Electrophysiology

The cardiac subspecialty of electrophysiology (EP) diagnoses and treats arrhythmias. This includes use of pacemakers to treat bradycardia, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) for tachycardia, heart failure and patients at risk of sudden cardiac arrest, and cardiac ablation treatments to treat heart rhythm disorders.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into sudden cardiac arrest after a tackle during the first quarter of the game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati Jan 2, 2023. The incident has instantly raised awareness and brought sudden cardiac arrest to the forefront on news reports today. Image from Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills Damar Hamlin incident brings sudden cardiac arrest into national headlines

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest after a tackle during the first quarter of a game with the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan 2.

Most devices implanted during LAAO procedures are oversized—and patients benefit

Oversized devices are becoming more common as time goes on, which suggests operators are growing increasingly comfortable with this treatment choice.

Sphere-9 mapping and ablation catheter

Medtronic reaches milestone in study of pulsed-field ablation and mapping catheter for AFib

A randomized study of more than 450 patients with persistent atrial fibrillation is now underway. All patients have been treated, and their outcomes will be tracked for 12 months. 

Early catheter ablation superior to medication when treating ventricular tachycardia storm

VT storm is associated with a heightened risk of death or significant complications. Early catheter ablation, it seems, is the most effective treatment option for this potentially fatal condition. 

Jason Andrade, MD, FRCPC, FHRS, director of electrophysiology, Vancouver General Hospital, clinical associate professor, University of British Columbia, and principal investigator for the PROGRESSIVE AF trial, explains how cryoablation can be used as a front-line treatment for atrial fibrillation (AFib). He presented this late-breaking trial at the American Heart Association (AHA) 2022 meeting, which showed the therapy can be used instead of trying drug therapy first. #AHA22 #EPeeps

VIDEO: Cryoablation can be used as frontline therapy before drugs: PROGRESSIVE AF trial

Jason Andrade, MD, director of electrophysiology, Vancouver General Hospital, and principal investigator of the PROGRESSIVE AF trial, explains how cryoablation can be used as a frontline treatment for atrial fibrillation (AFib) before drugs in this AHA late-breaker. 

Image from the American Heart Association (AHA) annual scientific sessions where a large amount of late-breaking cardiology science is presented. #AHA #AHA22 #AHA2022

Links to the American Heart Association 2022 late-breaking studies

The American Heart Association 2022 Scientific Sessions included 35 late-breaking studies and 39 featured science sessions presented at the meeting in Chicago, Nov. 5-7. Here is the list of all these studies with links to more information on the data.

Medtronic’s Arctic Front cryoballoon catheters

Treating AFib early with cryoablation reduces risk of disease progression, repeat hospitalization

“The evidence shows increasingly that it’s time to rethink how we approach the treatment of AFib,” one researcher said.

A transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure being performed at Intermountain Healthcare. Image from Intermountain Healthcare

Predictors of 1-year mortality after TAVR are significantly different among men and women

Atrial fibrillation and peripheral artery disease, for example, are both predictors of mortality among women, but not men.