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.

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CMS approves coverage for Medtronic’s Micra transcatheter pacing system

CMS has approved coverage of Medtronic’s Micra transcatheter pacing system for patients who need a single-chamber pacemaker.

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FDA grants premarket approval to Zoll’s hospital wearable defibrillator

The FDA granted premarket approval to Zoll Corporation’s hospital wearable defibrillator.

FDA approves ablation catheter for patients with atrial flutter

The FDA approved the FlexAbility Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled for patients with atrial flutter.

Electromagnetic interference may occur in patients with pacemakers

Patients with pacemakers may experience harmful electromagnetic interference caused by power lines, household appliances, electric tools and entertainment electronics, according to an in vivo study.

Medtronic receives CE Mark for CRT pacemakers

Medtronic announced Feb. 24 that the company had received CE marks for quadripolar cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) pacemakers that allow patients to receive MRIs.

Patients with standard pacemakers, ICDs may safely undergo MRIs

Patients with a non-MRI conditional pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) who received a nonthoracic MRI had no occurrences of death, lead failures, losses of capture or ventricular arrhythmias, according to a prospective registry analysis.

FDA approves catheter to treat patients with an abnormal heart rhythm

The FDA approved the Freezor Xtra cryoablation catheter to treat patients with an abnormal heart rhythm known as atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia (AVRT).

Police charge Ohio man with arson, insurance fraud based on pacemaker data

Police in Ohio charged a man with arson based in part on data collected from his pacemaker, the Associated Press reports.

Around the web

Ron Blankstein, MD, professor of radiology, Harvard Medical School, explains the use of artificial intelligence to detect heart disease in non-cardiac CT exams.

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