http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Inherited ventricular arrhythmias are an important cause of morbidity and sudden cardiac death in children who have structurally normal hearts. Despite conventional medical therapy, some of these children remain symptomatic with recurrent life-threatening arrhythmias, syncope, or frequent discharges from implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). Video-assisted thoracoscopic left cardiac sympathetic denervation (VATS-LCSD) is a minimally invasive procedure that can help many of these children with refractory cardiac arrhythmias. The results of a single-center experience with VATS-LCSD will be presented during the Congenital Heart Disease Session of the 93rd AATS Annual Meeting in Minneapolis by Dr. Sophie C. Hofferberth, MBBS. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-minimally-invasive-vats-lcsd-children-refractory.html Cardiology Tue, 07 May 2013 15:30:02 EST news287140955 Adults with end-stage respiratory failure and pulmonary hypertension requiring ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) have been "bridged" toward lung transplantation with novel lung assist devices such as the Novalung. This and related devices work based on pumpless application of oxygenators. A presentation by David M. Hoganson, MD, and colleagues from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis at the Congenital Heart Disease Session of the 93rd AATS Annual Meeting describes the first time application of this technology to newborns and small children. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-kids-severe-respiratory-failure-survive.html Surgery Mon, 06 May 2013 17:10:02 EST news287073921 In a substudy of the STAMPEDE trial (Surgical Therapy And Medications Potentially Eradicate Diabetes Efficiently), Cleveland Clinic researchers have found that gastric bypass surgery reverses diabetes by uniquely restoring pancreatic function in moderately obese patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-bariatric-surgery-pancreatic-function-belly.html Surgery Tue, 26 Feb 2013 08:50:06 EST news281090146 (HealthDay)—Delivery of an SDF-1 encoding plasmid (JVS-100) acts a homing signal for stem cells and improves clinical status in patients with symptomatic heart failure due to ischemic cardiomyopathy (IsCM), according to a study published online Feb. 21 in Circulation Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-gene-therapy-stem-cells-heart.html Cardiology Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:10:03 EST news280765743 Surgery to bypass a blocked carotid artery in order to restore adequate blood flow to the brain does not improve cognitive performance in patients who've had a stroke or mini-stroke (TIA), according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2013. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-carotid-bypass-surgery-doesnt-cognitive.html Cardiology Mon, 11 Feb 2013 07:10:05 EST news279786759 HIV patients who participated in an intervention that helped them identify barriers to taking their drugs properly and develop customized coping strategies took a significantly greater amount of their prescribed doses than those receiving standard care, according to a new study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The results, published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine, may point to a new strategy to improve adherence to medications for many other conditions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-personalized-barriers-hiv-drug-adherence.html HIV & AIDS Tue, 29 Jan 2013 11:57:23 EST news278683034 (Medical Xpress)—Diagnosed with severe coronary artery disease, a group of patients too ill for or not responding to other treatment options decided to take part in a clinical trial testing angiogenic gene therapy to help rebuild their damaged blood vessels. More than 10 years later, in a follow-up review of these patients, doctors at Baylor College of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College (where the clinical trial and review took place) and Stony Brook University Medical Center report the outcomes are promising and open the door for larger trials to begin. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-rebuilding-blood-vessels-gene-therapy.html Cardiology Fri, 21 Dec 2012 08:16:46 EST news275300096 Patients who quit smoking and took an aspirin and statin before undergoing treatment for blocked leg arteries were less likely to suffer a complication six months later, according to new research led by the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-lifestyle-linked-outcomes-peripheral-intervention.html Cardiology Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:44:38 EST news275240650 A drug originally developed to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs has now been shown to dramatically reduce a particular kind of brain tumor in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)—a genetic disease that causes tumors to grow on vital organs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-drug-brain-tumors-children-tuberous.html Cancer Tue, 13 Nov 2012 18:30:04 EST news272046793 A clinical trial indicates that using an investigational medical device to close a PFO, or "hole in the heart," may be superior to medical management alone in the prevention of a repeated stroke. Results of the RESPECT trial were presented at the 24th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-results-respect-trial-tct.html Cardiology Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:49:32 EST news270391744 Results of a large-scale, randomized clinical trial called RESPECT revealed that patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure may be superior to medical therapy in preventing recurrent stroke, according to a presentation of findings today at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference in Miami. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-pfo-closure-superior-medical-therapy.html Cardiology Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:20:01 EST news270389256 A study found that transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) yielded lower mortality rates after three years compared with medical therapy in patients deemed to be ineligible for conventional aortic valve surgery. Results of the PARTNER Cohort B trial were presented today at the 24th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-benefits-transcatheter-aortic-valve-years.html Cardiology Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:00:04 EST news270305624 A strategy of up-front percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for lesions confirmed to be obstructive by fractional flow reserve (FFR) was shown to be cost-effective in terms of quality-adjusted life years when compared to medical therapy alone. Results of the Cost-Effectiveness sub study of the FAME 2 trial were presented today at the 24th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-ffr-guided-pci-cost-effectiveness-medical-therapy.html Cardiology Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:10:03 EST news270304574 Among patients with either coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors only, known prior heart attack, or known CAD without heart attack, the use of beta-blockers was not associated with a lower risk of a composite of cardiovascular events that included cardiovascular death, nonfatal heart attack or nonfatal stroke, according to a study in the October 3 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-beta-blocker-cardiovascular-events.html Cardiology Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:00:04 EST news268404232 (Medical Xpress)—Who should get stents, the tiny metal tubes designed to keep once-clogged coronary arteries open? Someone who is having a heart attack certainly should, and the life-prolonging benefits have been demonstrated in several studies. But results have been more ambiguous for patients who have "stable angina": chest pain that comes with exertion but goes away at rest. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-benefits-coronary-stents.html Cardiology Wed, 12 Sep 2012 09:15:24 EST news266660103 Patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) had a lower need for urgent revascularisation when receiving fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided PCI plus the best available medical therapy (MT) than when receiving MT alone. The results, from a final analysis of the FAME 2 trial, were presented today during a Hot Line session of ESC Congress 2012 in Munich. Treatment guided by fractional flow reserve assessment helped reduce the risk of urgent revascularisation by a factor of eight. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-pci-fractional-reserve-medical-therapy.html Cardiology Tue, 28 Aug 2012 11:04:58 EST news265370691 For patients with stable coronary artery disease who have at least one narrowed blood vessel that compromises flow to the heart, medical therapy alone leads to a significantly higher risk of hospitalization and the urgent need for a coronary stent when compared with therapy that also includes initial placement of artery-opening stents. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-early-stents-medical-therapy-patients.html Cardiology Tue, 28 Aug 2012 04:12:56 EST news265345968 Spinal cord stimulation improves heart function and could become a novel treatment option for heart failure, according to research presented at the ESC Congress 2012 today, August 25, by Professor Hung-Fat Tse from Hong Kong. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-spinal-cord-heart-function.html Cardiology Mon, 27 Aug 2012 11:20:06 EST news265282904 A balloon pump inserted in the aorta is currently the most widely used support device in the treatment of cardiogenic shock and, since its introduction in 1968, has been used in several million people. However, there is still only limited evidence that the intraaortic balloon pump (IABP), one of the oldest medical devices in cardiology, is actually beneficial for the patient. Only a few registry studies and clinical trials have shown that the IABP can improve blood pressure and the perfusion of the coronary arteries. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-intraaortic-balloon-mortality-cardiogenic-patients.html Cardiology Mon, 27 Aug 2012 11:12:31 EST news265284742 The first trial to study patients with acute coronary syndrome who do not undergo coronary stenting or bypass surgery found no significant difference between two anti-clotting drugs – prasugrel and clopidogrel – in preventing the first occurrence of death, heart attack or stroke, according to Duke University Medical Center cardiologists. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-anti-clotting-drugs-yield-similar-results.html Cardiology Sun, 26 Aug 2012 04:05:08 EST news265172673 Ticagrelor, a blood-thinning drug approved by the FDA in 2011, should be considered along with older blood thinners clopidogrel and prasugrel for treating patients who are experiencing chest pain or some heart attacks, according to joint updated guidelines issued by the American Heart Association (AHA) Task Force on Practice Guidelines and the American College of Cardiology (ACCF) Foundation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-ahaaccf-guidelines-unstable-angina-blood-thinning.html Cardiology Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:03:11 EST news261669774 Researchers have developed a new scoring system that may better identify adolescents with the metabolic syndrome, a group at increased risk of later developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The study, to be presented at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston, describes what the authors call "the first racial/ethnic-specific and sex-specific scoring system for the metabolic syndrome." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-score-diagnosis-metabolic-syndrome-children.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 25 Jun 2012 10:50:01 EST news259838605 Researchers at the University of Hull, in the UK, have just launched a major new trial investigating the effects of home oxygen therapy in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-oxygen-patients-chronic-heart-failure.html Cardiology Mon, 21 May 2012 11:08:53 EST news256817183 MR enterography is superior to CT enterography in diagnosing fibrosis in pediatric patients with Crohn disease and equally as good as CT enterography in detecting active inflammation, and a new study shows. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-enterography-good-standard-imaging-exams.html Cancer Mon, 30 Apr 2012 03:20:02 EST news254971320 Patients whose symptoms of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) start outside of the hospital setting have a higher risk of colectomy due to severe infection, according to a large multicenter study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-community-onset-clostridium-difficile-linked-higher.html Surgery Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:18:52 EST news252757058 Use of a patient's bone marrow cells for treating chronic ischemic heart failure did not result in improvement on most measures of heart function, according to a study appearing in JAMA. The study is being published early online to coincide with its presentation at the American College of Cardiology's annual scientific sessions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-treatment-heart-failure-bone-marrow.html Cardiology Sat, 24 Mar 2012 19:10:58 EST news251835048 A catheter procedure that closes a hole in patients' hearts was no more effective than medical therapy in preventing recurrent strokes, according to a new study published in the March 15 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-expensive-procedure-effective-medical-therapy.html Cardiology Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:00:12 EST news250953359 Persistent depression symptoms may be associated with significantly greater declines in cognitive performance in older patients with coronary artery disease who underwent cardiac catheterization, according to a study published in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-persistent-depression-linked-cognitive-decline.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:00:01 EST news250167391 A meta-analysis of eight previously published clinical trials suggests that initial stent implantation for patients with stable coronary artery disease is not associated with improved outcomes compared with initial medical therapy for prevention of death, nonfatal heart attacks, unplanned revascularization or angina, according to a study published in the Feb. 27 Archives of Internal Medicine. The article is part of the journal's Less is More series. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-stent-implantation-medical-therapy-stable.html Cardiology Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:00:05 EST news249573666 While epilepsy surgery is a safe and effective intervention for seizure control, medical therapy remains the more prominent treatment option for those with epilepsy. However, a new 26-year study reveals that following epilepsy surgery, nearly half of participants were free of disabling seizures and 80% reported better quality of life than before surgery. Findings from this study—the largest long-term study to date—are now available in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-long-term-epilepsy-surgery-seizure-quality.html Surgery Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:10:44 EST news247810230