Rotary Blood Pump Shows Promise for Pediatric PatientsJanuary 12, 2005Ventricular assist devices (VADs), blood pumps used in heart failure situations, now have the potential for use in additional patient groups. Scientists and clinicians gathered at the 11th Congress of the International Society of Rotary Blood Pumps in Germany last year to discuss past lessons learned and future directions for this technology. Increasing experience, better understanding, and advances in VADs now suggest that its smaller size offers an advantage in permitting its use in women and smaller patients, including children with heart failure. These miniature devices, such as the MicroMed DeBakey Child VAD, have the potential to bring about similar results in children as they do currently in adults, sustaining heart function, until the heart can recover or until a heart transplant can be done. According to WebMD Health, as many as 50,000 people each year could benefit from a heart transplant, but only 2,000 to 2,500 hearts become available. As a result, tens of thousands of patients each year die while waiting for a heart transplant. The development of VADs was derived from the first successful clinical use of the heart-lung machine. Researchers actively set out to discover other ways to support a failing heart to allow more time for recovery. The article relays how the efficacy and safety of VADs were demonstrated in numerous trials along the way. After 50 years of use, VADs are still considered to be in their infancy, but today, the technology has contributed to prolonging support for patients, and has helped to maintain healthy, functioning hearts. "[This is] of significant value in improving the treatment of intractable heart failure," states Dr. Michael DeBakey, author of the editorial in the journal, Artificial Organs. Researchers are hopeful for further advancement in the technology but stress the need for commitment from leaders in the field in addition to "adequate reimbursement." Blackwell Publishing Ltd |
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| Related Heart Failure Current Events and Heart Failure News Articles University of Minnesota invention will help speed development of drug treatments for heart failure Research conducted by University of Minnesota scientists, in collaboration with Celladon Corporation, has led to the invention of technology to more rapidly identify compounds for the treatment of heart failure. New tool for helping pediatric heart surgery A team of researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Stanford University has developed a way to simulate blood flow on the computer to optimize surgical designs. Carvedilol shown to have unique characteristics among beta blockers In a new study, researchers report that a class of heart medications called beta-blockers can have a helpful, or harmful, effect on the heart, depending on their molecular activity. High Blood Pressure Easy to Miss in Children with Kidney Disease Spot blood pressure readings in children with chronic kidney disease often fail to detect hypertension - even during doctor's office visits - increasing a child's risk for serious heart problems, according to research from Johns Hopkins Children's Center and other institutions. A report of the findings appears online in the Journal of American Society of Nephrology. Inhibition of GRK2 is protective against acute cardiac stress injuries Inhibition of a protein known to contribute to heart failure also appears to be protective of the heart in more acute cardiac stress injury, namely ischemia reperfusion. Young athletes need dual screening tests for heart defects, study suggests To best detect early signs of life-threatening heart defects in young athletes, screening programs should include both popular diagnostic tests, not just one of them, according to new research from heart experts at Johns Hopkins. Protein changes in heart strengthen link between Alzheimer's disease and chronic heart failure A team of U.S., Canadian and Italian scientists led by researchers at Johns Hopkins report evidence from studies in animals and humans supporting a link between Alzheimer's disease and chronic heart failure, two of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States. Elevated biomarkers lead to diminished quality of life in heart attack patients post-discharge Many heart attack patients have high levels of cardiac biomarkers in the blood for several months after leaving the hospital, with more shortness of breath and chest pain, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study. Tiny particles can deliver antioxidant enzyme to injured heart cells Researchers at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed microscopic polymer beads that can deliver an antioxidant enzyme made naturally by the body into the heart. New study links vitamin D deficiency to cardiovascular disease and death While mothers have known that feeding their kids milk builds strong bones, a new study by researchers at the Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City suggests that Vitamin D contributes to a strong and healthy heart as well - and that inadequate levels of the vitamin may significantly increase a person's risk of stroke, heart disease, and death, even among people who've never had heart disease. More Heart Failure Current Events and Heart Failure News Articles |
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