Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

International Medical Corps sets up mobile medical unit at epicenter of Haiti earthquake

A 6.1-magnitude aftershock hit Haiti at 6:03 am Eastern Time. All International Medical Corps staff and medical teams are unharmed and are now working to assess the damage left by the strongest aftershock since the 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti eight days ago.

21 Jan 2010

Ontario must stay the course in the fight against lung cancer

Currently an estimated 7,800 Ontarians are diagnosed with lung cancer and approximately 6,000 die of the disease each year. Smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke continue to be the main risk factors for developing lung cancer - and that is why we must continue to encourage Ontarians to be smoke-free.

21 Jan 2010

Showing scan images to motivate healthy behaviors in patients provides mixed results

Can showing patients ultrasounds and X-rays of their bodies to point out existing health damage make patients change their risky behavior?

21 Jan 2010

Special report on A-Fib to be premiered in RLTV's Healthline series

Retirement Living TV's (RLTV) award-winning series, Healthline will premiere a special report on Atrial Fibrillation. This half-hour episode explores the possible symptoms, risk factors and treatments to successfully live with this chronic illness.

21 Jan 2010

Study lays groundwork to develop new treatments for cardiovascular disease and other conditions

In a significant step toward restoring healthy blood circulation to treat a variety of diseases, a team of scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College has developed a new technique and described a novel mechanism for turning human embryonic and pluripotent stem cells into plentiful, functional endothelial cells, which are critical to the formation of blood vessels.

21 Jan 2010

HQCA supports recommended new Alberta Health Act

The Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA) supports recommendations stemming from the report issued today by the Minister's Advisory Committee on Health. The report, entitled A Foundation for Alberta's Health System, recommends a new Alberta Health Act built around core principles and calls for a patient charter and strong support for evidence-based decision making.

21 Jan 2010

Medical Care Technologies to include HVS as add-on to its Tele-Health Suite

Medical Care Technologies Inc. today announced that it has been developing its latest medical device technology -- Heart Vital Signs ("HVS") to be included as an add-on to its Tele-Health™ Suite. Remote cardiac monitoring technologies allow home electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring of patients with suspected cardiac arrhythmias or at risk for developing arrhythmias.

21 Jan 2010

ABC publishes Pycnogenol monograph

The nonprofit American Botanical Council (ABC) has just published a monograph summarizing selected scientific and clinical studies of Pycnogenol®, a patented dietary ingredient from French maritime pine bark.

21 Jan 2010

Neways North America donates hygiene items to Haiti victims

In response to the earthquake that recently ripped through Haiti, Neways North America (www.neways.com/usa) is sending more than 6,000 hygiene items to assist survivors of this tragic event.

21 Jan 2010

Study links thyroid disease with human exposure to PFOA

A study by the University of Exeter and the Peninsula Medical School for the first time links thyroid disease with human exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). PFOA is a persistent organic chemical used in industrial and consumer goods including nonstick cookware and stain- and water-resistant coatings for carpets and fabrics.

21 Jan 2010

Outcomes for STEMI patients improve with early treatment intervention

A recent study found that individuals experiencing chest pain who had electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) assessments prior to arriving at the hospital experienced a significantly reduced time-to-treatment or door-to-balloon (D2B) time.

21 Jan 2010

Obesity in pregnant women is associated with increased risk of birth defects

In recent years, there has been a large increase in the prevalence of overweight and obese women of childbearing age, with approximately 51% of non-pregnant women ages 20 to 39 being classified as overweight or obese.

21 Jan 2010

Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center to open to patients in February

Ushering in a new era in comprehensive cardiac care, the Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center celebrated its opening today at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center.

21 Jan 2010

FDA approves Thoratec's HeartMate II LVAS for DT

Thoratec Corporation, a world leader in device-based mechanical circulatory support therapies to save, support and restore failing hearts, said today that it has received FDA approval of its PMA (Pre-Market Approval) supplement, allowing the use of its HeartMate II LVAS (Left Ventricular Assist System) for Destination Therapy (DT).

21 Jan 2010

Sanofi-aventis U.S. brings national experts together to help aging Americans with AFib

National medical and lifestyle experts have been brought together by sanofi-aventis U.S. to help aging Americans learn to live life more fully despite a serious and increasingly prevalent heart condition – atrial fibrillation (AFib), a type of irregular heartbeat.

21 Jan 2010

Aetna and Walgreens collaborate to educate people on taking adequate levels of Vitamin D

Aetna (NYSE: AET) and Walgreens announced today that they have joined forces to educate people about the need to take in adequate levels of Vitamin D. The two organizations are working with United Way of the Midlands on a Vitamin D giveaway program being piloted in Richland and Lexington counties in South Carolina.

21 Jan 2010

Emerging Healthcare Solutions and ThromboVision complete due diligence process under new option agreement

Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Inc. and ThromboVision have completed phase one of their due diligence process under their new option agreement.

21 Jan 2010

High intake of iron and copper can contribute to age-related disorders in older adults

With scientific evidence linking high levels of copper and iron to Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, and other age-related disorders, a new report in ACS' Chemical Research in Toxicology suggests specific steps that older consumers can take to avoid build up of unhealthy amounts of these metals in their bodies.

21 Jan 2010

Research shows strong links between COPD and heart function

A common lung condition, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) diminishes the heart's ability to pump effectively even when the disease has no or mild symptoms, according to research published in the Jan. 21 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

21 Jan 2010

SCA begins new initiative to make 'error-free' cardiac surgery a reality

Is it possible for cardiac surgery teams to completely eliminate medical errors? That's the goal of an ambitious project—called the "Flawless Operative Cardiovascular Unified Systems" (FOCUS) initiative—being undertaken by the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA).

21 Jan 2010