LinkNotes. Heart repair breakthroughs replace surgeon's knife. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Have a heart problem?
If it's fixable, there's a good chance it can be done without surgery, using tiny tools and devices that are pushed through tubes into blood vessels. Heart care is in the midst of a transformation. Many problems that once required sawing through the breastbone and opening up the chest for open heart surgery now can be treated with a nip, twist or patch through a tube. These minimal procedures used to be done just to unclog arteries and correct less common heart rhythm problems.
Now some patients are getting such repairs for valves, irregular heartbeats, holes in the heart and other defects — without major surgery. All rely on catheters — hollow tubes that let doctors burn away and reshape heart tissue or correct defects through small holes in blood vessels. "This is the replacement for the surgeon's knife. Not everyone can have catheter treatment, and some promising devices have hit snags in testing. "It's opened up a whole new field," said Dr.
8f8c1c67081c100a2d0f6a706700c23c.jpg (JPEG Image, 1435 × 1024 pixels) - Scaled (87%) b1c8c3b2081f100a2d0f6a706700dbf3.jpg (JPEG Image, 1688 × 1024 pixels) Doctors working on heart repair without surgery Republican American. Minimal procedures changing heart care. SAN FRANCISCO - Have a heart problem?
If it's fixable, there's a good chance it can be done without surgery, using tiny tools and devices that are pushed through tubes into blood vessels. Heart care is in the midst of a transformation. Many problems that once required sawing through the breastbone and opening up the chest for open heart surgery now can be treated with a nip, twist or patch through a tube. These minimal procedures used to be done just to unclog arteries and correct less common heart rhythm problems. Now some patients are getting such repairs for valves, irregular heartbeats, holes in the heart and other defects - without major surgery. All rely on catheters - hollow tubes that let doctors burn away and reshape heart tissue or correct defects through small holes into blood vessels. "This is the replacement for the surgeon's knife.
Not everyone can have catheter treatment, and some promising devices have hit snags in testing. "It's opened up a whole new field," said Dr. Stroke prevention device misses key goal in study. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The future is unclear for a promising heart device aimed at preventing strokes in people at high risk of them because of an irregular heartbeat.
Early results from a key study of Boston Scientific Corp.'s Watchman device suggested it is safer than previous testing found, but may not be better than a drug that is used now for preventing strokes, heart-related deaths and blood clots in people with atrial fibrillation over the long term. More than 2.7 million Americans and 15 million people worldwide have atrial fibrillation. The upper chambers of the heart quiver instead of beating properly. That lets blood pool in a small pouch. The usual treatment is blood thinners such as warfarin, sold as Coumadin and other brands.
A study four years ago suggested the device was at least as good at preventing strokes as warfarin is, but the procedure to implant it led to strokes in some patients. The study was led by Dr. View gallery "It's a mixed result," he said. 798abcd8393aab082b0f6a7067008a8d.jpg (JPEG Image, 1029 × 1024 pixels) - Scaled (87%) b5ad1999393aab082b0f6a706700de69.jpg (JPEG Image, 1536 × 1024 pixels)