Now I have to be honest, I have not heard a heck of a lot about this but I did find it interesting. Heart failure and your immune system…
In some cases of heart failure, it is thought to be linked to ones own immune system in that it causes damaging inflammation to its own tissue. This then weakens the heart even further and inhibits its contractility and efficiency.
The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas has completed a study on over 1000 participants. They have attempted to reduce inflammation by “damping down” ones immune system.
The method involved taking blood from the …read more

The maker of Vioxx has agreed to pay $4.85bn to settle legal claims that the controversial drug caused many users to suffer strokes and heart failure.
Holy Potatoes is what I have to say. But I guess it could have been far worse when you really stop and think about it. In order to qualify for compensation you must prove that you suffered serious illness at the most 2 weeks after you purchased the drug.
The above amount of money will be able to settle over 90% of Vioxx lawsuits with the exception of class action suits. Like I said, it could …read more

A Heart failure pump has been developed to assist those patients awaiting their gift of life. I really do hope that this is a success.
The pump is implanted into the patient’s body and pumps blood from the weakened left ventricle to the rest of the body at the same rate as a healthy heart. In addition to helping 75 percent of patients stay alive for at least six months, or until a donor heart becomes available, the device assists patients’ original hearts regain function, thereby allowing other organs to heal by restoring blood flow.
The device is about the size …read more

Are you sitting down? I have one for you. I actually had to read through it twice because I just can’t believe how far technology has come even in my short thirty something years. There is now a device that can be linked to your cell phone that can text message an alert to a local hospital, warning staff that the patient is about to suffer a heart attack.
The prototype Bluetooth heart monitor periodically records an electrocardiogram (ECG) of the wearer’s heart and transmits the information via radio frequency signals to his or her modified mobile phone. If …read more