A novel catheter technique for patching holes in the heart may make it possible for many patients to avoid surgery altogether and others to regain enough strength to safely undergo surgical repair at a later date, according to a study reported at the 30th annual Scientific Sessions of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, May 9-12, 2007, in Orlando, Fla.
Catheter techniques are expanding into new territory, successfully aiding in the replacement of narrowed, calcified aortic valves in patients too sick to withstand open-chest surgery.
New research from UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) shows that the effect of diabetes on the severity of illness and risk of death for patients with heart failure is much worse in women than men. The effect is even more pronounced in older patients, according to findings published online in Heart on May 8.
Keeping a healthy heart beating requires the production of a constant supply of energy, a feat depending on the coordination of several genetic programs. Now, researchers report in the May issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press, that two closely related receptors can act together or separately to pull all of the strings.
After screening hundreds of compounds for their effects on fat development, researchers have discovered that an ingredient found in some plants fights diabetes in mice without some of the side effects attributed to other antidiabetes drugs.
Implanted pumps improved heart function enough in a small percentage of patients awaiting a heart transplant that they were able to leave the hospital without a pump and without a new heart, according to a study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
A simple blood test ? beyond standard lab tests ? taken at hospital admission strongly predicted in-hospital mortality risk for heart failure patients and may be useful in helping doctors decide which patients need higher-level monitoring and more intensive treatment.
Some high blood pressure medicines may help protect older adults from declines in memory and other cognitive function, according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, reported today at the annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society in Seattle.
A naturally occurring molecule in the body appears to control whether certain medications, such as beta adrenergic receptor agonists used in acute heart failure or in inhalers for asthma, lose their effectiveness over time.
Statin drugs, known primarily for their ability to lower cholesterol, also may reduce the overactive sympathetic nervous system response that contributes to the worsening of heart failure and increases the risk of sudden cardiac death, two University of Missouri-Columbia researchers have found. Heart failure is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States.