What Is Congenital Heart Disease Congenital Heart Defect ?
Congenital heart disease, also known as congenital heart defect, is a general term for a series of faults in the structure of the heart and great vessels that is present from birth. In the majority of cases, the defect either obstructs blood flow in the heart or nearby vessels, or causes blood to flow through the heart in an abnormal way. Congenital heart defect is a common birth defect, and a leading cause of deaths linked to birth defects. Congenital heart disease is far more treatable today than it used to be. A significant number of babies who once died of congenital heart defect today survive well into adulthood, thanks to advances in surgical treatment.
In The Future Our Own Skin Cells Could Be Used To Repair Our Hearts
A heart patient's own skin cells soon could be used to repair damaged cardiac tissue thanks to pioneering stem cell research of the University of Houston's newest biomedical scientist, Robert Schwartz. His new technique for reprogramming human skin cells puts him at the forefront of a revolution in medicine that could one day lead to treatments for Alzheimer's, diabetes, muscular dystrophy and many other diseases. Schwartz brings his ground-breaking research to UH as the Cullen Distinguished Professor of Biology and Biochemistry and head of UH's new Center for Gene Regulation and Molecular Therapeutics. He also is affiliated with the Texas Heart Institute at St.
Award From Thoracic Surgery Foundation For Research And Education Given In Honor Of Nina Starr Braunwald, First Female Cardiac Surgeon
The research foundation of the nation's largest group of thoracic surgeons has awarded University of Michigan's Jennifer C. Hirsch, M.D., M.S., with the Nina Starr Braunwald award, a top award for women in cardiac surgery. Hirsch, a cardiac surgeon at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center, is an author and co-author of articles on surgical approaches to congenital heart defects. She is also surgical director of the pediatric cardiothoracic intensive care unit at U-M Medical Center. She was selected to receive the award by the Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education, which is affiliated with the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Hirsch will use the accompanying $115, 000 a year grant for the two-year project to develop an assessment tool for infants' sensory and motor skills following surgery for congenital heart defects.
St. Jude Medical Announces Publication Of Feasibility Results For Trial Of Novel Heart Failure Management System
St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) announced publication of clinical results in the Hemodynamically Guided Home Self-Therapy in Severe Heart Failure Patients (HOMEOSTASIS) trial. The left atrial pressure (LAP) management system featured in this study allows patients to adjust their heart failure (HF) medications daily, based on a physician-directed prescription plan and their current HF status, similar to the manner in which diabetes patients manage their insulin therapy. Results of the HOMEOSTASIS study were published in the March 2010 issue of Circulation. This observational, first-in-human, feasibility study suggests that outpatient hemodynamic monitoring linked to a self-management therapeutic strategy could change current management of advanced HF and facilitate more optimal therapy and improved outcomes.
Beta Blocker Therapy Underused In Heart Failure Patients
New Saint Louis University research has found that beta blockers, a class of drugs used to prevent the progression of heart failure and manage arrhythmias (irregular heart beat) and hypertension ( high blood pressure ), are underused in heart failure patients who receive implantable cardiac devices. Failure to take beta blockers prior to implanting a cardiac device can affect the patient's overall outcome and survival rate, says Paul Hauptman, M.D., SLUCare cardiologist and professor of internal medicine at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and lead author of the study. Additionally, beta blocker use may eliminate the need for the cardiac device entirely by improving heart function.
Cardio3 BioSciences Announces Promising Pre-Clinical Data For Proprietary C-Cath R Catheter
Cardio3 BioSciences, a leading Belgian biotechnology company specialising in cell-based therapies for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, announced promising results in a pre-clinical study of its proprietary C-Cath(R) catheter which is under development to administer a range of bio-therapeutics to the heart. C-Cath is designed to take into account organ tissue structure and properties to maximize patients' safety, improve performance and increase user confidence during the injection procedure. The study was a head-to-head comparison between the current 'gold standard' injection catheter and C-Cath in injecting mesenchymal stem cells originating from bone marrow in an animal model widely used in cardiology studies.
Test Of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Linked To Cognitive Problems
A standard test of the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is linked to significant thought-processing problems that improve for most patients within a year after the device is inserted, according to research reported in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, a journal of the American Heart Association. An ICD is a small electronic device that monitors and regulates heartbeat (somewhat similar to a pacemaker). It's inserted into the patient's chest or abdomen and connected to the heart. An ICD can prevent sudden death by detecting irregular and/or rapid heartbeat, then sending an electrical pulse to the heart that shocks it and allows a normal rhythm to resume.
Europe's Top Football Venues Are Not Prepared For Treating Spectators Who Suffer Heart Attacks
Too many major sports arenas in Europe do not have adequate equipment and procedures in place to save the lives of spectators who suffer heart attacks while watching a sporting event, according to new research published online 3 March) in the European Heart Journal [1]. In a study of 187 top sports arenas in ten European countries, used by 190 elite soccer clubs, more than a quarter did not have automated external defibrillators on site and even more did not have medical action plans or basic or advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training programmes. During the period that was studied, the 2005-6 season, no players or officials suffered a heart attack, but there were 77 heart attacks among the spectators (an estimated incidence of about one in 589, 000 spectators).
Coffee Associated With Reduced Risk Of Hospitalization For Heart Rhythm Disturbances
Coffee drinkers may be less likely to be hospitalized for heart rhythm disturbances, according to a new study by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif. The researchers, who note the findings may be surprising because patients frequently report palpitations after drinking coffee, are presenting the study at the American Heart Association's 50th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention in San Francisco on March 5, 2010. While it has been established that very large doses of caffeine, the most active ingredient in coffee, can produce rhythm disturbances, there has been limited epidemiologic research about the caffeine doses people take.
St. Jude Medical Receives CE Mark Approval For Trifecta Valve
St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) announced that it has received CE Mark approval for the Trifecta(TM) valve, marking the Company's launch into the market for pericardial aortic stented tissue valves. The Trifecta tissue valve is used to replace a patient's diseased, damaged or malfunctioning aortic heart valve, which controls blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body. The next-generation tissue valve has a tri-leaflet stented pericardial design which offers excellent hemodynamic performance, or nearly unobstructed blood flow, in order to mimic as closely as possible the flow of a natural, healthy heart. The unique valve design includes leaflets manufactured from pericardial tissue attached to the exterior of the valve stent which open more fully and efficiently to perform like a natural heart valve.