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April 17, 2009
Hospital News
Congestive Heart Failure affects millions in the US and the cost of care runs in the billions annually. This condition results from a weakness in the heart muscle due to a variety of causes. Common symptoms include weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath, swelling of the feet, cough, etc. It is the most common cause for hospitalization here.
Dramatic improvements in medications over the last two decades have not only prolonged but also improved the quality of life for most patients. While medications are the cornerstone of treatment, they do not reverse the damage to the heart muscle. In effect, only heart transplantation is able to accomplish this. Limited organ availability and exorbitant costs allow this treatment to be offered to less than 10,000 patients annually. New treatments using stem cells and gene therapy are at the new frontier seeking to reverse the damage without transplantation. Stem cell therapy for the heart is currently being investigated in trials to repair the heart muscle immediately following a heart attack. Gene therapy is probably more appropriate in the vast majority of patients with established congestive heart failure.
Recently, Dr. Dinesh Gupta’s practice with the Cardiology Group at Harton Regional Medical Center has been selected as the only site in Tennessee to conduct a cutting edge clinical trial using novel generic material to improve heart muscle function. This is accomplished by injecting the genetic particles directly into the heart muscle during an outpatient procedure performed in Harton’s cath lab. The study, funded by a California corporation, is being conducted at a dozen sites around the US and there are only two other centers in the Southeastern United States. This allows Harton hospital to offer yet again state of the art medical treatment in the field of Cardiology. While this treatment is in the early stage, the results seem promising. “The objective of this study is not only to improve symptoms of heart failure but to also reverse the progression of the disease,” says Dinesh Gupta, M.D., Cardiologist at Harton Regional Medical Center. Once the outpatient procedure is accomplished, patients will be monitored by a cardiologist for improvement for at least one year. The entire cost of treatment is covered by the study sponsor and all procedures are conducted locally. The genetic material is shipped from Seattle to Harton’s pharmacy where specially trained pharmacists will be reconstituting the genetic product immediately prior to injection. Harton Regional Medical Center is proud to be a part of this advancement in treatment and to continually look for ways to bring the latest in medical technology to our community. For more information about the CHF clinical trials please call the Cardiology Group office at 393-7831.
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