Latest news with #LVAD
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Microtech Announces the First U.S. Atrial Microsensor Implantations as Part of its FIH Study
TEL AVIV, Israel, June 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Microtech, a wholly owned subsidiary of Medinol, is happy to announce the first U.S. implantations of its atrial-pressure microsensor. Two surgical implantations were performed on Friday, May 16, 2025, at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center by Dr. Koji Takeda, Surgical Director for Adult Heart Transplant at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia. The Microtech atrial-pressure microsensor is a new class of device, characterized by an extremely small size, entirely passive nature, the absence of any electronics or antenna and its ability to receive and transmit signals via ultrasound. Due to these properties, the Microtech sensors can be used not only as a stand-alone device but can also be integrated onto existing implants, turning them into combination therapeutic-diagnostic smart devices, capable of gathering data and performing multiple functions at once. The two sensors, implanted in patients who received LVADs at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia, join the 5 microsensors already implanted in Israel under similar conditions. "Implantation of the microsensor was easy and took about 5 minutes, requiring a minimal modification to the LVAD implantation procedure," Dr. Takeda said. "The ability to non-invasively monitor both left and right-sided cardiac pressures over time will significantly enhance our ability to optimize care for these patients, allowing us to move past symptoms to parameter-based therapy," said Dr. Nir Uriel, Director of Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation at NewYork-Presbyterian and PI of the Microtech FIH study, adding that, "So far, we've been able to easily, repeatedly and accurately measure these pressures in all patients participating in the study." Dr. Uriel is also an adjunct professor of medicine in the Greenberg Division of Cardiology at Weill Cornell Medicine and a professor of cardiology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. The Microtech FIH study is scheduled to enroll approximately 15 patients in Israel and the U.S. Dr. Yoram Richter, CEO of Medinol, said: "We are thrilled with the study progress and sensor performance thus far and hope that these will continue, allowing us to demonstrate the feasibility, usability and accuracy of this system. Simultaneously, we are working on incorporating microsensors onto existing medical devices, fulfilling the true promise of this technology." About Medinol At Medinol, we are aggressively changing paradigms in how disease states are diagnosed and treated. Whether designing cutting edge devices for stenting multiple areas of the body, dramatically reducing complications in Structural Heart procedures or providing real time insights into the physiological metrics of the human body through implantable sensors, we boldly reassess current technology and procedures and look years into the future to pioneer new devices to broaden the reach of physicians both physically and geographically. Working with our physician and industry partners, Medinol is creating the future today. For more information see or contact Jeff Roach, Chief Commercial Officer at JeffR@ View original content: SOURCE Medinol
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Owensboro's Big Daddy's BBQ sauce hits Kroger shelves
OWENSBORO, Ky. (WEHT) — One of Owensboro's own has a barbeque sauce hitting shelves at Kroger. Joshua Taylor created Big Daddy's BBQ sauce that is now available in 50 of this, after recovering from a major health battle. Big Daddy's BBQ sauce has won several awards and landed the opportunity through a Kroger food show in Louisville; Behind the bottle is a comeback story that may be as powerful as the flavor. The accomplishment comes after a life-threatening fight for Taylor that lasted several years. 'I've been disabled since 2008. I needed a heart transplant. I was at home [and] started watching BBQ Pitmasters on tv. Figured, I better just try it,' says Taylor entered his first competition in 2011, and he and his wife at one point opened a physical location for takeout downtown. In 2018, the very thing that had unexpectedly led him to his passion took a turn for the worse. 'I got put in the hospital. The right side of my heart started feeling really, really bad. I ended up with a device called a Left Ventricular Assisted Device (LVAD). It left me in a coma. I was in the hospital for 188 days,' says Taylor. With his wife by his side, Taylor underwent a successful heart and kidney transplant two years later. He had to relearn how to do basic things again like walk, but that didn't stop people from wondering how they could get their hands on his barbeque again. He says getting his sauce on shelves helps him continue to serve the people of Owensboro. 'The fact that I can think that somebody is going to top me, it really fuels my fire. [I get] the same thing when it comes to the barbecue sauce,' says Taylor. The pair spent months trading samples back and forth with the manufacturer until it was right. 'We were just searching. We were like a dog sniffing for like a scent. My wife found [the sauce on shelves]…so happy and we were taking pictures. We were just like doing these poses stuff,' says Taylor.'It's so exciting that we still don't know all the all the stores that they're in in Kentucky, but just being able to see our product on the shelf is unbelievable. Even if life isn't going your way, don't give up. Keep the dream alive,' says Jill Taylor, his wife. People in Owensboro can find Taylor's sauce at the Frederica Street and Parrish Avenue Kroger locations. For the Taylors, every bottle represents more than just a labor of love, but a second chance at life. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Medscape
6 days ago
- Business
- Medscape
Thousands Missing Out on Life-Saving Heart Treatments
MANCHESTER — Thousands of people in the United Kingdom with advanced heart failure are not being referred for potentially life-saving treatments, a leading heart transplantation expert said at the British Cardiovascular Society Annual Conference 2025. Owais Dar Owais Dar, a consultant cardiologist at Harefield Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, described a 'systemic failure' in delivering transplants and left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) to eligible patients in the UK. This failure was leading to a 'deadly delay' in care, he said. Presenting data from a National Advanced Heart Failure Audit, Dar estimated that 10,000 adults under 65 who could be eligible for a heart transplant or LVAD therapy had not been referred to specialist services. Furthermore, 130,000 adults with advanced heart failure were living with palliative care needs. 'If this was a cancer, we would be furious about this,' said Dar, who is also an honorary senior lecturer at King's College London. 'We've got young people here who are not accessing [these therapies].' Dar noted wide variation in referral patterns. Even in regions with the highest rates of referral, the numbers fell short of what was needed. 'Generally, within the UK and Ireland, we're just not thinking about transplant or LVAD therapy as even an option,' he said. Specialist Services at Risk of Being Overwhelmed Geraint Jenkins, a consultant cardiologist at Morriston Hospital in Swansea, Wales, told Medscape News UK : 'The majority of the patients these days — because medical therapy is so good — get better.' He observed that half of patients with an ejection fraction under 30% regain nearly normal heart function within a year, 'and they don't get anywhere near a transplant centre'. Jenkins warned that current referral criteria were 'lax' and, if followed, could overwhelm specialist services. 'We've got thousands of patients with ICDs [implantable cardioverter defibrillators], and the number of patients having ICD shocks every month is quite substantial,' he said. 'If they all went to Harefield for assessment, that would swamp their services.' Jenkins stressed the importance of identifying the right patients at the right time, which meant finding the 'sweet spot' for patient referral. 'That's what we're not doing well,' he said. LVADs Offer Alternative Solution Separately, Dar told Medscape News UK that while there may not be enough hearts to match presumed demand, modern LVADs were 'almost as good' an alternative. LVADs are mechanical pumps that support circulation in patients with severely weakened hearts. They can be used for long-term support or as a bridge to transplant. Theoretically there were 'unlimited amounts of LVADs', Dar said. As these were 'off-the shelf' items, the waiting time should be shorter than for an appropriate organ donation. Many patients already had access to other advanced treatments like ICDs and cardiac resynchronisation therapies (CRTs), he added. 'The only option they have is an operation that can allow them to live another 8 years.' He emphasised the benefits for younger patients: 'That's giving them back quality life, where they can work again, exercise and do things again – going from being bed bound and possibly dying within a year.' High Mortality in Advanced Heart Failure Dar said advanced heart failure carries significant mortality risk. One-year mortality is around 40% using European Society of Cardiology (ESC) criteria, and 20% with American Heart Association benchmarks. Based on US data, around 14% of a population of around 60,000 met ESC criteria for advanced heart failure, with 5% 'within transplantable age' from 18 to 65, said Dar. Extrapolated to the UK with a total population of 68 million, one million would have a diagnosis of heart failure, 140,000 would have advanced disease, 50,000 would be under 65, and 10,000 eligible for transplantation or LVAD therapy. A 'feeling that we were not getting enough referrals' had led Dar and other transplant physicians across the UK and Ireland to form a working group to look into the issue. The aim was to create a heatmap of referrals that had been made to heart transplant and LVAD centres and assess inequality and equity of care. Audit Exposes Regional Inequalities The working group audited four months of referral data, including 416 patients with a median age of 52. Most were men (67%) and White (73%), with a non-ischaemic cause of heart failure (55%). In 44% of outpatient referrals and 17% of inpatient referrals, patients were considered 'too well' for transplant or LVAD. Respectively, 29% and 39% had contraindications to either option, with 19% and 31% progressing towards a transplant or device fitting. High body mass index was a key exclusion factor, alongside liver or kidney failure, diabetes-related organ damage, or smoking. The audit found significant regional variation – a 'postcode lottery' in access. 'There are large areas, particularly in Wales and the Northeast of England, that are simply not referring patients with advanced heart failure – for transplant or LVAD therapy,' Dar noted. Even areas around specialist transplant centres were not referring patients, he added. Calls for a National Referral Pathway 'It's affirmed what we suspected,' Dar told Medscape News UK . 'So, I think the idea now is to speak to NHS England and colleagues to try and address this inequality and raise awareness of it to see how we can improve things.' One approach, he suggested, might be to create a national pathway that sets out how quickly someone with suspected advanced heart failure was seen by a specialist team. Jenkins observed that travelling to specialist centres could be a problem for many patients living in more rural areas who could face long journeys. He suggested that specialists could perhaps hold monthly clinics withing existing heart failure centres. Whatever the reason for the lack of referrals, Dar said it was clear that more needed to be done: 'We're failing these patients. Speak to your local transplant centres about your patients and just have that conversation early on.' D ar and Jenkins declared no relevant financial relationships
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Teen's Leg Bump Turned Out to Be Cancer and Doctors Thought She Wouldn't Live to 17. Now She's a High School Grad (Exclusive)
MacKenzie Maddry was diagnosed with bone cancer in Dec. 2020 — and then her treatment led to another diagnosis: end-stage heart failure Doctors initially thought she wouldn't live to see her 17th birthday, but thanks to a life-saving heart transplant, she just graduated high school As for the future, MacKenzie, now 18, plans to become a nurseHigh school senior MacKenzie Maddry wore her cap and gown to her last doctor's appointment at Arkansas Children's in Little Rock. Why? She wanted to celebrate her graduation with the nurses who helped save her life. 'Not everybody gets that second chance of life," MacKenzie's mother, Dori Maddry, tells PEOPLE. "We're so thankful for all of the team and grateful for every day that we have with her.' Dori was told her daughter, whose cancer treatments caused heart failure, wouldn't live to see her 17th birthday. But fortunately, thanks to a life saving heart transplant, she just graduated high school and is planning to become a nurse. 'It's definitely a gift,' says the grateful mom. 'It's changed everything.' MacKenzie was in the eighth grade when she noticed a painful bump on her leg in the fall of 2020 — but she initially thought it was just a sports-related injury that she got from running track or playing soccer. However, that December she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a cancer that starts in the bone and is so rare that only about 400 children under 20 are diagnosed each year, according to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories After chemo and surgeries, she got another diagnosis in Oct. 2022: end-stage heart failure. In order to survive long enough for a heart to become available, she had a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implanted in her chest. Thanks to the Abbott LVAD HeartMate 3 device, she was able to go home to wait for her new heart. That call wouldn't come until 2024 — but that June, the family got the news they'd been waiting for. Her family was sitting down to dinner at their home in Bella Vista, Ark., instead they started packing and MacKenzie Maddry made a quick reel for Instagram to announce the good news "to the world." After her heart transplant, which took place just two days after the call, the teen was able to start walking up to a mile and a half in the mornings — and now she's able to do things she couldn't do before, like take baths or go swimming. 'I feel good,' MacKenzie tells PEOPLE. A GoFundMe has been set up to help with ongoing medical expenses. Because she was immunocompromised post transplant, she completed her senior year of high school online, but she still went to prom — and graduated on May 16. 'We're so blessed that she's still here with us today,' says her mom, who shares that even thinking about her daughter walking across the stage made her feel like an "emotional wreck." MacKenzie, who wants to be a pediatric nurse, spends much of her free time volunteering and working as an advocate for better treatment and research for other cancer patients. She serves as the vice president of the Junior Advisory Board for the Make It Better Osteosarcoma Foundation and is a member of Abbott Heartmates program. 'It's so nice to meet people that know your struggle, that you've been going through,' she says. As for what's next, MacKenzie has already enrolled in summer community college classes to get the pre-reqs for nursing school. Her mom asked if she wanted to take a break, but MacKenzie said no. Adds her mom, 'She's going forward, which makes me so proud." Read the original article on People
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
21-year-old's heart was 'the size of a football' when she was diagnosed with end-stage heart failure. Warning signs and symptoms she wants you to know about
Chantal Pelletier has done something that influencers around the world have tried their best to understand: She's gone viral. In January 2025, Pelletier unknowingly cracked the code to the platform in January 2025 with a 27 second video documenting her life with end-stage heart failure. In a video that has earned more than 5 million views on TikTok and Instagram combined, the Grand Falls, N.B native demonstrated how she changes power sources for her left ventricular assist device (LVAD), which is implanted in her chest and helps pump blood from her left ventricle to the rest of her body. The upbeat music and the hint of a smile on her face put the viewer at ease, but the portable machine is all that's keeping the now 21-year-old alive while she waits for a new heart. This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle. May 4-10 is Heart Failure Awareness Week. To understand what it's like to live with end-stage heart failure, you just have to look at Pelletier's social media accounts. A quick scroll through her Instagram paints a picture of what her day-to-day was like before her life-changing diagnosis. In the summer of 2024, she was working 65 hours a week as a personal support worker in a nursing home and in a grocery store bakery ahead of her third year at St. Thomas University in Fredericton. Her life was busy, but full of friends, family and her boyfriend of two years. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 (@chantal__pelletier) 'I felt tired a lot…but I was working two jobs,' Pelletier said in an interview with Yahoo Canada. 'I noticed throughout the summer that it was becoming harder to climb the stairs to my apartment.' Pelletier thought her thyroid issues or anemia was the reason she was feeling so tired. In September 2024, she began feeling sick and visited a hospital in her hometown. She was diagnosed with a lung infection and received antibiotics, but after two weeks of taking the medication her symptoms weren't improving. She was having trouble keeping food down. Read more: Pelletier's mother, Roseann, couldn't shake the feeling that whatever was plaguing her daughter wasn't a lung infection. Doctors in Grand Falls referred Pelletier to a larger hospital in Edmundston, where physicians speculated her gallbladder was the cause of her symptoms — so ordered a gall bladder removal. 'Usually the turnaround time after having your gallbladder removed is pretty quick,' Pelletier said. 'However, for me, I still couldn't keep food down. I was sick…I was getting headaches four days after surgery.' It wasn't until she was transferred into intensive care where an echocardiogram revealed that Pelletier was in heart failure. 'My heart was the size of a football,' she said. Pelletier was air lifted to Quebec City, where tests confirmed that she had dilated cardiomyopathy; a form of heart disease in which the muscles in the heart become so enlarged they were no longer pumping blood to the rest of the body. My heart was the size of a footballChantal Pelletier Dilated cardiomyopathy impacts one out of 250 people in Canada. Although common in people under 50, it can also impact infants and children. Dilated cardiomyopathy can be caused by a number of conditions, including coronary heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, infection and lifestyle factors like alcohol and drug use and genetics. For Pelletier and her family, the diagnosis was frightening — but not unfamiliar. Thirteen years prior to her diagnosis, Pelletier's older sister, Nadine, was diagnosed with the same condition and required a heart transplant. Testing revealed that Pelletier, Nadine and their paternal uncle were all carriers of a genetic variation that caused all three to develop dilated cardiomyopathy following infection. Doctors drained seven litres of fluid from Pelletier, who was placed on the transplant list for three weeks, but she began experiencing chest pain — and her heart function declined from 10 per cent to 5 per cent. On Dec. 4, she underwent surgery to have a LVAD surgically implanted as a form of life support until a good match for a heart becomes available. However, during surgery, her doctor was unsure if the right side of her heart was strong enough to support the device and debated installing a right ventricular assist device (RVAD) as well. 'It was pretty much a guessing game, and they had to keep her in a coma because her heart was so enlarged they couldn't completely close her,' Roseann said. 'They had only taped her chest shut until the swelling went down." "That was the longest week of my life." Doctors told Pelletier she needed three months to recover before she could be put back on the transplant list. After her surgery, she lived in Quebec City in a specialized residence 15 minutes away from the Institut Universitaire De Cardiologie Et De Pneumologie De Québec. Roseann was able to take leave from work to stay with Pelletier, but the medical costs began to pile up. Although subsidized by the hospital, her residence cost approximately $2,000 per month, in addition to prescription medications, groceries and travel expenses back and forth to the hospital three times a week. A GoFundMe was created to help offset costs while she recovers. Pelletier was discharged from hospital in March. On April 23, she was officially put back on the transplant list, but due to her rare blood type, she's anticipating a five year wait to receive a compatible heart. Pelletier is optimistic, hopeful and working on building her strength for when a heart becomes available. While she waits for a new heart, she won't be able to return to work or school with the LVAD. It will be another year after the transplant before she can work or finish her Bachelor of Arts with a major in gerontology and minor in psychology — the risk for complications or rejection is too high. I've been very positive through it all. I don't even know how I've done it myselfChantal Pelletier Since returning home, Pelletier has been able to spend time with her boyfriend and reconnect with friends. Although many of her friends have gone out of their way to visit her, Pelletier has also been on her own homecoming tour. "I've visited different people in my small town to thank them for their support and the love I have received from the public has really illuminated how much I am loved," she said in an update via email. "It's really heartwarming knowing I'm still here." Another activity that's lifted her spirits? Driving. "Driving has always been a relaxing escape for me, so the first time I stepped foot into the drivers seat I felt instantly at home again," she said. However being back in Grand Falls hasn't been without its challenges. Pelletier's portable LVAD, which requires her to wear a backpack and carry spare parts and extra batteries, has drawn suspicious looks and comments from employees at local stores. "I might be the only LVAD patient in my small town, but who knows, I certainly might not be the last," she said. "I'm glad I'm here everyday, despite the arrogant and distrusting people. All I can do is keep going, keep my head up, and help others understand that living with a HeartMate3 isn't always easy, but I make the best of it everyday. I wake up everyday happy I'm still alive." Heart failure may have slowed the ambitious and active Pelletier down, but it hasn't broken her emotionally. 'I've been very positive through it all. I don't even know how I've done it myself,' she said. 'Just knowing that [the LVAD] saves me… without something right now I would be gone. I think that's what keeps me going.' She's been able to shift her focus from school to being as healthy and strong as possible while she waits for a new heart. Aside from her sister being her sounding board for her worries and fears about heart failure, social media has been an invaluable outlet that's helped Pelletier connect with other people. 'I've had a lot of nurses and a lot of people with LVADs reach out and express how happy they are that I'm sharing everything and what it looks like,' she said. 'I always said I want to create awareness. I want to spread positive information about what heart failure can look like. Even if it's a tough topic to talk about, you can still make it positive. You can still have a good quality of life and be in heart failure.'
