Investigation of contaminated heparin syringes highlights medication safety issues
An outbreak of bloodstream infections appears to have been caused by the contamination of pre-filled heparin and saline syringes made by a single company. view more (2009-10-13)
Drug-eluting stents better than bare-metal stents for heart attack patients
Late-breaking data from the landmark HORIZONS-AMI clinical trial, presented at the 21st annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, demonstrated that after two years, in heart attack patients, the use of a drug-eluting stent (paclitaxel) was safer and more effective than a bare-metal stent; and that the... view more... (2009-09-28)
Otamixaban for the treatment of patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes
Data from a phase II trial of an investigational intravenous drug designed to block the formation of blood clots shows potential to reduce the risk of death, a second heart attack, or other coronary complications compared with the current standard of care in patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes (heart attacks or unstable angina). view more (2009-08-31)
Patient safety advanced by revised heparin standards
Continuing to help ensure the identity, purity and quality of heparin, the U.S. Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention has revised written and physical standards for the widely used blood thinner. view more (2009-07-31)
'Artificial Golgi' may provide new insight into key cell structure
Scientists in New York and North Carolina are reporting assembly of the first functioning prototype of an artificial Golgi organelle. view more (2009-07-29)
Simple new method detects contaminants in life-saving drug
The blood-thinning drug heparin is highly effective when used to prevent and treat blood clots in veins, arteries and lungs, but earlier this year its reputation as a lifesaver was sullied when contaminated heparin products caused serious allergic reactions that led to a large number of deaths. view more (2008-11-18)
HORIZONS AMI will help set guidelines for drug and stent therapy
The HORIZONS AMI clinical trial measuring the safety and efficacy of the use of the medication bivalirudin compared to standard drug therapy - heparin and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors -- in heart attack patients who receive angioplasty, found that after 1 year, use of bivalirudin resulted in significantly lower rates of all-cause death, death... view more... (2008-10-16)
Safety of antithrombotic treatment in acute coronary syndromes
The management of acute coronary syndromes (with or without ST segment elevation) requires the use of anticoagulants, antiplatelet agents (aspirin, clopidogrel and/or glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitors), beta-blockers, thrombolytics in some cases, and revascularization / reperfusion. view more (2008-09-03)
Chemists move closer toward developing safer, fully-synthetic form of heparin
Chemists are reporting a major advance toward developing a safer, fully-synthetic version of heparin, the widely used blood thinner now produced from pig intestines. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration last spring linked contaminated batches of the animal-based product, imported from China, to more than 80 deaths and hundreds of allergic... view more... (2008-08-18)
Researchers create safer alternative to heparin
Robert Linhardt has spent years stitching together minuscule carbohydrates to build a more pure and safer alternative to the commonly used and controversial blood thinner heparin. view more (2008-08-18)
Maternal deaths following cesarean delivery can be reduced
Maternal death rates have remained constant in the United States for many decades. Are there any improvements in health care that could reduce these rates further? view more (2008-08-04)
New blood clot guidelines for pregnant women
New evidence-based guidelines address the prevention and management of thrombosis in key patient populations and reinforce recommendations related to the routine use of preventive therapies. view more (2008-06-25)
Findings released from 1 of the largest percutaneous coronary intervention trials ever
A study led by Gregg W. Stone, M.D., professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian and chairman of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, has shown that heart attack patients who were administered the direct thrombin inhibitor bivalirudin during primary angioplasty had a reduced rate of adverse clinical events,... view more... (2008-05-27)
Landmark study reveals superiority of bivalirudin in heart attack patients at 30 days
The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) announced today that the New England Journal of Medicine published results of the HORIZONS AMI trial which showed the use of the anticoagulant bivalirudin following angioplasty in heart attack patients reduced net adverse clinical events by 24 percent compared to the standard treatment, as well as... view more... (2008-05-22)
Commencement 2008: Undergrad Has Sweet Success With Invention of Artificial Golgi
An undergraduate student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has learned very quickly that a spoonful of sugar really does help the medicine go down. In fact, with his invention, the sugar may actually be the medicine. view more (2008-05-08)
Deadly dose: Rensselaer heparin expert helps uncover source of lethal contamination
The mysterious death of patients around the world following a routine dosage of the common blood thinner, heparin, sent researchers on a frantic search to uncover what could make the standard drug so toxic. view more (2008-04-28)
MIT-led teams unravel heparin death mystery
An international team of researchers led by MIT has explained how contaminated batches of the blood-thinner heparin were able to slip past traditional safety screens and kill dozens of patients recently in the United States and Germany. view more (2008-04-24)
Mayo Clinic identifies treatment target for liver cancer recurrence and survival
Deadly and difficult to treat, liver cancer has long resisted attempts by researchers to develop ways to prolong life and prevent recurrence. view more (2008-04-11)
Are blood thinners post-op killers?
New study shows that the use of powerful anticoagulants to prevent pulmonary embolism may actually lead to more deaths after surgery view more (2008-04-01)
Damaged veins heal faster with heparin treatment, laboratory study finds
A commonly used medication that prevents blood clots from forming may also prevent existing clots from damaging delicate vein walls - and may accelerate healing in a clot-damaged area of vein wall, according to new research from the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center. view more (2008-03-14)
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