DNA testing

Does the term “genetic testing” conjure up thoughts of cloned, robot-like human beings and malevolent plots to rule the world? If so, you’ve been reading too much science fiction! The truth is, DNA testing has been put to very beneficial use for decades, primarily in the medical, law enforcement, and legal fields.

22 Jan 2010

California Heart Center joins Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and Cedars-Sinai Medical Care Foundation

The California Heart Center, the cardiology group that developed the nation's largest heart transplant program, has joined the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and Cedars-Sinai Medical Care Foundation.

22 Jan 2010