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.

Thumbnail

How delayed peridevice leak after LAAC affects patient outcomes

Delayed PDL was identified in more than 10% of patients undergoing the procedure. 

Thumbnail

AFib patients face comparable dementia risk with DOACs and warfarin

Researchers tracked data from 25,948 adults over the age of 71.

Thumbnail

People living with HIV face a heightened risk of sudden cardiac death

The risk was especially high in patients with high viral loads of HIV.

Monitoring high-risk patients for AFib fails to reduce stroke risk

"These findings might imply that not all AFib is worth screening for, and not all screen-detected AFib merits anticoagulation," researchers wrote. 

Amulet vs. Watchman: LAA occluder devices compared in new head-to-head trial

The Amulet's implantation success rate and LAA closure rate were both higher than the first-generation Watchman device, researchers reported.

Thumbnail

Why AFib patients should exercise regularly

Recurrent AFib episodes were much less likely when patients participated in a six-month exercise program. 

More than 10% of cardiac arrest patients contacted EMS the day before

These findings indicate that breathing problems may be an underrated warning sign of cardiac arrest, researchers said recently at ESC Congress 2021.

Thumbnail

Most AFib patients underestimate their bleeding risk

Researchers aimed to see how many AFib patients on OACs truly understood their risk of a major bleeding event. 

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.