Arrhythmia News and Research

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An arrhythmia is a problem with the speed or rhythm of the heartbeat. During an arrhythmia, the heart can beat too fast, too slow, or with an irregular rhythm. A heartbeat that is too fast is called tachycardia. A heartbeat that is too slow is called bradycardia. Most arrhythmias are harmless, but some can be serious or even life threatening. When the heart rate is too slow, too fast, or irregular, the heart may not be able to pump enough blood to the body. Lack of blood flow can damage the brain, heart, and other organs.

New computer model can screen drugs for unintended cardiac side effects

UC Davis Health researchers have developed a computer model to screen drugs for unintended cardiac side effects, especially arrhythmia risk.

12 Apr 2020

New guidance on treating COVID-19 patients with heart attack signs

Much remains unknown about COVID-19, but many studies already have indicated that people with cardiovascular disease are at greater risk of COVID-19.

9 Apr 2020

'Off-the-shelf' artificial cardiac patch improves heart attack recovery in rat and pig models

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed an "off-the-shelf" artificial cardiac patch that can deliver cardiac cell-derived healing factors directly to the site of heart attack injury. In a rat model of heart attack, the freezable, cell-free patch improved recovery.

8 Apr 2020

Metrion Biosciences and International Scientific Consortium publish data and new recommendations for in vitro risk assessment of the cardiac safety of new medicines

Metrion today announced it has contributed to two new peer-reviewed papers under the U.S. FDA CiPA (Comprehensive in vitro Proarrhythmia Assay) initiative.

From Metrion Biosciences Limited 7 Apr 2020

Researchers identify the most common characteristics of fatal COVID-19 cases

In a new study, researchers identified the most common characteristics of 85 COVID-19 patients who died in Wuhan, China in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.

3 Apr 2020

Drugs considered for COVID-19 can increase risk for dangerous arrhythmias

As some consider treating coronavirus patients with a combination of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin, cardiologists are advising caution because both medications can increase the risk for dangerous abnormal heart rhythms.

2 Apr 2020

New microfluidic chip can mimic hypoxic conditions after a heart attack

Researchers led by biomedical engineers at Tufts University invented a microfluidic chip containing cardiac cells that is capable of mimicking hypoxic conditions following a heart attack - specifically when an artery is blocked in the heart and then unblocked after treatment.

30 Mar 2020

What happens when COVID-19 and cardiovascular diseases mix?

The world has been brought to a stand-still by the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected 197 countries, areas and territories, infected 467,594, and killed 21,181 individuals as of today. COVID-19 disease is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a single-stranded RNA virus, contagious in humans.

25 Mar 2020

Critical guidance to identify COVID-19 patients at risk of drug-induced sudden cardiac death

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, continues to spread, leading to more than 20,000 deaths worldwide in less than four months. Efforts are progressing to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, but it's still likely 12 to 18 months away.

25 Mar 2020

Researchers use ultrasound technique to accurately localize cardiac arrhythmias

Cardiac arrhythmias are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Currently, the 12-lead electrocardiogram is the noninvasive clinical gold standard used to diagnose and localize these conditions, but it has limited accuracy, cannot provide an anatomical tool to visually localize the source of the arrhythmia, and depending on which clinician is looking at the signals, there might be some interpretation variability.

25 Mar 2020

Inherited ventricular arrhythmia fairly common among Finnish Leonbergers

A new study in Finland has revealed that inherited malignant ventricular arrhythmia is fairly common among Finnish Leonbergers under three years of age. At its worst, such arrhythmia can result in the dog's sudden death.

10 Mar 2020

EHRA 2020: Latest practice-changing research in heart rhythm disorders

Get ready for the latest practice-changing research in heart rhythm disorders: presented at EHRA 2020, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology.

27 Feb 2020

First patient in U.S. treated for atrial fibrillation using new type of ablation technology

Cardiologists at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center are the first in the United States to test a new type of ablation technology for patients suffering from atrial fibrillation, a common type of irregular heartbeat.

26 Feb 2020

Extreme endurance exercise can increase risk of cardiovascular events

For most people, the benefits of aerobic exercise far outweigh the risks, however, extreme endurance exercise - such as participation in marathons and triathlons for people who aren't accustomed to high-intensity exercise - can raise the risk of sudden cardiac arrest, atrial fibrillation (a heart rhythm disorder) or heart attacks, according to a new Scientific Statement "Exercise-Related Acute Cardiovascular Events and Potential Deleterious Adaptations Following Long-Term Exercise Training: Placing the Risks Into Perspective-An Update from the American Heart Association," published today in the Association's premier journal Circulation.

26 Feb 2020

Researchers succeed in beating-heart surgery to repair mitral valve

A group of researchers led by Professor Yoshiki SAWA of the Cardiovascular Group in the Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, succeeded in beating-heart surgery to repair a mitral valve.

25 Feb 2020

Macrolide, penicillin antibiotics in pregnancy could affect children’s health

A new study published in the journal BMJ in February 2020 reports that macrolide or penicillin antibiotic consumption in pregnancy could be linked to several adverse health outcomes in children. These include major malformations, cerebral palsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism spectrum disorder.

20 Feb 2020

New insights about the 'extra' heartbeat in some people

People may feel a flip-flop in their chest when they're under stress, haven't slept well or even during normal activity.

20 Feb 2020

Study reveals underlying mechanism for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias

Low oxygen levels in the heart have long been known to produce life-threatening arrhythmias, even sudden death. Until now, it was not clear how.

18 Feb 2020

AI-based approach may allow EKGs to be used for detecting hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

An approach based on artificial intelligence may allow EKGs to be used to screen for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the future.

18 Feb 2020

New compendium on cardiomyopathies

Cardiomyopathy refers to diseases of the heart muscle causing cardiac myocyte injury and myocardial dysfunction, which impair structural and functional ventricular filling or ejection of blood in the absence of other structural or vascular heart diseases.

18 Feb 2020