Tag Archives: cardiac surgeon

Cells in Blood Vessel Found To Cling More Tightly in Regions of Rapid Flow

By Guest PostApril 27, 2012Health, Sciencebenjamin shuman, biochemical change, blockage, cardiac surgeon, cardiovascular disease, cell, cholesterol, clogging, heart, joon jung, living organ, lucas ting, mechanical engineering, nathan sniadecki, sangyoon han, shirin feghhi, surgeon, tugging force, university of washington, vascular leakage

Clogging of pipes leading to the heart is the planet’s number one killer. Surgeons can act as medical plumbers to repair some blockages, but we don’t fully understand how this living organ deteriorates or repairs itself over time.

Researchers at the University of Washington have studied vessel walls and found the cells pull more tightly together, reducing vascular leakage, in areas of fast-flowing blood. The finding could influence how doctors design drugs to treat high cholesterol, or how cardiac surgeons plan their procedures. (more…)

Rebuilding a Heart, Saving a Life

By Guest PostApril 19, 2012Healthamerican patient, angela irizarry, birthday, blood vessel, blue babies, bone marrow, bridgeport, cardiac surgeon, christopher breuer, circulatory system, claudia irizarry, congenital heart defect, connecticut, fda, function, gary kopf, hypoplastic, infection, inflammatory response, left heart syndrome, mark saltzman, natural cell, operation, organ, oxygenated blood, polymer, synthetic grafts, synthetic nature, tissue engineered, toshi shinoka, united states, yale doctor, young girl

A young girl in Bridgeport, Connecticut, born with one of the most serious, life-threatening congenital heart defects known, is on her way to living a normal life thanks to Yale doctors who developed and performed the first operation of its kind in the United States.

Angela Irizarry was the first American patient to receive a tissue-engineered blood vessel made of her own natural cells. (more…)