Latest heart transplant Stories

Dancer Mia Welch Bridged to Heart Transplant with SynCardia Total Artificial Heart Tucson, Ariz. (PRWEB) June 07, 2012 Last fall, 21-year-old Mia Welch took the phrase “dancing your heart out” to a whole new level. It all began in summer 2010, when she was attending Mesa Community College and dancing 14 hours a week with the school’s summer dance company. “During our summer showcase, every time I did a dance, I was exhausted, which wasn’t normal for me,” said Mia. “I had to...

U-M Center for Circulatory Support provides leadership in research and innovation of the devices that help patients survive the wait for a heart transplant ANN ARBOR, Mich., June 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Math and physics teacher Darol Straub, 65, of Ann Arbor, Mich., helped high school and community college students make sense of the laws of motion, but by spring of this year his heart struggled to pump. On May 7 he was implanted with a left ventricular assist device that...

Statins prevent cancer and reduce death from all causes in heart transplant recipients. The findings were independent of cholesterol levels. The research was presented at the Heart Failure Congress 2012, 19-22 May, in Belgrade, Serbia. The Congress is the main annual meeting of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology. Cancer is the leading cause of death late after heart transplantation. Skin cancer is particularly common, but solid organ cancers including...

(Ivanhoe Newswire) - Cancer is the leading cause of death late after heart transplantation. Now, new research shows that statins, immunomondulatory drugs, may benefit patients beyond their lipid lowering effects. Researchers in Zurich are currently investigating the impact of statin therapy on the occurrence of cancer and death from causes in heart transplantation recipients. They found the increased rate of cancer in heart transplant recipients may be related to the immune suppression of...

RICHMOND, Va., May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Donate Life America (DLA) announced today that it has partnered with PGA TOUR golfer and two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton on a new educational campaign, "Play Through with Erik Compton," which is supported by Genentech, a member of the Roche Group. "Play Through" aims to raise public awareness of organ donation and urge Americans to consider becoming organ donors. "Last year, Donate Life America achieved a...

TUCSON, Ariz., May 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- SynCardia Systems, Inc. (www.syncardia.com), manufacturer of the world's first and only FDA, Health Canada and CE (Europe) approved Total Artificial Heart, said today that Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles has discharged its first patient to be implanted with the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart. Michelle Johnson, 39, left the hospital to wait for a matching donor heart at home using the Freedom® portable driver to...

TEMPLE, Texas, May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The heart transplant program at Scott & White Memorial Hospital - Temple reached a major milestone recently when it received certification from the Center for Medicare Services (CMS). CMS issued the formal certification after conducting an onsite quality review of Scott & White's program in January, in which procedures, care, standards and outcomes were evaluated. In addition to meeting CMS's quality standards, the certification...

Retired Pro Hockey Player Gaetano “Gates” Orlando Receives World’s Only Approved Total Artificial Heart to Bridge Him to a Heart Transplant Tucson, AZ (PRWEB) April 26, 2012 SynCardia Systems, Inc., manufacturer of the world’s first and only FDA, Health Canada and CE (Europe) approved Total Artificial Heart, announced today that retired professional hockey player and two-time Olympian, Gaetano “Gates” Orlando, has become the first person in upstate New York to receive the...

63-Year-Old John Martino Looking Forward to Watching His 4 Grandchildren Grow Up Tucson, AZ (PRWEB) March 15, 2012 SynCardia Systems, Inc., manufacturer of the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart, announced today that on March 7, Sentara Heart Hospital in Norfolk, VA, discharged its first Total Artificial Heart patient home using the Freedom® portable driver. “We expect Mr. Martino to be able to exercise, visit with friends and family, and lead a relatively normal life now...

Some patients with advanced heart failure caused by cardiomyopathy, the deterioration of function of the heart muscle, are getting a new lease on life thanks to an innovative treatment program at Jewish Hospital, a part of KentuckyOne Health, and the University of Louisville. Led by Emma Birks, M.D., Ph.D., FRCP, director of the Jewish Hospital Heart Failure, Transplant and Mechanical Support Program, the program treats advanced heart failure patients who have left ventricular assist...