Two months after being implanted with a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) to support his dying heart, Mike Gadiel’s heart began to fail again. On June 22, surgeons at University of Muenster saved his life by removing both the LVAD and his dying heart, and implanting their first CardioWest” temporary Total Artificial Heart (TAH-t). [click link for full article]

‘Samaritans provide a fresh pair of ears every three hours and give non judgmental support to people in emotional distress'’ Devins. Minister for Disability and Mental Health, Dr Jimmy Devins TD last monday visited the Dublin branch of the Samaritans in Marlborough Street. Samaritans is available 24 hours a day to provide confidential emotional support to people who are experiencing feelings of emotional distress, including those which may lead to suicide. [click link for full article]

A long-awaited consensus on new universal definition of Myocardial Infarction was released recently. [click link for full article]

You’ve been diagnosed with asthma, maybe 30 years ago, maybe 30 seconds ago. You know all about your disease: Symptoms, triggers, and your different asthma medications. You’ve been to your…

A state-of-the-art facility devoted to developing experimental cancer treatments is to be built at Cancer Research UK’s Clare Hall Laboratories in Hertfordshire, helping to bring the latest scientific developments to patients’ bedsides. [click link for full article]

CMS likely will not restrict Medicare coverage for drug-coated stents in response to recent concerns that they can increase risk for blood clots, according to Marcel Salive, director of medical and surgical services at the agency’s coverage and analysis group, the Wall Street Journal reports. [click link for full article]

The Senate on Tuesday voted 75-19 to pass its version of the fiscal year 2008 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill (HR 3043), which includes an amendment that would prevent the redistribution of Ryan White Program funding in some areas of the country, CQ Today reports. [click link for full article]

The House on Tuesday voted 417-0 to approve a veterans’ suicide prevention bill (HR 327) after lawmakers removed a provision that would have tracked veterans who received treatment for mental illnesses, the AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. [click link for full article]

Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, criticized what he said is an increasing “normalization” of abortion and called for a review of the United Kingdom’s 1967 Abortion Act, BBC News reports (BBC News, 10/21). [click link for full article]

Summaries of editorials, opinion pieces and a letter to the editor about the failed attempt by the House to override President Bush’s SCHIP legislation veto appear below. Editorials [click link for full article]