Sudden Cardiac Death News and Research

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The term sudden cardiac death refers to natural death from cardiac causes, heralded by abrupt loss of consciousness within one hour of the onset of acute symptoms.

Dual regulation by similar proteins may degenerate in heart failure

Sudden cardiac death is a risk for patients with heart failure because the calcium inside their heart cells is not properly controlled and this can lead to an irregular heartbeat. New findings published in PLoS ONE, which reveal mechanisms that underlie this life-threatening risk, provide new possibilities for fighting it.

23 Feb 2012

First molecular evidence links body's natural circadian rhythms to SCD

A fundamental discovery reported in the March 1st issue of the journal Nature, uncovers the first molecular evidence linking the body's natural circadian rhythms to sudden cardiac death (SCD). Ventricular arrhythmias, or abnormal heart rhythms, are the most common cause of sudden cardiac death: the primary cause of death from heart disease.

23 Feb 2012

International effort to define ECG interpretation standards in athletes

On Feb. 13-14, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) partnered with the ESC Sports Cardiology Section, the PACES, other leading U.S. cardiologists, BJSM, and F-MARC in an effort to define ECG interpretation standards in athletes and develop a comprehensive online training module for physicians around the world to gain expertise in ECG interpretation and the proper evaluation of ECG abnormalities suggestive of a pathologic cardiovascular disorder.

22 Feb 2012

CCF endorses bill to identify students at risk of sudden cardiac death

Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced today during National Heart Month the Cardiomyopathy Health Education, Awareness, Risk Assessment and Training in the Schools (HEARTS) Act to the Senate.

18 Feb 2012

CMR highly effective in diagnosing life-threatening arrhythmias

New research from Western University, Canada, has demonstrated the benefits of performing Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) in cases where patients have been resuscitated after Sudden Cardiac Death or enter hospital suffering from ventricular arrhythmias.

15 Feb 2012

BPS Annual Meeting to be held Feb. 25 - 29 in San Diego

The latest news and discoveries in medicine, physics, environmental science, and interdisciplinary fields will be featured at the 56th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society (BPS), held Feb. 25 - Feb. 29, 2012, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, Calif. With more than 4,000 poster presentations, 200 exhibits, 20 symposia, and 6,000 research scientists in attendance each year, the BPS Annual Meeting is the largest meeting of biophysicists in the world.

7 Feb 2012

FDA approves Medtronic DF4 High-Voltage Connector System for ICDs and CRT-Ds

Medtronic, Inc. today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and launch of the DF4 High-Voltage Connector System, a right ventricular lead and connector used with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds) to detect and accurately treat potentially life-threatening heart rhythms.

From Medtronic 30 Jan 2012

Gilenya prevents and reverses symptoms of ventricular hypertrophy

A drug used to treat multiple sclerosis may also be effective at preventing and reversing the leading cause of heart attack, a new study has found.

30 Jan 2012

Two new studies focus on causes of arrhythmia and SCD

Researchers in Rhode Island Hospital's Cardiovascular Research Center have published two new studies focusing on the causes of arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death (SCD) when a genetic disorder is present.

18 Jan 2012

GnuBIO to complete development of SCD genetic panel

GnuBIO, Inc., a pioneer in scalable desktop DNA sequencing and the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) have announced today that they will complete the development of a genetic panel in order to screen patients to determine the risk for sudden cardiac death, SCD.

12 Jan 2012

Trail of research that led to discovery of aspirin's role in prevention of first heart attack

Charles H. Hennekens, M.D., DrPH, the first Sir Richard Doll Research Professor as well as first recipient of an endowed chair in the new Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University, has published a Citation Classic in the current issue of Clinical Chemistry. Hennekens was the founding principal investigator (PI) of the landmark Physician's Health Study and was the first to demonstrate that aspirin prevents a first heart attack.

7 Jan 2012

Clinical trials highlight beneficial effect of CRT in heart failure

However, large-scale clinical trials have highlighted the beneficial effect of cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) in the improvement of symptoms and reduction of mortality, and CRT is now recommended in the major European and American guidelines for the treatment and prevention of heart failure.

19 Dec 2011

ADHD drugs not bad for the heart: Study

Drugs widely prescribed for attention disorders like Ritalin, Adderall and other drugs, did not increase the risk of serious heart problems in a major study published Monday. This could assure parents of children on these medications on heart-related safety of the medicines.

12 Dec 2011

Hormone-blocking therapy for prostate cancer does not raise risk of heart attacks

Hormone-blocking therapy for prostate cancer doesn't raise the risk of fatal heart attacks - as some recent studies had suggested - according to a new report from Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center.

7 Dec 2011

Boston Scientific provides new warranty for ICDs and CRT-Ds

Boston Scientific Corporation announced that, along with today's introduction of a new family of INCEPTA and ENERGEN implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds), it is providing an extended warranty for these devices in the U.S. and many international countries of up to 10 years, depending on model.

1 Dec 2011

Combination of antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs may increase risk of CV mortality

People taking anti-psychotic drugs and anti-depressant drugs have a much higher risk of dying during an acute coronary event of a fatal arrhythmia than the rest of the population, finds a Finnish study published in the European Heart Journal.

16 Nov 2011

Smoke-free workplace laws help reduce heart attacks and save lives

Mayo Clinic researchers have amassed additional evidence that secondhand smoke kills and smoke-free workplace laws save lives.

14 Nov 2011

Herat risk screening inadequate in high school sports physicals: Study

Following incidents of deaths of high school athletes who collapse suddenly during practice or a game, new guidelines for screening prep athletes for hidden heart problems before the start of a season had been in place since 1996. About one of every 30,000 to 50,000 high school athletes dies each year from cardiac arrest.

14 Nov 2011

Data shows cost-effectiveness of ZOLL LifeVest Wearable Defibrillator

ZOLL Medical Corporation, a manufacturer of medical devices and related software solutions, announced today that data showing the cost-effectiveness of the LifeVest Wearable Defibrillator was presented in two scientific presentations and posters at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2011 in Orlando over the weekend.

14 Nov 2011

Treatments can help most HCM patients

Most of the 600,000 Americans with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) -- a genetic heart muscle disease -- can live normal life spans, according to the first science-based guideline for diagnosing and treating this disorder.

9 Nov 2011