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.

FDA announces recall of cryoablation catheters after multiple injuries, including 4 deaths
Boston Scientific is recalling the catheters associated with its POLARx Cryoablation System due to a heightened risk of esophageal injury. The FDA has ruled that this a Class I recall.
Cardiologists perform world’s first leadless LBBAP procedures with Abbott pacemaker
The first-in-human procedures were performed in Prague with the investigational Aveir CSP leadless pacemaker system.
President of medical device company resigns over conduct allegations after 7 months in role
Joseph C. Wright, a longtime Merit Medical employee, resigned after unspecified allegations regarding his conduct were brought to light. He was named the company's new president back in May.
FDA and Boston Scientific issue urgent alert about pacemaker failures following 2 deaths
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the recall notice for more than 200,000 pacemakers because a battery issue could lock the device in safe mode.
Treating AFib patients with TAVR still linked to elevated risks
While the technology and techniques associated with TAVR have advanced over the years, treating patients who present with baseline atrial fibrillation is still associated with certain risks.

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

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

Medtronic’s Micra pacemaker associated with few complications in real-world analysis

Medtronic’s Micra Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS) demonstrated a major complication rate of 2.7 percent through one year, according to data from a post-approval registry that will be presented May 10 at the Heart Rhythm Society’s annual scientific sessions in Boston.

May 9, 2018

Bardy Diagnostics™ Announces Validation of AI-Enabled Automatic Screening Technology for Atrial Fibrillation

SEATTLE, May 9, 2018 — Bardy Diagnostics, Inc., ("BardyDx"), a leading provider of ambulatory cardiac monitoring technologies and custom data solutions, including the Carnation Ambulatory Monitor ("CAM™"), the world's only P-wave centric™ ambulatory cardiac patch monitor and arrhythmia detection device, presented a poster today titled "Artificial Intelligence for the Automatic Detection of Atrial Fibrillation" at the Heart Rhythm Society 39th Annual Scientific Sessions that described a validated artificial intelligence-enabled (AI) screening technology to detect atrial fibrillation (AF) events.

May 9, 2018

Heart Rhythm

FDA announces recall of cryoablation catheters after multiple injuries, including 4 deaths

Cardiologists perform world’s first leadless LBBAP procedures with Abbott pacemaker

President of medical device company resigns over conduct allegations after 7 months in role

FDA and Boston Scientific issue urgent alert about pacemaker failures following 2 deaths

Treating AFib patients with TAVR still linked to elevated risks