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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Sensing filter cuts inappropriate shocks for S-ICDs by more than 50%

A sensing filter added to Boston Scientific’s Emblem subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillators (S-ICDs) more than halved the number of inappropriate shocks given to patients over a one-year period, according to a real-world European study presented May 11 at the Heart Rhythm Society’s annual scientific sessions in Boston.

May 14, 2018

New Study Demonstrates Feasibility of Novel Mechanical Sensor in Medtronic Micra Transcatheter Pacing System to Detect Atrial Contractions and Restore AV Synchrony

DUBLIN and BOSTON — May 11, 2018 — Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) today announced new clinical study results demonstrating that an investigational algorithm, utilizing the accelerometer signal in the Micra(TM) Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS) may restore AV synchrony, improving cardiac function in patients with sinus rhythm and atrioventricular (AV) block.

May 14, 2018

Patients with ‘resolved’ AFib maintain elevated stroke risk

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) should never be considered fully cured, according to a recent study in The BMJ, because patients with this designation carry higher risks of stroke and death compared to people who have never had the arrhythmia.

May 11, 2018

AFib ablation outperforms drugs in CABANA trial

Catheter ablation was found to be superior to optimal drug therapy for the primary treatment of atrial fibrillation (AFib) in the randomized CABANA trial presented May 10 at the Heart Rhythm Society’s annual scientific sessions in Boston. However, there was a caveat.

May 11, 2018
‘Notably high’ rates of PTSD, depression and anxiety seen in patients with implantable heart devices

3-step antibiotic strategy may reduce CIED infections

Administering antibiotics incrementally in the perioperative stage has the potential to modestly reduce infections related to cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), according to a study presented May 10 at the Heart Rhythm Society’s annual scientific sessions in Boston.

May 11, 2018

Previously Invisible Long QT Syndrome Now Observable With Machine Learning

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 10, 2018 — AliveCor, the leader in artificial intelligence and FDA-cleared personal electrocardiogram (ECG) technology, today announced an important milestone in its work with Mayo Clinic on Long QT Syndrome (LQTS).

May 11, 2018

PTSD linked to higher AFib risk in young veterans

An analysis of more than one million post-9/11 veterans suggests a new diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with a greater likelihood of developing atrial fibrillation (AF). The study is scheduled to be presented May 11 at the Heart Rhythm Society’s annual scientific sessions in Boston.

May 10, 2018

Watchman implantation in AFib patients cost-effective for recurrent stroke prevention

Occluding the left atrial appendage with the Watchman device proved to be a cost-effective strategy for the secondary prevention of stroke among patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib), according to an analysis published in Stroke.

May 10, 2018
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