The FDA’s Circulatory System Devices Panel voted 4-3 in favor of expanding indications for Medtronic cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) pacemakers and defibrillators.

UC Davis Health System researchers have identified for the first time a biological pathway that is activated when blood sugar levels are abnormally high and causes irregular heartbeats, a condition known as cardiac arrhythmia that is linked with heart failure and sudden cardiac death.

In a study comparing the management and prognosis of bleeding related to warfarin and dabigatran, managing bleeding was not any more difficult and the prognosis was not any worse with warfarin. While patients who experienced major bleeding while using dabigatran required more transfusions, they also had a shorter hospital stay and tended to have lower mortality than patients on warfarin. The results were published in the Oct. 1 issue of Circulation.

Patients with atrial fibrillation treated with ablation had a lower risk of stroke than those left untreated across all age and risk profiles in a study published in the September issue of Heart Rhythm.

The “July phenomenon” may be a myth when it comes to cardiac electrophysiology (EP) outcomes, according to a study published in the September issue of Heart Rhythm. The study found no association between years of experience and in-hospital complications. 

Effectively managing CRM device leads, lead failure and infection were highly discussed topics at the recent Heart Rhythm Society annual meeting in Denver. More than 35 sessions were dedicated to the topic.

Delaying catheter ablation treatment after a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF) may lead to a worse prognosis, according to a study published in the Sept. issue of Heart Rhythm. Researchers found that delayed treatment was associated with higher risk of AF recurrence, death and heart failure hospitalization.

For patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) lead implantations, certain characteristics can predict the risk of cardiac perforation. Based on data from the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR), researchers found that older age, female sex and left bundle branch block (LBBB) were among the perforation predictors in patients with ICDs.