Electrophysiology & Arrhythmia

Despite lower risks for other CVD risk factors, former National Football League players are nearly six times more likely than their non-NFL peers to develop atrial fibrillation, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Heart patients exposed to phthalates—a group of chemicals used as plasticizers in the manufacture of plastic medical products—during invasive procedures may be at risk for serious electrophysiological abnormalities, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed technology that flags stroke victims at the greatest risk for atrial fibrillation after an event, trumping standard methods of risk stratification to achieve greater accuracy.

Edoxaban and warfarin are equally effective in reducing the risk of stroke, systemic embolic events and major bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation and a history of liver disease, researchers reported in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology this month.

Sanjaya Gupta, MD, MBA, details how his practice is leverage wearables as a patient engagement tool.

A recent study of autopsy data in Finland suggests nearly half of individuals who experience sudden cardiac death without a prior diagnosis of CAD actually had a history of silent MI—but that history wasn’t detected until after their deaths.

Cardiologists discuss the questions and concerns swirling around the thriving wearables market as patients strap on a variety of smart devices and expect their physicians to catch up.

Black children, as well as Hispanic kids and other ethnic minorities, are less likely to receive bystander CPR during an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) than their white counterparts, according to a Journal of the American Heart Association study published July 10.

Boston Scientific’s Watchman device, an alternative to blood thinners in atrial fibrillation patients unable to take medications like warfarin, has for years been touted as a safe, effective therapy to reduce patients’ stroke risk.

Research published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes July 9 suggests the public health burden of pulseless in-hospital cardiac arrests is around 38% higher in adults and 18% higher in children than was previously believed.

Biotronik on July 8 announced its BIOMONITOR III injectable cardiac monitor, a diagnostic tool designed to document suspected arrhythmias, has been cleared by the FDA.

Four universities were awarded research grants by the American Heart Association on June 24, each set to receive more than $3.7 million for a range of studies focused on arrhythmias and sudden cardiac arrest.