Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators do not appear to be associated with a reduced risk of death in women with advanced heart failure, according to a meta-analysis of previously published research.

Individuals who have persistent high blood pressure are at increased risks of a number of serious medical conditions, including heart failure. One of the factors that contributes to such heart failure is thickening of the muscle wall of the heart.

A new study has found that statins have beneficial effects on patients with systolic heart failure, but those with diastolic heart failure experienced the opposite effect, including increased dyspnea, fatigue and decreased exercise tolerance.

Cardiac resynchronization can significantly delay the progression of heart failure, according to a major international study. The treatment reduced the risk of serious heart failure events by 41 percent, the study found.

Heart failure patients have four times the risk of fractures and 6.3 times the risk of hip fracture as other heart patients. Heart failure patients should be screened and treated for osteoporosis if necessary, researchers said.

Patients with atrial fibrillation, common in those with advanced chronic heart failure, have an increased risk of hospitalization due to heart failure, according to new research. The findings also suggest that atrial fibrillation is not associated with an increased risk of death in heart failure patients, contradicting previous assumptions.

Although heart failure is a chronic condition, acute exacerbations are frequent and occur with serious complications; patients with heart failure and their families can help improve prognosis in acute events if they are taught to recognize the tell-tale signs of worsening condition and seek immediate medical help.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators can improve survival in patients with heart damage -- even those in their 70s -- according to new research.

A family of proteins called matrix metalloprotienase may play a crucial role in why the supporting tissue surrounding the heart, called the myocardium, goes through significant and deleterious effects in heart failure patients.

Fibroblasts are the most numerous cell type in the heart, but they are considered to have a less important role in heart failure than heart muscle cells. However, a team of researchers has now determined that fibroblasts are essential for the response of the mouse heart to conditions that mimic high blood pressure, a response that if sustained ultimately leads to heart failure.