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.

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Asymptomatic AFib patients ‘may not receive adequate treatment'

Asymptomatic atrial fibrillation (AFib) patients could be at a heightened risk for cardiac complications, especially if the condition is paroxysmal, a study published in CHEST reports.

January 19, 2018

Smart Support: Artificial Intelligence Will Help, Not Replace, Electrophysiologists

Artificial intelligence (AI)–assisted electrophysiology (EP) shows promise, but even its most ardent advocates aren’t ready for full-fledged endorsement—yet.   

January 18, 2018

FDA alert: Zoll LifeVest 4000 may fail to deliver life-saving shocks

The FDA issued a safety alert Jan. 17 for the Zoll LifeVest 4000, saying the external, wearable cardioverter defibrillator may fail to treat potentially fatal arrhythmias if it displays a specific error message which, by itself, doesn’t signal urgency.

January 17, 2018
‘Notably high’ rates of PTSD, depression and anxiety seen in patients with implantable heart devices

ICDs life-saving—but risky—for children with Brugada syndrome

Roughly 1 in 4 children with Brugada syndrome treated with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) received life-saving shock therapy in a single-center study of 35 patients published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. However, 20 percent experienced inappropriate shocks and another 14 percent had device-related complications, highlighting the challenging clinical decision-making in this high-risk group.

January 10, 2018

Change in AFib risk score predicts stroke better than single measurement

Analyzing the change in stroke risk factors for atrial fibrillation (AFib) patients was far more powerful in predicting stroke than assessing baseline risk factors alone, researchers reported in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

January 9, 2018

MRIs proven safe for patients with FDA-unapproved implantable devices

Longtime claims that heart patients fitted with implantable cardiac devices should forgo MRI testing for safety concerns could be incorrect and “outdated,” according to new research published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

January 9, 2018

New FDA MR-Conditional Labeling Approvals Further Expand Abbott's Portfolio of MRI-Ready Devices

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for magnetic resonance (MR)-conditional labeling for the Quadra Assura MPTM Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Defibrillator (CRT-D) and Fortify AssuraTM Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), two of the company's most widely-used high voltage medical devices.

January 3, 2018

Heart org details lifesaving measures after AHA president’s cardiac arrest

Some startling news came out of Anaheim, California, on Nov. 13: John Warner, MD, the president of the American Heart Association (AHA), had suffered a heart attack at the AHA’s annual Scientific Sessions.

January 2, 2018
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