Nearly three-quarters of atrial fibrillation patients taking dabigatran remain adherent to the medication two years after filling their first prescription, while just over 25% discontinue the drug for various reasons, according to an analysis published in the American Journal of Cardiology.

The U.S. is seeing an uptick in the use of mechanical resuscitation devices despite a paucity of evidence that the digitized CPR tools are effective, researchers reported in JAMA Network Open this fall.

A cross-sectional study of heart patients undergoing ICD implantation revealed a marked decline in the use of defibrillation testing over time in the U.S., suggesting the precaution might be losing its value as a clinical tool.

A study of patients undergoing catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation between 2010 and 2015 found that early post-ablation mortality rates increased over the half-decade, reaching 1.35% per quarter by the end of the research period.

A novel machine learning algorithm improved patient selection for CRT in a study of nearly 1,000 heart failure patients, representing an opportunity to optimize care and spare certain individuals from a pricey procedure that might not benefit them.

Short-term opioid prescriptions could have long-term consequences for heart patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices, according to work published in Heart Rhythm Oct. 21.

The Bristol-Myers Squibb-Pfizer Alliance and Fitbit on Oct. 17 announced they’d be partnering to improve timely diagnosis of atrial fibrillation in people at an increased risk of stroke.

An implantable cardiac monitor designed to alert patients with coronary artery disease to progressive, abnormal ST-segment shifts could expedite transport to the ED and reduce treatment delays during acute coronary syndromes, according to work published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.