Heart Failure

There have been promising results in a Phase II trial showing that gene transfer treatment of patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction was safe and successful in over 90% of patients.

In systolic heart failure, a fixed dose combinatin of isosorbide dinitrate and hydralazine is more effective in black patients. Building on that information, researchers in Pittsburgh looked at ways to use a genomic score to predict which patients would benefit most.

Analysis of cardiovascular registry data comparing components of the CHA2DS2-VASc score and oral anticoagulant use also found that women and patients with vascular disease were less likely than other patients with atrial fibrillation to be prescribed anticoagulation that is now indicated by standard guidelines.

Despite a considerable gap between the number of patients who require a transplant and the number of organs available those patients fortunate enough to receive the lifesaving organs are seeing greater success from the procedure.

With hundreds of thousands of people in the United States undergoing dialysis the field of nephrology is working hard to keep these patients as healthy as possible in hopes of getting them to the point of kidney transplant.

There is no shortage of people in need of a kidney transplant but a considerable shortage in the number of organs available to these patients. Despite that health care professionals in nephrology are determined to provide their patients the highest quality of life possible in spite of these challenges.

As with all areas of health care money is an important consideration for hospitals and other medical research institutions. Finding the most effective way to spend money to get the best results can be a difficult balancing act across the board.

For patients located near major medical centers their ability to receive the latest medical treatments is higher than those in more rural areas. Despite that the field of cardiology and others are working to make these treatments available to all patients in need.

As medical research makes progress in treating conditions like stroke prevention and atrial fibrillation new and smaller devices are being developed to help better treat these patients

For doctors who have been involved in the treatment of cardiovascular health for several decades a significant amount of progress has been made in the past few years helping to keep patients healthy through much less invasive measures.

In a time when obesity and cardiovascular disease are growing problems doctors are also working to combat diabetes at the same time. This presents opportunities for care as well as challenges in addressing the various concerns of their patients.

With clear advantages to living kidney donations work is being done to expand the reach of donors through chains of procedures which can reach across the country if needed.

The number of patients who need a kidney transplant far outweighs the number of organs available for donation. Despite that work is being done to make even a small dent in this growing problem.

The Latino community is one of the fastest growing in the country and also faces its own unique set of health concerns. Finding ways to help patients today can help improve the health of generations to come.

Findings show heart disease patients may benefit from maintaining positive emotions.

Analysis of health records and questionnaire results from heart failure patients indicates a significant link between permanent atrial fibrillation and cognitive impairment among such patients.

Studying new approaches to address organ donor shortage shows some positive results for uncontrolled donation after circulatory determination of death.

The TIMI study group has been around for more than 30 years but even after all that time they continue to work to find new ways to help patients with cardiovascular disease and the health care professionals who treat them.

In the medical community there are many questions about the benefits of patients on a daily aspirin regimen and who should be considered for this treatment option. While these questions apply mainly to standard aspirin treatments currently available there is work being done to move the field in a new direction.

Treating heart failure can be a delicate practice for doctors depending on the severity of the condition. Finding new ways to help these patients is moving from the clinical side of medicine into the laboratory to find more exacting treatment methods.

While there has been a considerable amount of research about lowering "bad cholesterol," but questions have raised about whether "good cholesterol," really is a good thing and if it should be monitored and treated by doctors.

Patients diagnosed with cardiac conditions or having suffered cardiac events do so for a variety of reasons. A recent study looked at the impact of family history of heart attacks and what can be done to help prevent their patients from suffering similar events.

As technology improves and more is learned about treatment for various conditions new guidelines are constantly being developed in the medical field. Once the guidelines are updated it becomes even more important to get that information into the field to help the patients who can benefit from them.

Researchers are constantly looking for new ways to help diagnose patients with a variety of conditions. A recent study in Boston looked at whether optical probes could help patients in the future.

In a time when doctors are busier than ever and patients still want to feel a personal connection to their health care professionals, finding new ways to have that balance has become a field of study for now and the future.

In the changing landscape of hospital medicine one of the largest areas of focus has been on readmission rates, this is also true for patients who are discharged from one hospital and then readmitted into another location for further treatment.

There may be a wealth of options available for patients with heart failure but work is continually being done to find new and better treatment options.

From cardiologists to physical therapists to nurses there is a team approach needed to provide cardiac patients the care they need for treatment. Keeping that care going even after a cardiac event has passed has been a growing focus of the field in recent years.

Not only do women with type 2 diabetes have double the risk of cardiovascular disease compared with men, but they also need more frequent and intense physical activity to lower that risk.

For many years patients with heart failure were ineligible to be reimbursed for cardiac rehabilitation for their condition. Those guidelines have now changed for many patients showing impressive benefits from the work.