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.

American Heart Association thinks pharmacists can play a bigger role in AFib care
Pharmacists interact with patients on a regular basis and are seen as a trusted source of health information. Can they help cardiologists improve care for AFib patients?
2 out of 5 AFib patients develop heart failure later in life
Stroke is typically seen as the biggest danger for patients after they receive an AFib diagnosis. This study, however, suggests heart failure could be an even bigger threat.
FDA grants fast track designation to new drug for Friedreich's ataxia cardiomyopathy
The new gene therapy candidate is now one step closer to being approved by the FDA.
FDA grants anticoagulant its orphan drug designation for treating patients with implanted devices
The anticoagulant was originally developed for patients with end-stage renal disease and atrial fibrillation.
Biosense Webster takes key step toward FDA approval for Varipulse PFA system
The company already received CE mark approval for its new PFA offering and hopes it will soon be approved for sale in the United States.

A large proportion of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) end up in emergency rooms (ERs), but there are inherent issues with most hospital ERs handing off these patients to electrophysiologists for followup care. The ER2EP Study presented at the 2022 HRS meeting found better results of there is an organized pathway for AF patients to follow. #AFib

New-look protocol boosts outcomes among AFib patients in the ER

A large proportion of patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib) end up in emergency rooms (ERs), but there are inherent issues with most hospital ERs handing off these patients to electrophysiologists for follow-up care.

May 2, 2022

Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) using higher power energy ablation was found to be safe, more effective and was able to cut procedure time, but there was a signal of increased emboli.

High power vs. standard RF ablation leads to improved pulmonary vein isolation, shorter procedures

New research, presented at Heart Rhythm 2022, found a 96% percent freedom from reoccurrence of atrial fibrillation in patients treated with high power vs. standard power radiofrequency ablation.

May 2, 2022

Veteran cardiologist Morton M. Mower, co-inventor of the automatic ICD, dies at 89

“I think he was the most brilliant person I’ve ever met," one long-time colleague said.

May 2, 2022

Same-day discharge for AFib ablation a success thanks to telehealth

The new analysis, presented during Heart Rhythm 2022, focused on patients treated at a high-volume facility during the COVID-19 pandemic.

May 2, 2022

A late-breakling study session at the 2022 Heart Rhythm DSociety (HRS) conference. Here is a list of all the late breaking studies at #HeartRhythm22

Links to the late-breaking studies at Heart Rhythm 2022

Heart Rhythm 2022, held from April 28 to May 1 in San Francisco, included a wide range of studies presented by some of the industry's leading specialists.

May 2, 2022

FDA approves mavacamten for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

The FDA’s approval was based on data from the EXPLORER-HCM trial, which showed that mavacamten was superior to a placebo for treating obstructive HCM and associated with no significant long-term, treatment-related adverse events.

May 2, 2022

STROKE AF study shows insertable cardiac monitors detect 4 times more AFib than Holter monitoring

New data from the STROKE AF clinical trial shows large and small vessel ischemic stroke patients who receive short-term or intermittent monitoring with Holter and 30-day external monitors had fewer AFib episodes detected that continuous implantable cardiac monitors.

April 29, 2022

The Linq and Linq II implantable cardiac monitors at ACC22.

VIDEO: How to implant a Linq implantable cardiac monitor

The Medtronic Linq and Linq II implantable cardiac monitors (ICM) have become some of the most popular ICM devices on the market, partly because they are easy to insert.

April 28, 2022

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Heart Rhythm

American Heart Association thinks pharmacists can play a bigger role in AFib care

2 out of 5 AFib patients develop heart failure later in life

FDA grants fast track designation to new drug for Friedreich's ataxia cardiomyopathy

FDA grants anticoagulant its orphan drug designation for treating patients with implanted devices

Biosense Webster takes key step toward FDA approval for Varipulse PFA system

Around the web