Leaders of University of Iowa Heart and Vascular Center have reported that their heart valve team has treated half a dozen patients with a new, cutting-edge treatment for seriously ill patients affected by severe heart valve problems.
The new technology uses a catheter inserted through a small incision in a patient's thigh that travels through blood vessels and can be used to replace a person's failing heart valve in the aortic artery.
The technology is reserved for patients with severe aortic stenosis who are considered too high risk for traditional forms of heart valve replacement surgery, or were previously considered inoperable.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the treatment, called the SAPIEN percutaneous heart valve replacement, manufactured by Edwards LifeSciences.
DID YOU KNOW?
In October 2011, the UI Heart and Vascular Center became the first program in the nation to receive certification for its cardiac valve program from The Joint Commission, the accreditation agency for health care organizations in the United States.
FYI
In addition to the new transcatheter procedure, the center's heart valve clinic, established more than three years ago, offers minimally invasive surgery for heart valve repair and replacement. For more information, call 319-384-6245 or visit online at www.uihealthcare.org/heart.
Helping Iowa entrepreneurs get a leg up
Lots of people come up with ideas for new businesses. Finding the money to get them off the ground is the tough part.
To help those would-be Iowa entrepreneurs, the University of Iowa's John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (JPEC) offers workshops and contests to assist students, faculty and staff hone their elevator pitch and business plan writing skills. These abilities are vital in successfully securing start-up money from financiers and venture capitalists.
Each year, JPEC sponsors or co-sponsors six competitions that provide training and practice. They could obtain seed money, too, as competition winners can receive anywhere from $500 to $25,000 in start-up capital.
For more information on JPEC's contests, visit: http://www.iowajpec.org/
DID YOU KNOW?
JPEC's Bedell Entrepreneurship Learning Laboratory is an on-campus incubator for new businesses that provides office space and learning opportunities for 29 start-ups owned by University of Iowa students.
