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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CT arthrography shows promise for SLAP tear detection

CT arthrography may offer comparable sensitivity and specificity as MR arthrography for the detection of repeat superior labral anterior-to-posterior (SLAP) tears, according to a retrospective analysis published this month in Radiology.

Endosense nets $36M in financing for catheter ablation technology

Endosense, a medical technology company focused on catheter ablation to treat cardiac arrhythmias, has received $36 million in series B financing.

AIM: Warfarin effective in elderly a-fib patients with previous stroke

Warfarin therapy for patients with atrial fibrillation appears to be most beneficial for the oldest patients, those who have had a prior stroke and for patients with multiple risk factors for stroke, according to a comparative effectiveness research study in the Sept. 1 issue in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Philips unveils new cardiograph at ESC

Royal Philips Electronics unveiled the PageWriter TC50 cardiograph at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Aug.29-Sept. 2.

Overcoming barriers for adoption of standardized TOR protocols

Local policies and public perception about termination of resuscitation (TOR) guidelines often hinder adoption and implementation of national consensus guidelines for dealing with refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Researchers from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Emory University in Atlanta have identified four national organization that can help overcome local and lay-public resistance to more effective use of EMS personnel when dealing with unsuccessful treatment out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Integration, interoperability deliver competitive advantage

Medical imaging in the United States faces some tough economic challenges in the near term. Procedure reimbursement, already slashed as a result of the Deficit Reduction Action Act of 2005, appears certain to take another downturn in 2010. Combine this less than rosy forecast with a tightening of credit facilities to practices large and small and the outlook appears grim.

St. Jude to slash 200 jobs

St. Jude Medical has begun a restructuring plan that will eliminate about 200 U.S. jobs.

HRJ: T-wave morphology parameters open new doors to mortality prognosis

T-wave morphology parameters contain predictive value for mortality in the general population, independent of other clinical risk factors, according to a study in the August edition of the HeartRhythm Journal.

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Around the web

Health Imaging
Use of AI opportunistic screening in CT for cardiovascular disease

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

Health Imaging
New imaging protocols proposed to curb rise of cardiovascular infections

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