Extracorporeal life support improves the lung performance of people with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (iPAH) who need a lung transplant. But patients usually enter the transplant list at advanced stages of the disease, which leads to poor post-transplant outcomes. A study with that finding, “The role of…
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Abbott’s CardioMEMS HF system — a wireless heart failure monitor — can be safely used to monitor blood flow (hemodynamics) changes and help predict the risk of heart failure in people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), results from a pilot trial show. Additional studies in larger…
In patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) with aortic stenosis — when the heart’s aortic valve fails to properly close/open — undergoing a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) surgical procedure resulted in fewer cardiac, respiratory and bleeding complications, according to a new study. The study “The Outcomes…
The challenges Vesna Aleksovska faced when she decided a decade ago to help fellow Macedonians with rare diseases were so daunting, they would have scared off all but the most determined. At that time, few doctors in the developing country of 2 million — now called North Macedonia — had…
An estimated right ventricular systolic pressure (eRVSP) — a measure of the pressure inside the artery that supplies blood to the lungs (pulmonary artery) — greater than 30.0 mmHg is related to an increased risk of mortality in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH), according to a new Australian study. The…
It wasn’t until Gordana Loleska’s son David was 14 years old that doctors in their native North Macedonia diagnosed his kidney, vision, and hearing problems as Alport syndrome. Although she had known for years that something was wrong, the news that David would battle a lifelong rare disease devastated…
Into the vein (intravenous) injections of Revatio (sildenafil) have no added benefit over inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) used alone in treating newborns with persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN), a Phase 3 trial sponsored by Pfizer shows. Revatio, marketed by Pfizer, was ineffective as an intravenous formulation combined…
Use of sequential combination therapy focused on changes in exercise capacity improves health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), according to a new study. The research, “Medium-term health-related quality of life in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension treated with…
Treatment with udenafil (brand name Zydena) can increase exercise capacity and is well-tolerated in people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), results from a Phase 2b clinical trial show. The trial data was reported in the study “Efficacy and Safety of Udenafil for the Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial…
Acceleron Pharma has reached its patient enrollment goal in the ongoing Phase 2 PULSAR trial, with more than 100 participants. The trial is testing the safety and effectiveness of sotatercept (ACE-011), the company’s investigational therapy for the treatment of people with pulmonary arterial hyptertension (PAH). The…
Philips recently announced two new capabilities of its echocardiogram system, the EPIQ CVx cardiology ultrasound platform, that will assist in heart imaging and functional studies, improving the accuracy and duplication of diagnostic tests for pulmonary hypertension (PH), among other conditions. The system improvements are the result…
A violinist with vasculitis, two Texas politicians and a pharmaceutical company whose marijuana-derived therapy helps kids with Dravet syndrome were among winners of the 2019 Rare Impact Awards. Officials of the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) presented the awards during a June 22 dinner attended by…
