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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Study Shows Improved Quality of Life and Reduced Symptoms In Patients Treated with Medtronic Cryoballoon

DUBLIN and MUNICH — August 28, 2018 — Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) today announced new findings from the CRYO4PERSISTENT AF clinical trial demonstrating improved quality of life, reduced symptoms from abnormal heart rhythms, and low incidence of reinterventions and repeat ablation procedures.

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40% of AFib patients have ‘silent’ brain damage that could explain predisposition to dementia

More than 40 percent of patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib) but no record of stroke or transient ischemic attack have previously unknown, “silent” brain damage, according to research presented this week at the European Society of Cardiology Congress (ESC) in Munich. The findings might explain why those with AFib also face an increased risk of cognitive dysfunction and dementia.

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Traumatic life events may be associated with increased risk of AFib

A new study published in the American Journal of Cardiology suggests women aged 45 and older who experienced traumatic life events could have a 37 percent increased chance of atrial fibrillation (AFib).

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Smartphone app accurately detects AFib—but 28% of recordings don't suit algorithm

A handheld cardiac rhythm recorder that links to a smartphone application detected atrial fibrillation (AFib) with 96.6 percent sensitivity and 94.1 percent specificity compared to physician-interpreted electrocardiograms (ECGs), according to a single-center study published in HeartRhythm.

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Hands-only CPR training kiosks teach skills to more than 100K people

More than 100,000 individuals across the nation learned about hands-only CPR through training kiosks since the American Heart Association (AHA), along with Anthem Foundation, launched its program in 2016.

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Chagas disease increases the risk of CVD

Chagas disease—the result of infection with a parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi (T cruzi)—causes heart disease, including heart failure, stroke, arrhythmia and sudden death in one-third of those infected, according to a scientific statement issued by the American Heart Association and the Inter-American Society of Cardiology.

Edoxaban tops warfarin in study of Asian patients with AFib

The factor Xa inhibitor edoxaban might reduce the risk of several adverse events—including stroke, major bleeding and all-cause death—when compared to warfarin, according to a real-world study of Korean patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib).

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Researchers ID potential genetic marker for tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy

Japanese researchers believe they’ve identified a genetic risk marker that could pinpoint which people with atrial fibrillation (AFib) are at risk of developing tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy.

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