Congestive Heart Failure News and Research

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Congestive Heart Failure is a condition in which the heart can't pump blood the way it should. In some cases, the heart can't fill with enough blood. In other cases, the heart can't send blood to the rest of the body with enough force. Some people have both problems. "Heart failure" doesn't mean that your heart has stopped or is about to stop working. However, it's a serious condition that requires medical care. Heart failure develops over time as the pumping of the heart grows weaker. It can affect the right side of the heart only or both the left and right sides of the heart. Most cases involve both sides of the heart.

HHS Inspector General raises concerns about Medicare policy on observation care

The report also finds that policies on admitting patients or keeping them under observation -- a distinction that can have dramatic financial impact on the patients -- varies substantially among hospitals.

31 Jul 2013

Inhalable gene therapy may restore function of crucial enzyme to reverse deadly PAH

The deadly condition known as pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), which afflicts up to 150,000 Americans each year, may be reversible by using an inhalable gene therapy, report an international team of researchers led by investigators at the Cardiovascular Research Center at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

31 Jul 2013

Celgene to discontinue treatment with REVLIMID in phase III ORIGIN trial

Celgene Corporation today announced that after consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Celgene will discontinue treatment with REVLIMID (lenalidomide) in the open-label, phase III ORIGIN trial, which enrolled 450 patients in over 100 sites in 26 countries.

18 Jul 2013

TSRI scientists design drug candidate that increases exercise endurance in animal models

An international group of scientists has shown that a drug candidate designed by scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) significantly increases exercise endurance in animal models.

15 Jul 2013

State highlights: Disabled at risk at Calif. facilities, audit finds; Advocates push for single policy for kids' medical, dental coverage in exchange plans; Ga. maternal mortality

Californians with developmental disabilities who are cared for at state facilities are being put at risk by outdated policies and inadequate investigations of abuse, the state auditor's office said Tuesday. Allegations that residents have been raped, shot with stun guns and otherwise abused have not been acted on satisfactorily, auditors found. The California Department of Developmental Services cares for 1,480 severely disabled people in five facilities throughout the state (McGreevy, 7/9).

11 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 10, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including articles about House Republican plans to seek a delay in the health law's requirement that nearly all Americans get health insurance.

10 Jul 2013

Hospitals, doctors consider changes amid Medicare hospital readmissions scrutiny

Hospitals and doctors are feeling the health care law heat as officials try to reduce readmissions and increase quality of care in the Medicare program. PBS NewsHour looks at the law's hospital readmissions penalties and Medpage Today explains what the hospitals are doing.

2 Jul 2013

Genentech's Perjeta regimen gets FDA Priority Review for HER2-positive early stage breast cancer

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted the company's supplemental Biologics License Application for the use of a Perjeta (pertuzumab) regimen before surgery (neoadjuvant treatment) in people with HER2-positive early stage breast cancer.

2 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 1, 2013

Today's headlines include a variety of weekend news reports, including coverage of the Obama administration's final contraceptive coverage rule as well as a range of other stories on health law implementation issues.

1 Jul 2013

Bayer, Onyx submit sNDA to FDA, marketing authorization application to EMA for Nexavar tablets

Bayer HealthCare and Onyx Pharmaceuticals today announced the submission of a supplemental New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and an application for marketing authorization to the European Medicines Agency for the oral multi-kinase inhibitor Nexavar (sorafenib) tablets for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer.

1 Jul 2013

Eisai submits BELVIQ NDS with Health Canada

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that Eisai Limited (based in Mississauga, Ontario), a subsidiary of Eisai Inc., has submitted a New Drug Submission for BELVIQ (lorcaserin HCl) with Health Canada.

26 Jun 2013

Hospital performance on publicly reported conditions may be correlated with overall mortality rates

Hospital performance on publicly reported conditions (acute myocardial infarction [heart attack], congestive heart failure, and pneumonia), may potentially be used as a signal of overall hospital mortality rates, according to a study by Marta L. McCrum, M.D., of Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and colleagues.

25 Jun 2013

Concerns raised about disproportionate impact of changes in hospital payment methods

Teaching hospitals with a higher intensity of physician-training activity achieve lower mortality rates, but higher hospitalization readmission rates for key medical diagnoses, reports a study in the July issue of Medical Care, published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

18 Jun 2013

Viewpoints: Kasich on what would Reagan do about Medicaid; The need for more doctors

Leaders in the states that have decided against expanding (Medicaid) have often invoked Reagan conservatism as the reason to oppose extending Medicaid health care coverage to more people. After all, doesn't (Ronald) Reagan embody modern conservatism? He cut taxes, cut government red tape and fought the growth of entitlements. Yes, he did all those things. However, he also expanded Medicaid, not just once but several times (Ohio Gov. John Kasich, 6/2).

6 Jun 2013

SLU research team awarded $1.4M to develop novel mechanical circulatory support device

A research team led by Theodosios Alexander, Sc. D., Dean of Parks College Engineering, Aviation and Technology at Saint Louis University, was awarded $1.4 million (GBP886k) by the Invention for Innovation (i4i) Program of the National Institute for Health Research to develop a novel mechanical circulatory support device.

6 Jun 2013

Researchers report that two biomarkers appear to indicate risk for silent strokes

Two biomarkers widely being investigated as predictors of heart and vascular disease appear to indicate risk for "silent" strokes and other causes of mild brain damage that present no symptoms, report researchers from The Methodist Hospital and several other institutions in an upcoming issue of Stroke (now online).

5 Jun 2013

Mortality rates are highest in heart failure patients admitted in January, on Friday, and overnight

Mortality and length of stay are highest in heart failure patients admitted in January, on Friday, and overnight, according to research presented today at the Heart Failure Congress 2013. The analysis of nearly 1 million heart failure admissions over 14 years was presented by Dr David P. Kao (Denver, Colorado).

27 May 2013

Aortic arch pulse wave velocity predicts disease of the vessels that supply blood to the brain

Aortic arch pulse wave velocity, a measure of arterial stiffness, is a strong independent predictor of disease of the vessels that supply blood to the brain, according to a new study published in the June issue the journal Radiology.

24 May 2013

FDA gives Priority Review to Celgene's ABRAXANE sNDA for advanced pancreatic cancer

Celgene International Sàrl, a subsidiary of Celgene Corporation today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has assigned a Priority Review designation to the supplemental New Drug Application for the use of ABRAXANE (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) (albumin-bound) in combination with gemcitabine for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

23 May 2013

Health officials discuss new strategies to prevent rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease

Today, at the World Health Assembly, top health officials from New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Fiji and Rwanda met to discuss the vital need for countries to integrate rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease prevention and control into national action plans.