Heart Failure

Heart failure occurs when the heart cannot pump as much blood as the body requires. This ineffective pumping can lead to enlargement of the heart as the myocardium works harder pump the same amount of blood. Heart failure may be caused by defects in the myocardium, such as an a heart attack infarct, or due to structural issues such as severe heart valve regurgitation. Heart failure can be divided into HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), and HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The disease is further divided into four New York Heart Association (NYHA) classes. Stage IV heart failure is when the heart is completely failing and requires a heart transplant or hemodynamic support from a left ventricular assist device (LVAD).

Abiomed’s Impella RP Flex with SmartAssist heart pump has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of acute right heart failure for up to 14 days.

Abiomed heart pump gains FDA approval to treat acute right heart failure

The device includes dual-sensor technology, an 11 French indwelling catheter and a flexible cannula.

Thumbnail

Dapagliflozin still beneficial for HFpEF, HFmrEF patients with AFib

While some heart failure medications are less effective in patients with concomitant atrial fibrillation, new research suggests that is not the case for dapagliflozin.

Regulatory Roundup: FDA approves new heart failure therapy, clears an interventional device and much more

The FDA has been busy this month. Review some of the biggest FDA-related stories of October, including big news from scPharmaceuticals, Abiomed, Bristol Myers Squibb and MedAlliance, in our monthly roundup. 

cardiologist patient heart compensation starting salary 2022 interventional cardiologist

Researchers awarded $31M to study conduction system pacing among heart failure patients

“Once the study begins, it will likely be one of the largest heart pacing clinical trials happening in the world over the next few years," one specialist said. 

vaccine child kid young patient covid-19 mask patient

Heart damage after COVID-19 vaccination extremely rare among adolescents

Vaccine-related myocarditis was seen in approximately 0.00005% of children between the ages of 12 and 15. All cases were mild, and the median length of stay at the hospital was three days. 

New evidence that heart damage risk is much higher after COVID-19 infection than after vaccination

The new meta-analysis, published in Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, included data from 58 million patients. “We hope our findings will help mitigate vaccine hesitancy and increase vaccine uptake," one researcher said. 

Thumbnail

Heart failure-related deaths are on the rise in the U.S., especially among men

Heart failure-related mortality among older adults improved from 1999 to 2012, but then things changed considerably over the next several years. Researchers explored the latest data at length, sharing their findings in JACC: Heart Failure.

Thumbnail

Can strength and endurance training help heart failure patients live longer?

Researchers have received a five-year grant worth $30 million to study how a new-look physical rehab program impacts outcomes among older HFpEF patients.

Around the web

Ron Blankstein, MD, professor of radiology, Harvard Medical School, explains the use of artificial intelligence to detect heart disease in non-cardiac CT exams.

Eleven medical societies have signed on to a consensus statement aimed at standardizing imaging for suspected cardiovascular infections.