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.

Johnson & Johnson MedTech launches new 2D ICE catheter
The company says the new device was designed to improve image quality, provide additional maneuverability and simplify ablation workflows for electrophysiologists.
Johnson & Johnson MedTech ordered to pay $147M for antitrust violations
The company told Cardiovascular Business it respectfully disagrees with the jury's decision and is evaluating all possible legal options going forward. The Association of Medical Device Reprocessors, meanwhile, celebrated the news.
Cardiologists are first in world to use new cooling device to terminate AFib during surgery
Patients often develop AFib during cardiac surgery, leading to longer hospital stays, additional healthcare costs and a higher risk of mortality. Cooling the oblique sinus of the patient's heart as soon as AFib starts to develop may represent a new way to stop the problem in its tracks.
World’s first leadless LBBAP procedures linked to ‘promising’ outcomes
Cardiologists are turning to leadless pacemakers more and more for cardiac pacing, but those devices have not previously been able to perform LBBAP. This new analysis includes new data on the world’s very first leadless LBBAP procedures.
AI predicts LBBB risk in TAVR patients prior to treatment
The authors tested out a variety of machine learning techniques, including large language models and more traditional algorithms. They focused on data that can be gathered prior to treatment, ensuring cardiologists know as much as possible before the procedure.

Patricia Blake named new CEO of Heart Rhythm Society

Patricia V. Blake will take over as CEO of the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) next March, HRS leadership announced Oct. 26.

AFib’s impact on heart failure outcomes varies by subtype

Higher ejection fractions (EFs) among heart failure patients are associated with an increased incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and worse cardiovascular outcomes, according to data from a multinational European registry.

Medtronic co-founder and pacemaker inventor Earl Bakken dies at age 94

Medtronic co-founder Earl Bakken, who invented the world’s first wearable, battery-powered pacemaker, died on Oct. 21 in his Hawaii home, the company announced. He was 94.

Phone app connects CPR-certified locals to nearby cardiac arrests

Officials in Clark County, Indiana, are urging locals to download a new phone app that would alert CPR-certified individuals to cardiac arrests happening nearby. An accompanying app also maps out the county’s nearest automated external defibrillators.

Boston Children’s criteria IDs kids at risk for arrhythmias during stress tests

Clinically significant arrhythmias are rare during exercise stress tests (ESTs) in pediatric heart patients, researchers reported in JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology, but those most at risk for life-threatening events can be identified from a set of predefined risk factors like cardiomyopathy and ventricular dysfunction.

Catheter ablation safer than surgery for paroxysmal or early persistent AFib

Catheter ablation was associated with better arrhythmia-free survival and lower complication rates than surgical ablation in patients with paroxysmal or early-onset persistent atrial fibrillation (AFib), according to a small, randomized study published in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology.

Purdue introduces cardiology’s latest wearable: A paper-thin, plant-based sticker

A team at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, announced progress on its latest cardiology wearable: a plant-based, stretchable wrist sticker that has the ability to monitor physical activity and alert users to health risks in real-time.

Researchers develop 1st mini pacemaker capable of long-term mouse studies

Harvard Medical School scientists have created a wirelessly programmed, miniaturized pacemaker which functions for weeks to months at a time, opening the door to “previously impossible investigations of arrhythmia and heart failure in the mouse.”

Heart Rhythm

Johnson & Johnson MedTech launches new 2D ICE catheter

Johnson & Johnson MedTech ordered to pay $147M for antitrust violations

Cardiologists are first in world to use new cooling device to terminate AFib during surgery

World’s first leadless LBBAP procedures linked to ‘promising’ outcomes

AI predicts LBBB risk in TAVR patients prior to treatment