What heart failure treatment options are on the horizon?
A variety of new therapies are currently being studied for use in treating heart failure. They include: Total artifical heart. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved clinical trials for a fully implantable total artificial heart. The grapefruit-sized device is powered by a battery that can be recharged from outside the body without the need for tubes to remain connected through the skin. Subjects of the study are end-stage heart failure patients who are not eligible for a heart transplant, cannot be helped by other available therapies and are at imminent risk of death. Initial results have been poor. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). A form of therapeutic angiogenesis currently being studied in a trial named VIVA (VEGF for Ischemia in Vascular Angiogenesis). The study is currently in its second year and early results are promising, according to the American Heart Association. Two methods of administering VEGF are being explored. The first method is to inject a protein
