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.

Virtual reality

Could virtual reality be the future of CPR training?

People trained to perform CPR with a virtual reality tool were able to achieve comparable chest compression rates as those trained face-to-face in a recent randomized study—but the VR approach still has a long way to go.

November 21, 2019

High school student proposes idea for automated CPR device

A senior at a Utah high school received a scholarship this month based on her idea for an automated CPR assistance device.

November 19, 2019
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Bionic pacemaker could reverse-remodel hearts affected by HF

A novel pacemaker designed to mimic a patient’s organic breath increased blood flow to the heart in a study of individuals with heart failure, according to research published in the journal Thorax.

November 18, 2019
Doctor holds piggy bank.

NIH allocates minimal funding to cardiac arrest research

Research that will be presented at the American Heart Association’s Resuscitation Science Symposium in Philadelphia this month suggests the National Institutes of Health invests far less money in cardiac arrest research than in research for other conditions, including diabetes, drug-use disorders and ischemic heart disease.

November 14, 2019

Taller people at greater risk for AFib

Taller people might be at an increased risk for atrial fibrillation, according to research set for presentation at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions on Nov. 16.

November 13, 2019

Benefits of anticoagulation decrease with age in AFib patients

The net clinical benefit of anticoagulants like warfarin and apixaban slows over time in patients with atrial fibrillation, according to a Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes study, diminishing as people age and face competing risks of death.

November 12, 2019

AFib patients most likely to discontinue dabigatran during first 6 months of treatment

Nearly three-quarters of atrial fibrillation patients taking dabigatran remain adherent to the medication two years after filling their first prescription, while just over 25% discontinue the drug for various reasons, according to an analysis published in the American Journal of Cardiology.

November 8, 2019

Mechanical CPR gaining popularity despite lack of evidence

The U.S. is seeing an uptick in the use of mechanical resuscitation devices despite a paucity of evidence that the digitized CPR tools are effective, researchers reported in JAMA Network Open this fall.

November 7, 2019

Around the web

Eleven medical societies have signed on to a consensus statement aimed at standardizing imaging for suspected cardiovascular infections.

Kate Hanneman, MD, explains why many vendors and hospitals want to lower radiology's impact on the environment. "Taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint in healthcare isn’t just an opportunity," she said. "It’s also a responsibility."

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