“The findings of this study are important because they provide fresh evidence that the use of e-cigarettes could interfere with normal heart rhythms—something we did not know before,” according to one specialist. 

“Once the study begins, it will likely be one of the largest heart pacing clinical trials happening in the world over the next few years," one specialist said. 

In-hospital complications are more common among women who undergo LAAO than men. However, according to a new study in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, men and women have similar long-term outcomes.

The application, called Echoes, was designed with help from the British Heart Foundation and Evelina Children’s Heart Organization. It uses an iPhone's built-in microphone to capture recordings of the user's heart. 

The group—which includes engineers, cardiologist, radiologists and other specialists—will attempt to perform a robotic-controlled left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) on a patient inside an MRI scanner.

Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, sold by Pfizer under the name Paxlovid, is commonly prescribed to treat COVID-19. When treating some heart patients, however, physicians may want to consider an alternative approach.

Reviewing data from more than 23.5 million U.S. patients, the study's authors found that methamphetamine use was linked to a whopping 86% increase in a patient's AFib risk. The other substances included in the analysis were not far behind. 

Researchers explored data from nearly 20,000 patients, sharing their findings in Annals of Internal Medicine.