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.

HeartRhythm: New study elucidates pediatric sudden cardiac arrest burden

New findings shed light on the burden of sudden cardiac arrest among children and suggest additional research may lead to better prediction and prevention of sudden death, according to a study published in the November edition of HeartRhythm Journal.

AtriCure endures continued income losses for Q3

AtriCure, a developer of cardiac surgical ablation systems, has reported a rise in net losses and a lowering of revenues for the 2009 third quarter compared with the previous year-ago quarter.

Hansen sued by investors for improperly reporting financial results for 15 months

The Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, representing investors of Hansen Medical, has filed a class action lawsuit against the medical robotics developer in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of a class consisting of all persons or entities who purchased the securities of Hansen between May 1, 2008, and Oct. 18, 2009.

Integrated RIS delivers boon to physicians, patients

Researchers have found that implementing a disciplined collection of background clinical information all along the clinical service chain through use of a RIS, in combination with a PACS, allows for quicker interpretation times and improved service to patients, according to an article published in the October issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

Teleradiology services use could be slowing

Researchers have found recent evidence that shows the growth of external, off-hours teleradiology services (EOTS) has slowed in recent years, despite a significant increase in the number of radiology practices using those services between 2003 and 2007, according to a study in the November issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

St. Jude has slight dip in Q3, lowers guidance

St. Jude Medical experienced a 2 percent drop in net earnings, despite an increase in sales for the third quarter of 2009, which ended Sept. 30.

JACC: Refurbished pacemakers work just as well

Patients who received refurbished pacemakers donated from Detroit area funeral homes survived without complications from the devices, according to a study that appears online ahead of print in the Oct. 13 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

TCT: Stereotaxis highlights Odyssey

While the Stereotaxis remote magnetic catheter navigation system gets all the attention, it is Odyssey that provides the IT backbone for storing, managing and retrieving data associated with these remotely-operated angio procedures. The company showcased the Odyssey at the 21st annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference.

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.