http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. When a biologic aortic valve prosthesis fails, the patient often faces a high risk valve replacement through repeat open heart surgery. A new technique, known as Valve-in-Valve, uses minimally invasive techniques to introduce a collapsible aortic heart valve into the damaged valve in order to restore function. This procedure avoids the need to open the chest or use cardiopulmonary bypass (heart-lung machine), according to Leo Ihlberg, MD, PhD, a cardiothoracic surgeon at the Heart and Lung Center of Helsinki University Hospital, Finland, who will be presenting the results of a new study at the 93rd AATS Annual Meeting in Minneapolis on May 6, 2013. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-minimally-invasive-biological-aortic-valve-successful.html Cardiology Mon, 06 May 2013 12:00:04 EST news287057200 Contrary to the positive findings of a previous pilot study, administration of a sodium bicarbonate-based infusion to induce urinary alkalinization during and after surgery does not reduce the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) and may even cause harm in patients undergoing open heart surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-prophylactic-sodium-bicarbonate-infusion-acute.html Cardiology Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:30:03 EST news285352195 (AP)—Have a heart problem? If it's fixable, there's a good chance it can be done without surgery, using tiny tools and devices that are pushed through tubes into blood vessels. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-heart-breakthroughs-surgeon-knife.html Cardiology Sun, 24 Mar 2013 15:10:24 EST news283356604 Among the two available procedures for opening blocked arteries surrounding the heart, one appears to be safer than the other for dialysis patients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The findings may help lead to better care for kidney failure patients with coronary heart disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-coronary-heart-disease-kidney-failure.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 29 Nov 2012 17:29:29 EST news273432560 Contrary to previous data, patients with prior open heart surgery, or coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), who have a severe heart attack (STEMI) and receive a coronary stent have similar outcomes to patients without previous CABG, based on study of a large, prospective, regional STEMI network, being presented Oct. 23 at the 2012 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-prior-cardiac-surgery-worse-outcomes.html Cardiology Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:10:02 EST news270201445 Although some studies have portrayed tight blood sugar control as a potential means of lowering infection rates in critically ill adults, a new study—led by principal investigator Michael Agus, MD, director of the Medicine Critical Care Program at Boston Children's Hospital—found no indication that the approach benefits pediatric patients undergoing heart surgery. The results of the Safe Pediatric Euglycemia in Cardiac Surgery (SPECS) trial, which was conducted at Boston Children's and at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, will appear in the September 7 online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine and in the September 27 print version of the publication. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-tight-glycemic-proven-benefits-children.html Cardiology Sat, 08 Sep 2012 04:40:02 EST news266297984 Women with severe aortic stenosis are 40% less likely to die after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) than men, reveals the latest data from the largest study to date of gender differences in outcomes after TAVI. The findings were presented at ESC Congress 2012 by Professor Karin Humphries from St. Paul's Hospital. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-women-die-tavi-men.html Cardiology Tue, 28 Aug 2012 11:30:01 EST news265370859 (Medical Xpress) -- UCLA has performed its first transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), using a new device approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to replace an aortic valve in a patient who was not a candidate for open-heart surgery. The procedure took place on Aug. 9. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-ucla-device-aortic-valve-patients.html Cardiology Thu, 16 Aug 2012 07:12:46 EST news264319942 A new type of heart valve surgery known as transcatheter aortic valve implantation "cannot be justified on medical or cost effectiveness grounds" warn experts in a paper published in BMJ today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-minimally-invasive-heart-valve-surgery.html Cardiology Tue, 31 Jul 2012 18:30:01 EST news262968994 One type of open heart surgery is likely safer than the other for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-heart-surgery-kidney-disease-patients.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 17 May 2012 17:04:30 EST news256493007 Two-year data show comparable death and durability for catheter-placed heart valves and open-heart surgery in very old and ill patients, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 61st Annual Scientific Session. The Scientific Session, the premier cardiovascular medical meeting, brings cardiovascular professionals together to further advances in the field. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-catheter-placed-heart-valve-strong-years.html Cardiology Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:39:56 EST news251980789 Patients diagnosed with aortic stenosis who are too sick for open-heart surgery have better survival rates and an improved quality of life after undergoing catheter-based heart valve replacement than if the patients had been treated with standard medical therapy, according to a study authored by a Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute physician based on results from a multicenter clinical trial. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-heart-patients-non-surgical-valve-standard.html Cardiology Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:28:23 EST news251972890 Patients with life-threatening heart valve disease could be helped with alternative scanning techniques that provide greater insight into the condition. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-scanning-strategy-heart-disease-treatments.html Cardiology Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:40:01 EST news242908239 A two-year study of patients in the landmark PARTNER trial, which compared transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients who have severe aortic stenosis and are not candidates for open heart surgery, confirm the one-year findings and support the role of TAVR as the standard of care. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-results-partner-trial-cohort-year.html Cardiology Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:59:36 EST news240166739 (AP) -- Federal health officials have approved a first-of-a-kind artificial heart valve that can be implanted without major surgery, offering a new treatment option for patients who are too old or frail for the chest-cracking procedure currently used. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-fda-non-surgical-heart-valve.html Cardiology Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:40:14 EST news239474408 A type of medication known as angiotensin-receptor blockers could reduce risk of mortality in people with a heart disease called calcific aortic stenosis (AS) by 30 per cent over an eight-year period, Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher Dr. Philippe Pibarot told delegates at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress. The condition is currently managed with open heart surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-duty-blood-pressure-drugs-revolutionize.html Cardiology Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:18:20 EST news238735085 Duke University Medical Center researchers have found a genetic variant that seems to be associated with lower five-year survival after a coronary artery bypass. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-gene-linked-death-coronary-bypass.html Cardiology Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:23:52 EST news235124622 (Medical Xpress) -- Heart experts at Johns Hopkins have begun testing a new device designed to replace blocked aortic valves in patients for whom traditional open-heart surgery is considered too risky, such as elderly patients and those with other serious medical conditions. The testing is part of a nationwide study to evaluate the device, which is deployed in a minimally invasive way. The first two Maryland patients to receive the device had it put in place by Johns Hopkins doctors on July 8, 2011. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-minimally-invasive-treatment-blocked-heart.html Cardiology Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:42:15 EST news229768915 (Medical Xpress) -- An innovative approach for implanting a new aortic heart valve without open-heart surgery is being offered at Rush University Medical Center to patients with severe aortic stenosis who are at high-risk or not suitable candidates for open heart valve replacement surgery.  http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-option-patients-untreatable-non-perative-heart.html Cardiology Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:45:13 EST news228483896 An innovative approach for implanting a new aortic heart valve without open-heart surgery is being offered at Rush University Medical Center to patients with severe aortic stenosis who are at high-risk or not suitable candidates for open heart valve replacement surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-heart-valve-chest-option-non-operable.html Cardiology Fri, 24 Jun 2011 14:12:45 EST news228143551 Black patients having a heart attack wait longer at hospitals than white patients to get advanced procedures that will restore blood flow to their hearts, according to a University of Michigan Health System study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-black-heart-patients-longer-advanced.html Cardiology Mon, 20 Jun 2011 10:33:51 EST news227784801 Surgery death rates have dropped nationwide over the past decade, according to a University of Michigan Health System study that reveals cancer surgeries have seen the most dramatic improvement in safety. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-surgery-deaths-nationwide-high-risk-surgeries.html Health Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:10:01 EST news226169317 Don and Shawna Albright had almost lost hope. Eighteen weeks into Shawna’s pregnancy, an ultrasound showed deadly, unfixable problems with their baby girl’s heart. Two referrals and two echocardiograms later, doctors said there was no way the baby would survive her complex heart defects. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-open-heart-surgeries-free-baby-bleak.html Cardiology Tue, 10 May 2011 10:47:31 EST news224243220