Valvular heart disease tagged posts

Researchers have developed a handheld device that could potentially replace stethoscopes as a tool for detecting certain types of heart disease.

The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, developed a device that makes it easy for people with or without medical training to record heart sounds accurately. Unlike a stethoscope, the device works well even if it’s not placed precisely on the chest: its larger, flexible sensing area helps capture clearer heart sounds than traditional stethoscopes.

The device can also be used over clothing, making it more comfortable for patients – especially women – during routine check-ups or community heart health screening programmes.

The heart sound recordings can be saved on the device, which can then be used to detect signs of heart v...

Unveiling a groundbreaking and accurate AI-based method to classify cardiac function and disease using chest X-Rays. AI (artificial intelligence) may sound like a cold robotic system, but Osaka Metropolitan University scientists have shown that it can deliver heartwarming — or, more to the point, “heart-warning” — support. They unveiled an innovative use of AI that classifies cardiac functions and pinpoints valvular heart disease with unprecedented accuracy, demonstrating continued progress in merging the fields of medicine and technology to advance patient care. The results will be published in The Lancet Digital Health.

Valvular hea...

Computer-designed customized regenerative heart valve. Credit: Image adapted from figure in publication

Cardiovascular tissue engineering aims to treat heart disease with prostheses that grow and regenerate. Now, researchers have successfully implanted regenerative heart valves, designed with the aid of computer simulations, into sheep for the first time. Tissue engineering, which involves growing replacement parts in the laboratory, forms a key part of this research. The parts can be used to replace defective cells and tissues in the body and restore their normal functioning. The bioengineered replacements have significant advantages over the artificial implants currently in use: They do not cause immune reactions in the patient’s body, and they can grow and regenerate themselves.

An inte...