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.

DOACs most beneficial for women with AFib

Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants may be even more effective for treating women with atrial fibrillation (AFib) than men, suggests a real-world study from Hong Kong published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

July 13, 2018

What a drag: Smokers face 32% increase in AFib risk

The more a person smokes, the greater the risk of developing a heart rhythm disorder, according to a new study published July 11 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

July 12, 2018

Blacks have worse long-term survival after in-hospital cardiac arrest

Blacks who survive in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) are 28 percent less likely to live to one year after discharge and 33 percent less likely to survive five years when compared to white counterparts, suggesting a disparity in follow-up care.

July 10, 2018

NSAID, anticoagulant combo ups risk for bleeding events in AFib patients

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be dangerous for patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib) when taken on top of oral anticoagulants, suggests a post hoc analysis of the RE-LY trial published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

July 9, 2018

Boston Scientific buys company specializing in AFib ablation

Boston Scientific plans to acquire Cryterion Medical, a company developing a single-shot cryoablation platform to treat patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib). Already an investor in the company, Boston Scientific will purchase the remaining 65 percent stake for $202 million in up-front cash.

July 6, 2018

DOJ investigation linked to drop in ICDs not meeting CMS criteria

A federal investigation into the potential overuse of primary prevention implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) appears to have made hospitals more judicious in their use of the devices, according to a study published July 3 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

July 5, 2018

Tool predicts which patients gain the most from ICDs

The thinking behind the Seattle Proportional Risk Model goes like this: As the annual risk for all-cause mortality increases, the likelihood that the death will be sudden—or something an ICD could prevent—goes down.

June 28, 2018

Cardiac resynching unnecessary after LVAD placement, study suggests

Continuing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) appeared to offer no benefit to patients who received a continuous flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD), according to a multicenter study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

June 22, 2018

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."

Trimed Popup
Trimed Popup