A subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) that purportedly minimizes lead complications is safe to use and is effective at stopping episodes of ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation, according to a study published in the Aug. 27 issue of Circulation.

An assessment of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality gave the devices a thumbs up for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death compared with no ICD therapy.

St. Jude paid $170 million to acquire a Swiss company that specializes in force-sensing ablation catheters.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized its proposal to eliminate the distinction in coverage criteria between single- and dual-chamber devices.

A cardiovascular research team from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), led by BIDMC Principal Investigator Saumya Das, MD, PhD, has been awarded a $4 million Common Fund grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of a newly formed program on Extracellular RNA Communication. The five-year grant will focus on identifying microRNA biomarkers in heart disease.

St. Jude Medical announced that the FDA approved an ablation catheter system that the company says may reduce the duration of radiation exposure during procedures.

The use of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) may not be a one-size-fits-all option for heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction patients. A study published in the Aug. 14 issue of JAMA found that undergoing CRT debrillator (CRT-D) implantation with a QRS duration of 150 milliseconds or greater and left bundle-branch block (LBBB) is associated with better outcomes than undergoing CRT-D with a shorter QRS duration or no LBBB.

Cardiologists at the University of Rochester Medical Center are launching a new study in an effort to improve the treatment of a very common form of heart disease in the Asian population.