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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DOACs can be safely continued during elective procedures on AFib patients

With shorter half-lives and more predictable effects, direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) could help simplify perioperative treatment decisions for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), suggests a meta-analysis published May 24 in Circulation.

Post-TAVR pacemakers linked to higher mortality but similar healthcare costs

Patients who required permanent pacemakers (PPMs) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) demonstrated lower survival rates and higher comorbidity burdens over a multiyear follow-up. However, they didn’t accumulate significantly greater healthcare costs, according to a study published online May 25 in JAMA Network Open.

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Physician review boosts accuracy of smartwatch AF detection algorithm

A smartwatch algorithm reliably differentiated atrial fibrillation (AF) from sinus rhythm among patients scheduled for elective cardioversion, showing the technology’s potential to prevent unnecessary procedures.

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Long-term rate of transvenous lead complications ‘disappointing,’ researchers say

One-fourth of transvenous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) leads has a mechanical complication within 10 years, according to an insurance database analysis published May 10 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

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Paroxysmal AFib burden linked to higher stroke risk

Even for patients with intermittent atrial fibrillation (AFib), the amount of time spent in an arrhythmic state is strongly associated with an increased risk of stroke, researchers reported in JAMA Cardiology.

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His bundle pacing trumps right ventricular approach in single-center study

A His bundle pacing (HBP) strategy was associated with a significant reduction in hospitalizations for heart failure when compared to pacemaker implantation via the right ventricle, according to a study published online May 14 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Ablation of AFib likely to occur later, be less successful in women

Women who received catheter ablation in the FIRE AND ICE trial were 37 percent more likely than men to have a recurrence of atrial arrhythmia and 36 percent more likely to be rehospitalized for cardiovascular causes, according to an analysis published April 26 in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology.

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Watchman thrombi occur in 3.7% of implants, heighten stroke risk

Watchman-related thrombi developed in 3.7 percent of patients who were implanted with the device, resulting in a threefold risk of stroke or systemic embolism, according to a meta-analysis of clinical trials and registries published online May 11 in Circulation.