Heart Rhythm

Hearts should have normal rhythm to their beats, but when these beats are out of synch, it causes inefficient pumping of blood. Irregular heart arrhythmias occur when the electrical signals that coordinate the heart's beats do not work properly. This can cause beats that are too fast (tachycardia), or too slow (bradycardia). Tachycardias include atrial fibrillation (AFib), supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, and ventricular tachycardia (VT). Bradycardias include sick sinus syndrome and conduction block. Electrophysiology arrhythmia treatments include medications, life style changes, and the EP lab interventions of catheter ablation, and implantable pacemakers or defibrillators.

Apple Watch AFib feature becomes first-ever digital tool approved by FDA to evaluate medical devices
Healthcare technology companies can now use AFib findings recorded by an Apple Watch to help demonstrate the effectiveness of their devices to the FDA.
Confirmed: AFib ablation more beneficial for patients with HFrEF than those with HFpEF
Researchers explored data from nearly 2,500 AFib ablation patients, sharing their findings in JAMA Cardiology.
American Heart Association thinks pharmacists can play a bigger role in AFib care
Pharmacists interact with patients on a regular basis and are seen as a trusted source of health information. Can they help cardiologists improve care for AFib patients?
2 out of 5 AFib patients develop heart failure later in life
Stroke is typically seen as the biggest danger for patients after they receive an AFib diagnosis. This study, however, suggests heart failure could be an even bigger threat.
FDA grants fast track designation to new drug for Friedreich's ataxia cardiomyopathy
The new gene therapy candidate is now one step closer to being approved by the FDA.

40% of AFib patients have ‘silent’ brain damage that could explain predisposition to dementia

More than 40 percent of patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib) but no record of stroke or transient ischemic attack have previously unknown, “silent” brain damage, according to research presented this week at the European Society of Cardiology Congress (ESC) in Munich. The findings might explain why those with AFib also face an increased risk of cognitive dysfunction and dementia.

August 27, 2018

Traumatic life events may be associated with increased risk of AFib

A new study published in the American Journal of Cardiology suggests women aged 45 and older who experienced traumatic life events could have a 37 percent increased chance of atrial fibrillation (AFib).

August 22, 2018

Kardia Mobile smartphone app | AFib | Heart Rhythm

Smartphone app accurately detects AFib—but 28% of recordings don't suit algorithm

A handheld cardiac rhythm recorder that links to a smartphone application detected atrial fibrillation (AFib) with 96.6 percent sensitivity and 94.1 percent specificity compared to physician-interpreted electrocardiograms (ECGs), according to a single-center study published in HeartRhythm.

August 22, 2018

Hands-only CPR training kiosks teach skills to more than 100K people

More than 100,000 individuals across the nation learned about hands-only CPR through training kiosks since the American Heart Association (AHA), along with Anthem Foundation, launched its program in 2016.

August 21, 2018

Chagas disease increases the risk of CVD

Chagas disease—the result of infection with a parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi (T cruzi)—causes heart disease, including heart failure, stroke, arrhythmia and sudden death in one-third of those infected, according to a scientific statement issued by the American Heart Association and the Inter-American Society of Cardiology.

August 20, 2018

Edoxaban tops warfarin in study of Asian patients with AFib

The factor Xa inhibitor edoxaban might reduce the risk of several adverse events—including stroke, major bleeding and all-cause death—when compared to warfarin, according to a real-world study of Korean patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib).

August 14, 2018

Researchers ID potential genetic marker for tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy

Japanese researchers believe they’ve identified a genetic risk marker that could pinpoint which people with atrial fibrillation (AFib) are at risk of developing tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy.

August 13, 2018

Cardiac screening in young athletes yields mixed results

A screening program for top teen soccer players in England identified heart disorders associated with sudden cardiac death in one out of every 266 individuals. But among the eight athletes who eventually died of sudden cardiac arrest, six of them had normal electrocardiographic and echocardiographic findings.

August 9, 2018

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Heart Rhythm

Apple Watch AFib feature becomes first-ever digital tool approved by FDA to evaluate medical devices

Confirmed: AFib ablation more beneficial for patients with HFrEF than those with HFpEF

American Heart Association thinks pharmacists can play a bigger role in AFib care

2 out of 5 AFib patients develop heart failure later in life

FDA grants fast track designation to new drug for Friedreich's ataxia cardiomyopathy

Around the web