Life with congenital heart disease: Looking back with gratitude, looking ahead with hope
Jennifer D’Ercole McKenna, 49, is a patient pioneer — part of a small but growing group of middle-age adults with congenital heart disease who had surgical repair in infancy or early childhood.
“It’s hard for doctors to answer questions about how long I’m going to live. I ask, ‘Will I live until my 80s?’ and their response is, ‘That’s our goal.’”
In 1966, the average life expectancy for someone with Jennifer’s diagnosis, Ebstein’s anomaly, was 37 years (39 for females and 33 for males).
Jennifer shares her lifetime of wisdom with parents and children affected by congenital heart disease.
Stay ac...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - June 1, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Erin Horan Tags: Our Patients’ Stories BACH congenital heart disease Dr. Keri Shafer Dr. Michael Landzberg Dr. Sitaram Emani Source Type: news
Oldest handwritten documents in UK unearthed in London dig
Early writings found under office block being cleared for new Bloomberg HQ give glimpse of Roman LondonTertius the Brewer, Junius the Cooper and Julius Classicus – the up-and-coming military commander who would turn traitor against Rome a decade later – have sprung back to life from the first decade of Roman London, their names – along with the first reference to London itself – miraculously preserved on writing tablets in a sodden hole in the heart of the City.The wooden tablets, preserving the faint marks of the words written on bees wax with a metal stylus almost 2,000 years ago, are the oldest handwritten docum...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - June 1, 2016 Category: Science Authors: Maev Kennedy Tags: Heritage Archaeology London UK news Culture Science Bloomberg Media Media business Books Source Type: news
MassDevice.com +5 | The top 5 medtech stories for May 26, 2016
Say hello to MassDevice +5, a bite-sized view of the top five medtech stories of the day. This feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our 5 biggest and most influential stories from the day’s news to make sure you’re up to date on the headlines that continue to shape the medical device industry.
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5. Ortho Kinematics wins Health Canada nod for VMA system
Ortho Kinematics said today it won Health Canada authorization for its Vertebral Motion Analysis spinal imaging system.
The VMA system from Austin, Texas-based Ortho Kinema...
Source: Mass Device - May 26, 2016 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: MassDevice Tags: Blog Plus 5 Source Type: news
FDA panel backs St. Jude’s Amplatzer stroke device in 15-1 vote
An FDA panel Tuesday voted 15-1 in support of St. Jude Medical‘s (NYSE:STJ) Amplatzer cardiac implant for treating patent foramen ovale, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
The Amplatzer PFO device is a nitinol and polyester mesh “double disc” that’s designed to close a naturally occurring hole in the heart that poses the risk of thrombosis and stroke.
The panel found in favor of the device, saying that a long-running study of it showed a “reasonable assurance” that it was safe for use, according to the paper.
In a closer vote, the same panel ruled 11-5 that the device’s benefits o...
Source: Mass Device - May 26, 2016 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Fink Densford Tags: Cardiac Implants Cardiovascular Food & Drug Administration (FDA) St. Jude Medical Source Type: news
MassDevice.com +5 | The top 5 medtech stories for April 13, 2016
Say hello to MassDevice +5, a bite-sized view of the top five medtech stories of the day. This feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our 5 biggest and most influential stories from the day’s news to make sure you’re up to date on the headlines that continue to shape the medical device industry.
Get this in your inbox everyday by subscribing to our newsletters.
5. Toshiba partners with UCI to study potential brain damage in HS football players
Toshiba said yesterday it is partnering with the University of California, Irvine to study possible brain damage incurred in high school football ...
Source: Mass Device - April 13, 2016 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: MassDevice Tags: News Well Plus 5 Source Type: news
FDA panel to mull St. Jude Medical’s Amplatzer PFO occluder cardiac implant
An FDA advisory panel is slated to review the clinical data behind St. Jude Medical‘s (NYSE:STJ) bid for pre-market approval of its Amplatzer cardiac implant for treating patent foramen ovale.
The FDA’s Circulatory System Devices Panel is due to convene May 24 for a hearing on the Amplatzer PFO device, a nitinol and polyester mesh “double disc” that’s designed to close a naturally occurring hole in the heart that poses the risk of thrombosis and stroke.
Back in October 2012, the Amplatzer PFO device failed to meet the primary endpoint in a 980-patient clinical trial comparing it with dr...
Source: Mass Device - April 13, 2016 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Brad Perriello Tags: Cardiac Implants Clinical Trials Food & Drug Administration (FDA) St. Jude Medical Source Type: news
CorMatrix launches U.S. tricuspid valve device trial
This study actively addresses the need for a tricuspid valve replacement that improves clinical outcomes in pediatric and adult patients who may not otherwise have an option. The development of this application of CorMatrix ECM Technology truly has the capacity to lengthen people lives and furthers our pursuit of developing the best possible medical devices for surgeons and the patients they treat,” CEO David Camp said in a press release.
The 1st operation was performed by Dr. Marc Gerdisch of Indianapolis, Ind.’s Franciscan St. Francis Health, the company said.
“The past decade has seen an enormous expan...
Source: Mass Device - March 17, 2016 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Fink Densford Tags: Cardiac Implants Cardiovascular Clinical Trials Regenerative Medicine CorMatrix Cardiovascular Inc. Source Type: news
Experience Journal: Growing up with congenital heart disease
One in 100 babies is born with some form of congenital heart defect (CHD). Sometimes the issue is minor and doesn’t cause serious problems. Other times, the heart can’t function properly and needs immediate, invasive surgery. As kids with CHD grow up, they learn their condition will follow them for life and need continued attention. Every CHD heart is unique, but some experiences are universal, and kids and families can help support one another through challenging times.
The Heart Experience Journal, created by the Department of Psychiatry and the Heart Center, represents the “collective wisdom” of patients and...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - February 18, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Erin Horan Tags: Experience Journal atrial septal defect congenital heart defect congenital heart disease Heart Center Source Type: news
MassDevice.com +3 | The top 3 medtech stories for February 9, 2016
Say hello to MassDevice +3, a bite-sized view of the top three medtech stories of the day. This feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our 3 biggest and most influential stories from the day’s news to make sure you’re up to date on the headlines that continue to shape the medical device industry.
3. Bio-Rad picks up cytometer platform from Propel
Bio-Rad Laboratories said it acquired Propel Labs high performance analytical flow cytometer platform, with a planned instrument launch from the acquisition later this year.
Flow cytometry is a technique used to identify and sort cells and their ...
Source: Mass Device - February 9, 2016 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: MassDevice Tags: News Well Plus 3 Source Type: news
CorMatrix wins FDA nod for Tyke neonate cardiac tissue
CorMatrix Cardiovascular said today it won FDA 510(k) clearance for its Tyke biomaterial for use in neonates and infants.
The patch is designed to repair pericardial structures and as an epicardial covering or for intracardiac defects, septal defects, annulus repair, suture-line buttressing.
The Tyke is derived from the company’s ECM technology platform and is composed of 2 layers of ECM, as opposed to 4 layers in their standard cardiac tissue repair patches, making it thinner for smaller repairs.
“FDA clearance further validates CorMatrix ECM technology for creating world class implantable cardiac devices. Cor...
Source: Mass Device - February 9, 2016 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Fink Densford Tags: 510(k) Cardiovascular Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Regenerative Medicine Regulatory/Clearance CorMatrix Cardiovascular Inc. Source Type: news
#ThrowbackThursday 1965: Ten Years Since First Open Heart Operation
This article first appeared March 26, 1965 in the publication Mayovox. Development of Heart-Lung Bypass Made It Possible Ten years ago, on March 22, 1955, Dr. John Kirkin, working at Methodist Hospital, operated on a five year old girl who had a ventricular septal defect — a hole in the wall separating the two chambers [...] (Source: News from Mayo Clinic)
Source: News from Mayo Clinic - February 4, 2016 Category: Databases & Libraries Source Type: news
The marathon of life: Catching up with Greek army lieutenant, 31 years post heart surgery
Ted Sarafis ran the Athens Marathon 30 years after life-saving surgery to close a hole in his heart
Well into his teenage years, Greek army lieutenant Thodoris (Ted) Sarafis thought the scar on his chest was the result of an unfortunate tumble he took as a child.
“My parents told me I had an accident, and that’s where I got my scar,” he says. Sarafis didn’t learn he’d had heart surgery as a toddler until his medical clearance exam for the Greek national karate team at age 16.
Ted took the news in stride, but last year, curiosity got the better of him, and he pressed his father for more information.
That’s when ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - January 6, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Erin Horan Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories atrial septal defect cardiac surgery congenital heart disease Heart Center Source Type: news
Baby with heart defects needs surgery or this Christmas could be her last
Zee Makuwaza, from Nelspruit, South Africa, has been diagnosed with an atrioventricular septal defect, which means there are three holes in her heart so it leaks and blood flows to her lungs. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - December 24, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
New grant for stem cell treatment of hole in the heart
A research project in Bristol’s School of Clinical Sciences for the treatment of babies born with hole in the heart has been awarded a grant by the Enid Linder Foundation. (Source: University of Bristol news)
Source: University of Bristol news - December 21, 2015 Category: Universities & Medical Training Tags: Grants and Awards, Research; Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Clinical Sciences Source Type: news
Jimmy Osmond aged 52 answers our health quiz...
The veteran performer likes to keep fit by playing golf, but often fails to get his five-a-day. He was born with a hole in the heart, but only discovered this when he suffered a stroke in 2004. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - December 15, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
