A ticking bomb: Novel UCLA procedure treats high-risk aortic aneurysms Jul 16, 2009
The aorta, the largest artery in the body, runs from the heart through the chest and abdomen. Arteries branching from the aorta feed all major organs in the body such as the kidneys, intestines, brain, pancreas, liver and the extremities ... Many of the more serious cases involve aneurysms in a segment of the aorta where branches are supplying circulation to vital organs. (EurekAlert!)
Pseudoaneurysms (False Aneurysms) Jul 12, 2009
One example of such a procedure is "arteriography," in which doctors insert a thin instrument through the femoral artery into the aorta in the abdomen. They then inject a contrast dye, which flows into the arteries in the legs. (Suite101.com)
Docs give up, Viagra keeps baby alive Jul 2, 2009
Shortly after he was born Alfie was diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries which meant the position of his aorta and pulmonary artery were reversed. He underwent an emergency operation to repair his heart when he was just 16 days old, but despite initially showing promising signs of recovery he was soon back in hospital. (India Times, India)
Gulf War II Syndrome Jul 1, 2009
That s because unlike any other known case, according to advocates, Adams was recently told by a board of military doctors at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii that his health anomalies including the appearance of countless holes or "cysts" riddling the tissue around his lungs and an aorta that has shrunk to half its normal size in three months "probably is related to the exposure to burn pits in Iraq.". This is coming at a time when the Pentagon has so far maintained there are "no... (The American Conservative)
Rare heart surgery performed on baby Jun 29, 2009
In the first, the baby is operated and the heart's right ventricle is connected to the aorta to restore blood supply to the rest of the body ... In this ailment, the heart's left side, including aorta, aortic valve, left ventricle and mitral valve, is underdeveloped. (India Times, India)
What will happen during Jackson's autopsy? Jun 27, 2009
Another potential cause of death would be a ruptured aorta, like the one that killed actor John Ritter. In that case, the massive bleeding into the chest would make it obvious. (USA Today -- Life)
Indian health care's victims Jun 16, 2009
mEMORIES BROUGHT BACK. wrote on Jun 15, 2009 10:05 PM:" Reading the newspaper this morning brought back memories of my brother who is no longer with us.back in 1987 he kept having chest pains and swelling of the legs and feet..He was taken there twice and given Roubetussin and Ibuprofen...One night he was real sick and a police officer came and took him to the ihs..it was a weekend i believe,..but a temp who comes on weekends issued an xray and his heart was so swollen it took up almost his... (Bismarck Tribune, ND)
Web site available for Dreyer updates (1363) Jun 16, 2009
The motorcyclist, 56-year-old Michael Kelley, also remains in a coma in critical condition at UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco, although friends report he is breathing on his own, exhibits some movement or reflex in his extremities and is, in the words of one close friend, "very stable." Kelley underwent successful emergency heart surgery last week to repair a torn aorta, but still suffers from fractured neck vertebrae and numerous other broken bones when his motorcycle careened through a... (Sonoma Index-Tribune, CA)
Dreyer still critical, in induced coma (72) Jun 2, 2009
Meanwhile, Michael Kelley also remains in critical condition, following successful heart surgery to repair a torn aorta. Kelley is suffering from fractured neck vertebrae, along with numerous other bone fractures, but he has reportedly been breathing on his own, a positive sign when paralysis is a possibility. (Sonoma Index-Tribune, CA)
2 critically hurt in motorcycle, skateboard accident May 30, 2009
The driver of the motorcycle, 56-year-old Michael J. Kelley of Sonoma (who was first reported by police to be 43) also remains in critical condition at Memorial Hospital with a broken neck, fractured pelvis, fractured leg and a torn aorta artery. According to Sonoma police, Kelley was traveling eastbound on West Spain Street, approaching the intersection with Second Street West, when for unknown reasons he veered across the double yellow line into the path of Dreyer and a second skateboarder who... (Sonoma Index-Tribune, CA)
Man charged in death of brother-in-law May 19, 2009
Thursday, November 1, 2007 2:12 PM CDT. Suspect blinded, scarred by wreck. (Racine Journal Times, WI)
High Blood Pressure Could Be Caused By A Common Virus, Study Suggests May 17, 2009
"We found that CMV infection alone led to an increase in high blood pressure, and when combined with a high-cholesterol diet, the infection actually induced atherosclerosis in a mouse aorta," says Crumpacker. "This suggests that further research needs to be directed at viral causes of vascular injury. Some cases of hypertension might be treated or prevented by antiviral therapy or a vaccine against CMV.". (Science Daily)
Embryo's Heartbeat Drives Blood Stem Cell Formation May 16, 2009
Intrigued by the appearance of blood progenitors in the wall of the developing aorta soon after the heart starts beating, they investigated the effects of mechanical stimulation on blood formation in cultured mouse embryonic stem cells. They showed that shear stress - the frictional force of fluid flow on the surface of cells lining the embryonic aorta - increases the expression of master regulators of blood formation, including Runx1, and of genetic markers found in blood stem cells. (Science Daily)
Study in Nature Medicine establishes major new treatment target in diseased arteries May 11, 2009
The aorta is the main artery carrying blood from the heart, and AAA is a progressive outward dilation of the aorta under the stress of blood pressure due to a breakdown in the vessel's structural integrity. AAA leads to 15,000 deaths a year, mostly in aging men, when aneurysms rupture to spill blood into the abdomen, a fatal event in 90 percent of cases. (EurekAlert!)
Single Gene Defect Can Cause Stroke, Other Artery Diseases May 4, 2009
In thoracic aortic disease, the wall of the aorta, the main blood vessel leading out of the heart, weakens and forms an aneurysm that can ultimately lead to an aortic dissection and death ... Vascular pathology from mutant aortas and analysis of smooth muscle cells removed from patients and grown in the laboratory suggest that persons with ACTA2 have increased multiplication of smooth muscle cells that contribute to blocked or enlarged arteries, according to the study. (Science Daily)
New Target For Maintaining Healthy Blood Pressure Discovered Apr 29, 2009
However, it was absent in the muscle surrounding the aorta, in the atherosclerotic lesions of mice with their PGF2 receptors knocked out, as well as in the macrophages that inhabit those lesions ... FitzGerald s group had previously shown that blockading cyclooxygenase 1 and its major prostaglandin product, thromboxane, also lowers blood pressure, slowing atherosclerosis, but in this previous study, the relevant genes are present in the aorta and its atherosclerotic lesions. (Science Daily)
Eating Fatty Fish And Marine Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Reduce Risk Of Heart Failure Apr 29, 2009
28, 2009) Eating fatty fish and marine omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish oil, seems to protect men from heart failure, according to one of the largest studies to investigate the association. However, the effect was seen only in men who eat approximately one serving of fatty fish a week and who had a moderate intake of marine omega-3 fatty acids (approximately 0. (Science Daily)
A doctor's 'Soul' is tormented by medical errors Apr 16, 2009
There's the obese accountant who almost bleeds to death when a surgeon slashes his aorta during gallbladder surgery. And there's the Polish immigrant who, two years after getting a kidney transplant, dies from a side effect of his anti-rejection medication. (USA Today)
Electronic health records raise doubt Apr 13, 2009
"Aortic aneurysm" was probably a slight widening of his aorta, Sands said, not a blood-filled bulge that burst. Google also did not date-stamp many of deBronkart's problems, so at times it did not distinguish current issues (cancer) from past ones (low potassium levels two years ago). (Boston Globe)
Accurate Assessment Of Heart Disease Leads To Earlier, More Aggressive Therapy Apr 10, 2009
This invasive test is performed by inserting a catheter into the femoral artery of the leg and threading it into the aorta. A contrast dye is then injected, and X-rays record areas where narrowing or blockage in one or more coronary arteries has occurred. (Science Daily)
• Rare cancer misdiagnosed as harmless bowel condition Apr 9, 2009
My husband's case is unusual because his primary tumor was located around the descending aorta, not the liver, as is typical. The cancer has since spread to his lungs and bones. (Burley South Idaho Press, ID)
Peering down the tunnel beyond death Mar 14, 2009
Dr. Beauregard will be studying patients who undergo hypothermic cardiac standstill procedures for complex operations on brain aneurysms and the aorta, the body's largest artery. In these procedures, the body temperature is lowered and the heart is stopped, causing a medically controlled death that can last as long as an hour while the operation is completed. (Globe and Mail)
Estrogen activates critical lung genes to improve lung function following preterm birth Mar 12, 2009
Estrogen also caused the closure of the ductus arteriosus, a shunt that connects the pulmonary artery to the aorta during the primates' fetal development to allow blood flow to bypass the fetus' fluid-filled lungs. In the case of full-term infants, the ductus arteriosus normally closes at the time of birth once breathing is established. (EurekAlert!)
Man Clings to Life With 2 Beating Hearts in His Body Mar 8, 2009
The "new" heart was placed on the right side of his chest and is linked to his original heart by a vein, arteries of the lung and the aorta. "This is not a routine transplant, the situation is exceptional," Surgeon Alfredo Fiorelli, who carried out the transplant, said. (Fox News)
Former first lady Barbara Bush has successful open heart surgery... Developing... Mar 5, 2009
The aortic valve is located between the left ventricle (the lower chamber of the heart), and the largest artery (the aorta). It opens to allow blood to be pumped out of the heart to the brain and the rest of the body, then closes to prevent blood from flowing back in. (The Drudge Report)
When it comes to addiction, not enough docs Mar 2, 2009
A simple detox program would be like like putting a Bandaid on a ruptured aorta, Miller said. Miller says there aren t enough physicians qualified to administer opiate substitutes like Methadone and Suboxone, which can satisfy opiate cravings but have safeguards that prevent abuse. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
Ellen Sussman | Special to the Green Valley NewsShannon Rhodes blames her illness on the Hanford Nuclear Power Plant in Washington state, where she grew up.\0\0 Mar 1, 2009
I m an ever-positive person, but I d say my prognosis is poor because the tumor in my lung is pressing on my trachea, aorta and superior vena cava in my heart. I m working on the last third of a book, Sins of Emission: A Downwinder s Story. (Green Valley News & Sun, AZ)
McDonald's Worker Shot Rescuing a Female Customer Feb 26, 2009
But, he said, "it pierced my aorta, my liver and my pancreas. And I had three surgeries.". Surveillance video shows Haskett stumble back from the impact and collapse inside the McDonald's restaurant. (ABC News)
Dendritic Cells As New Player In Arteries And Heart Valves Feb 21, 2009
More importantly, he and colleagues showed that the key immune cells sit just beneath the lining of the aorta and can project their dendrites into the bloodstream to capture foreign materials ... Moreover, they isolated dendritic cells from the aorta and found that they were just as effective at handing over foreign substances and stimulating the immune system s killer cells as those in immune organs such as the spleen ... We were the first to show the function of the dendritic cell in the aorta... (Science Daily)
Omega-3 Fatty Acids Prevent Medical Complications Of Obesity, Study Suggests Feb 14, 2009
11, 2009) Scientists have found that a diet rich in fish oils can prevent the accumulation of fat in the aorta, the main artery leaving the heart. The beneficial actions of fish oil that block cholesterol. (Science Daily)
The Lilah Sears Story: Heart surgery saves infant Feb 8, 2009
It is then pumped out to the body through the aorta, a large blood vessel that carries the blood to the smaller blood vessels in the body. A thin-shared wall called the atrial septum separates the right and left filling chambers. (Pawling News Chronicle, NY)
Hypertension May Hit Black Males Earlier Feb 7, 2009
The findings suggest that measuring central blood pressure (the pressure in the aorta -- the main artery leaving the heart) may be more valuable than measuring brachial blood pressure (on the arm) when assessing black men for hypertension. "Central blood pressure holds greater prognostic value than conventional brachial blood pressure as central pressure more aptly reflects the load encountered by the heart," the researchers wrote. (MEDLINEplus)
Infant now 'playing with the angels' Feb 7, 2009
" Jianni, born Jan. 11 at the Queen's Medical Center, was transferred that night to Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children and diagnosed with a hole in her heart and an abnormally narrow aorta, the large blood vessel pumping blood from the heart to the body. On Jan. 13, she was flown with a medical team to the San Diego facility, which provides advanced care in pediatric cardiac cases. "This whole three weeks were so difficult," said her grandmother, Diana Mara, referring to the various... (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
