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.

St. Jude Medical receives approval for CRT-D quadripolar pacing system in India

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced the approval of the industry's first quadripolar pacing system for cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds) in India. The Promote Quadra CRT-D offers physicians the ability to more effectively and efficiently manage the ever-changing pacing needs of patients with heart failure.

7 Sep 2011

Mesoblast receives EMA clearance to initiate Revascor Phase 2 trial for heart attacks

Global regenerative medicine company, Mesoblast Limited, today announced that it had received clearance from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to begin a 225-patient multi-center Phase 2 clinical trial in Europe for its lead cardiovascular product Revascor(TM) in conjunction with angioplasty and stent procedures to prevent heart failure after a major heart attack.

5 Sep 2011

Australia’s Mesoblast receives nod to start first European trial of allogeneic stem cell treatment for heart attacks

Global regenerative medicine company, Mesoblast Limited, (ASX: MSB), today announced that it had received clearance from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to begin a 225-patient multi-center Phase 2 clinical trial in Europe for its lead cardiovascular product Revascor™ in conjunction with angioplasty and stent procedures to prevent heart failure after a major heart attack. Revascor™ is an allogeneic, or “off-the-shelf”, adult stem cell product derived from Mesoblast's proprietary Mesenchymal Precursor Cell (MPC) platform technology which is being developed for use in a range of cardiovascular diseases including congestive heart failure, chronic angina, and heart attacks (acute myocardial infarction).

5 Sep 2011

Inhibiting the ability of immune cells to use fatty acids slows MS progression

In a paper published today in the journal Scientific Reports, a pair of researchers at the University of California, San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences report that inhibiting the ability of immune cells to use fatty acids as fuel measurably slows disease progression in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis.

3 Sep 2011

Roche Diagnostics terminates sales and distribution agreement with Response

Response Biomedical Corporation today announced that Roche Diagnostics has terminated, effective September 30, 2011, the sales and distribution agreement between Roche and Response dated June 25, 2008. Under the terms of that agreement and related agreements, Roche Diagnostics had agreed to distribute Response's cardiovascular point-of-care (POC) tests on the RAMP® 200 Reader in the US.

From Roche Sequencing and Life Science 2 Sep 2011

One in three AF patients at high risk of stroke are not being prescribed VKA therapy

New data show that, worldwide, one in three patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who are at high risk for stroke are not being prescribed anticoagulant therapy, particularly vitamin K antagonists (VKA) – medicines known to significantly lower stroke risk in these patients.

29 Aug 2011

MitraClip treatment could benefit heart failure patients who are unresponsive to CRT

Results of an observational study presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) meeting today in Paris demonstrate that the percutaneous catheter-based MitraClip treatment improves symptoms and promotes reverse left ventricular (LV) remodeling in patients with mitral regurgitation (MR), who do not respond to cardiac resynchronization therapy.

29 Aug 2011

NeoStem featured on CBS's Eye on New York City

NeoStem, Inc., an international biopharmaceutical company with a focus on cell-based therapeutic development, today announced that the Company was featured on CBS's Eye on New York City on Wednesday evening, August 24, 2011.

26 Aug 2011

Antidepressant alert – Citalopram associated to heart rhythm disturbances

Antidepressant citalopram (Celexa, Forest Laboratories) should not be used in doses higher than 40 mg per day because of concerns that it can cause potentially fatal changes in heart rhythm, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns.

25 Aug 2011

National analysis identifies Columbus as one of the Hypertension Hot Spots in the U.S.

A national analysis conducted by Sperling's BestPlaces and sponsored by Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc., identified Columbus, Ohio, as one of the nation's Hypertension Hot Spots, or cities that have hypertension risk factors and complications.

18 Aug 2011

New tool can identify patients at high risk of venous thromboembolism

A new risk prediction tool can identify patients at high risk of serious blood clots (known as venous thromboembolism) who might need preventative treatment, says a study published on bmj.com today.

17 Aug 2011

Trastuzumab drug increases risk of heart problems in elderly breast cancer patients

The first study to investigate the effect of the breast cancer drug trastuzumab (Herceptin) on heart and vascular function in elderly patients has found that it increases the risk of heart problems, particularly in women with a history of heart disease, diabetes or both.

10 Aug 2011

Marshfield Clinic improves quality of health care and decreases Medicare costs

When the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initiated its Physician Group Practice (PGP) Demonstration, it challenged the 10 participating large physician group practices to prove that providing high quality coordinated health care could also save money.

9 Aug 2011

U-M saves more than $22M during Medicare Physician Group Practice Demonstration Project

Medicare patients received better care at the University of Michigan Health System, and U-M staff have saved more than $22 million on the cost of that care during a five-year demonstration project.

9 Aug 2011

Study: Chronic mitral valve disease similar in humans and dogs

For more than 15 years, Kansas State University researcher Michele Borgarelli has studied heart diseases in man's best friend.

4 Aug 2011

Conference to focus on connection between fluid balance and hypertension

Each day we consume liquids in order to keep hydrated and maintain our body's fluid balance. But just as a water balloon can get overtaxed by too much liquid, the human body is negatively affected when it retains fluids because it is unable to eliminate them properly. One of the key variables influencing how much fluid we hold in our bodies is ordinary table salt.

3 Aug 2011

Former Specialty Hospital patient credits Left Ventricular Assist Device surgery

What do former Vice President Dick Cheney, Izzie's boyfriend, Denny, on "Grey's Anatomy" and Anthony Freeman from East Baltimore all have in common? Each is associated with a Left Ventricular Assist Device.

30 Jul 2011

RegenoCELL to open new facility in Panama for treatment of congestive heart failure

RegenoCELL Therapeutics, Inc., a leader in adult stem cell therapy, is pleased to announce it is planning to open another state of the art facility in Panama for patients to be treated for congestive heart failure and peripheral artery disease with its autologous stem cell therapy.

30 Jul 2011

Antioxidants may help treat infertility problems in both women and men

A growing body of evidence suggests that antioxidants may have significant value in addressing infertility issues in both women and men, including erectile dysfunction, and researchers say that large, specific clinical studies are merited to determine how much they could help.

29 Jul 2011

Health Canada issues notice of compliance for OCPI's SAMSCA to treat hyponatremia

Otsuka Canada Pharmaceutical Inc. (OCPI) announced today that Health Canada has issued a notice of compliance for SAMSCA (tolvaptan), the first medicine approved in Canada for the treatment of hyponatremia.

27 Jul 2011