Stem Cells Can Bring Heart Back To Normal After Attack
A heart attack takes place when blood vessels that supply blood to the heart are blocked, preventing enough oxygen from getting to the organ. The heart muscle dies or becomes permanently damaged, tissue is scarred and the heart becomes enlarged. Now for survivors of cardiac arrest, stem cell injections afterwards can help enlarged hearts recover in size and function. Joshua M. Hare, MD, of the University of Miami, and colleagues reviewed the treatment of eight patients at an average of 5.7 years after myocardial infarction (MI) didn't show significant ejection fraction gains, but the improvements in cardiac chamber dimensions and contractility persisted through the end of one year of follow-up.
Britons Living Longer Than Americans
Life expectancy in Europe keeps rising, despite the obesity epidemic, with Britons living longer than Americans, according to an editorial published in the International Journal of Epidemiology. Epidemiologist and population health expert Professor David Leon, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, analysed trends over the last 40 years, and found positive trends but also many unanswered questions. His findings are in contrast to concerns that the obesity epidemic will stop life expectancy rising in the more well off countries.
Texas Children's Is First Pediatric Hospital To Begin Certification Process For SynCardia's Total Artificial Heart
Texas Children's Hospital and SynCardia Systems, Inc. announced today that Texas Children's has become the world's first pediatric hospital to complete the first phase of certification to implant the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart. The hospital intends to use the Total Artificial Heart as! a bridge to transplant for their patients who received a heart transplant as children and now require mechanical support as a bridge to their second transplant. The 15-member training team, which included cardiologists, critical care intensivists, anesthesiologists, nursing specialists and hematologists, was led by Dr.