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.

Orchestra BioMed earns CE mark for BackBeat cardiac neuromodulation therapy

Orchestra BioMed, Inc., on Sept. 4 announced it received CE mark approval for its Moderato implantable pulse generation system, which delivers the company’s trademarked cardiac neuromodulation therapy to patients while simultaneously acting as a pacemaker.

September 5, 2019

Photoplethysmography promising as AFib screening tool

Continuous at-home monitoring with smart device-based photoplethysmography technology could be a viable strategy for AFib screening and early detection, according to a population-level study out of China.

September 5, 2019

Algorithm spots AFib in seemingly normal EKGs

A study of more than 181,000 patients at the Mayo Clinic has proven the efficacy of an AI algorithm in spotting AFib on seemingly normal EKGs, the Daily Mail reports.

August 22, 2019

Researchers pinpoint the ideal chest compression-depth ratio for OHCA survival

A combination of 107 chest compressions per minute at a depth of 4.7 centimeters is the optimal CCR-CCD (chest compression rate-chest compression depth) ratio for survival after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, researchers reported August 14 in JAMA Cardiology.

August 16, 2019

Selective vs. non-selective His bundle pacing: Which is safer?

Non-selective His bundle pacing is noninferior to selective HBP in patients undergoing de novo permanent pacemaker implantation for bradycardia, according to a study that revealed similar outcomes for death and HF between the two therapies.

August 1, 2019
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Study finds ‘significant variation’ in CIED care quality

The odds a heart patient will experience complications after they’re implanted with a cardiac device vary depending on where they receive care, according to work published in the Annals of Internal Medicine July 30.

July 30, 2019

Cardiac arrest survival hits 70% in Hawaiian airports after AED installations

Sixty-nine people have survived out-of-hospital cardiac arrests at Hawaii’s airports since an AED program was first implemented in 2006, the Oregonian reports.

July 29, 2019

AFib meds could elevate risk of fainting, falling

Medications used to treat atrial fibrillation—namely amiodarone—could increase older patients’ risk of fainting and falling, Danish researchers have found.

July 29, 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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