Patrícia Silva, PhD, director of science content —

Researchers at Skåne University Hospital and Lund University in Sweden recently reported new insights into the respiratory and cardiovascular hemodynamics in heart failure patients, prior to and after heart transplant, both at rest and during exercise. The study was published in the Journal of the…

Northwestern Medicine has appointed Dr. Stuart Rich as director of the newly launched Pulmonary Vascular Disease Program at the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, where he will also serve as professor of medicine-cardiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Rich, an accomplished innovator in the field of pulmonary hypertension, brings over…

A new study recently published in the journal Circulation Research revealed encouraging results in the world’s first clinical trial using a genetically-enhanced stem cell therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The study is entitled “Endothelial NO-Synthase Gene-Enhanced Progenitor Cell Therapy for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: the…

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and the Medical University of South Carolina recently signed a translational research partnership that will focus on fibrotic diseases, such as scleroderma, renal fibrosis, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. This collaboration will also cover studies developed to further explore the disease mechanism of fibrosis, patient segmentation, and their…

UK Patients at risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes thrombi and embolisms in the legs (deep vein thrombosis) and lungs (pulmonary embolism), may soon have the opportunity to gain access to a new treatment for the condition. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recently issued a Final…

Specialized Pharmaceutical Company SteadyMed Ltd. recently announced the completion of its program on human factors studies involving its flagship product candidate, Trevyent (treprostinil sodium), which is currently undergoing testing as a potential new treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Trevyent is currently the only FDA-approved parenteral treatment for PAH, deliverable…

Researchers at Leiden University Medical Center in The Netherlands recently published in the journal Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology a review on the value of computed tomography (CT) as a diagnostic tool for pulmonary embolism. The study is entitled “The role of computed tomography…

Researchers at University of California, San Diego (UCSD) recently published findings in the journal Pulmonary Circulation revealing the prevalence of specific collateral arteries in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). The study is entitled “Prevalence of coronary artery-pulmonary artery collaterals in patients with chronic…

An international team led by researchers at the University Hospital Heidelberg in Germany recently revealed that stress-doppler-echocardiography, a procedure based on ultrasound technology, is effective in early detection of pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients with systemic sclerosis. The study was published in the journal Arthritis Research and…

The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) recently announced the accreditation of nine new institutions as established Pulmonary Hypertension Care Centers (PHCC). The granting of this status recognizes excellency and specialization in the treatment of patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH), and the addition of nine more PHCC expands the…

On June 12, 2015 a PhD thesis entitled “Vascular remodeling in pulmonary hypertension” will be presented by Ya-Ting Chang at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. Chang’s research focuses on pulmonary hypertension, a life-threatening condition of multifactorial etiology, characterized by the increase of blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries that…

A previous study identified an increased risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) in mothers taking the most prescribed class of antidepressant medications in the second half of pregnancy, known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). As a result, in 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public health advisory on a…