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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Heart Rhythm Society names Dr. Peng-Sheng Chen as editor-in-chief of HeartRhythm

Today, the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) announces the appointment of Peng-Sheng Chen, MD, FHRS, as the new editor-in-chief of HeartRhythm, the official journal of HRS. Effective January 2014, Dr. Chen will replace Douglas Zipes, MD, FHRS, who will have served as editor-in-chief for ten years after founding the Journal in 2004.

Dabigatran: Other specialists’ observations

I distrust small numbers. Still, a recent review published in the Journal of Neurosurgery warrants attention. The analysis tracked outcomes of patients on dabigatran who were admitted to a trauma center over a four-month period for closed head injuries after ground-level falls.

Dabigatran + closed head injuries: Higher mortality, no protocols

Patients treated with dabigatran who had closed head injuries had a higher mortality rate than those on warfarin or on no anticoagulants, according to a review published May 1 in the Journal of Neurosurgery.

Boxed warning notes risk of discontinuing Pradaxa

A boxed warning has been added to dabigatran cautioning that discontinuation of the drug may put patients at risk of stroke.

FDA OKs drug to reverse warfarin’s anticoagulation effect

The FDA has approved Kcentra, a product made from pooled plasma, for the urgent reversal of anticoagulation in adults with acute major bleeding who received a vitamin K antagonist.

Guide steers physicians through anticoagulant quagmires

The European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) has produced a practical guide to help physicians care for atrial fibrillation patients on new oral anticoagulants. The project includes educational materials available on a website that will be updated as new information becomes available.

HRS: Societies share goals in joint sessions

Anne M. Gillis, MD, president of the Heart Rhythm Society and a professor at the University of Calgary, will co-chair a joint session on clinical registries on May 9 at Heart Rhythm 2013 in Denver. In a Q&A with Cardiovascular Business, she discussed the evolution of joint sessions and other program details.

HRS: Lead management, ablation updates on tap at meeting

Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) will offer new sessions as well as topics that were well received at previous meetings for its 2013 scientific sessions scheduled May 8-11 in Denver.

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