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.

Hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin linked to “potentially lethal” cardiovascular complications

Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin are both associated with significant cardiovascular complications, and taking them together could be a deadly combination, according to new research published in Circulation.

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‘Do-not-resuscitate’ orders for COVID-19 patients?

New findings highlight why a blanket “do-not-resuscitate” order for COVID-19 patients is not needed. 

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President Trump says he is taking hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19 infection

The news came just weeks after the FDA warned against treating COVID-19 with hydroxychloroquine “outside of the hospital setting or a clinical trial” due to significant cardiovascular complications.

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SCAI shares thorough guidance on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

The Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) has shared a new guidance detailing the management of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

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AI model reduces false-positive findings detected by implantable loop recorders

An AI algorithm could limit false-positive AFib episodes detected by implantable loop recorders (ILRs), according to new research presented during the 2020 Heart Rhythm Scientific Sessions.

PRECEPT study finds contact force-sensing catheters safe for treating persistent AFib

The findings were originally scheduled to be presented at the Heart Rhythm Society’s 2020 Heart Rhythm Scientific Sessions.

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Latest study suggests hydroxychloroquine makes minimal impact as COVID-19 treatment

The potential use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 has been one of the biggest stories of the current pandemic.

No increased risk of infection with recycled pacemakers and defibrillators

Researchers studied data from 1,051 patients who received resterilized pacemakers and defibrillators, sharing their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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.