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.

CMR predicts increased risk of sudden cardiac death in patients with myocardial infarction

Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Universität Leiden developed a method to identify a subgroup of patients with myocardial infarction that is at increased risk for sudden cardiac death.

30 Aug 2011

Daily remote ICD monitoring a safe alternative to conventional follow-up

Device management using a home monitoring system with daily telemetry in patients with ICDs is a safe alternative to conventional monitoring and could decrease the number of inappropriate shocks, according to results of the ECOST study, a multicentre randomised trial performed in France.

30 Aug 2011

Remote follow-up of ICD patients seems to be a safe alternative to conventional in-office methods

Results from the EVATEL trial are the first in Europe to demonstrate potential safety and efficacy benefits from the remote follow-up of ICD patients.

30 Aug 2011

Post-menopausal women with CAD are at increased risk for SCD: Study

A new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania indicates that post-menopausal women with coronary artery disease and other risk factors are at an increased risk for sudden cardiac death.

30 Jul 2011

Athletic trainers and coaches bear major responsibility for preventing deaths

Colleges and high schools must follow an active strategy to preventing deaths among student athletes from exertional heat stroke (EHS) and other causes, according to an editorial in a recent issue of The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, official research journal of the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

27 Jul 2011

Specific predictors can differentiate dying suddenly versus living through heart attack

Is it possible to predict whether someone is likely to survive or die suddenly from a heart attack? A new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has answered just that.

26 Jul 2011

ECG results for young athletes prone to misinterpretation

Pediatric cardiologists are prone to misinterpreting electrocardiograms when using the results to determine whether young athletes have heart defects that could make exercising perilous, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. This is the first research to examine the acumen of pediatric cardiologists from several health-care institutions in using ECGs to detect rare heart conditions associated with sudden cardiac death.

15 Jul 2011

Scientists analyze structural changes in calcium channels caused by Timothy-mutation

The human genome encodes 243 voltage-gated ion channels. Mutations in calcium channels can cause severe inherited diseases such as migraine, night blindness, autism spectrum disorders and Timothy syndrome, which leads to severe cardiovascular disorders.

15 Jul 2011

UW scientists determine atomic architecture of sodium channel

Scientists at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle have determined the atomic architecture of a sodium channel. The achievement opens new possibilities for molecular medicine researchers around the world in designing better drugs for pain, epilepsy, and heart rhythm disturbances.

14 Jul 2011

Study examines accuracy, effectiveness of pre-sport participation ECG screenings

Incidents of young athletes collapsing during sports practice due to an undiagnosed heart condition are alarming, and have led some health care professionals to call for mandatory electrocardiogram (ECG) screenings before sport participation.

14 Jul 2011

Variation in DNA sequence linked to increased risk of sudden cardiac death

In a large and comprehensive investigation into the underlying causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD) - a surreptitious killer of hundreds of thousands annually in the United States - researchers have discovered a variation in the genome's DNA sequence that is linked to a significant increase in a person's risk of SCD.

13 Jul 2011

Women with healthy lifestyle may face lower risk of sudden cardiac death

Adhering to a healthy lifestyle, including not smoking, exercising regularly, having a low body weight and eating a healthy diet, appears to lower the risk of sudden cardiac death in women, according to a study in the July 6 issue of JAMA.

6 Jul 2011

New guide indicates when and how genetic testing is useful for inherited cardiac conditions

While genetic inheritance is known to play a role in the multifactorial development of most diseases of the heart, there are also a number of clearly diagnosed cardiac conditions which owe their development to quite specific genetic abnormalities. When these genetic disorders affect the integrity of the heart's muscle they are known as a "cardiomyopathy"; when the disorder affects the heart's "excitability", it is known as a "channelopathy".

27 Jun 2011

Johns Hopkins cardiology chief becomes American Heart Association President

Gordon F. Tomaselli, M.D., professor and director of the Division of Cardiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, will become president of the American Heart Association (AHA), the nation’s leading voluntary health organization focused on cardiovascular disease and stroke, on July 1.

22 Jun 2011

UTHealth receives $1M FEMA grant to examine link between Ad-36 infection, obesity

Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) have been awarded nearly $1 million to investigate Adenovirus-36 (Ad-36) infection as a novel risk factor for obesity.

17 Jun 2011

UCSF study seeks to discover true causes of sudden cardiac death

A new study by the University of California, San Francisco's Cardiac Electrophysiology Service seeks to discover for the first time the true causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD), why it is more prevalent in some demographic populations, and whether it is too often inaccurately cited as a cause of death.

16 Jun 2011

Preparticipation cardiac screening required for college athletes

Sudden cardiac death in young athletes who had not previously exhibited symptoms is a relatively rare yet tragic event. This occurs in around 60-80 young athletes annually in the United States.

27 May 2011

MKK4 enzyme may prevent arrhythmias linked with cardiac hypertrophy

Scientists have discovered an important enzyme molecule that may prevent fatal cardiac disorders associated with cardiac hypertrophy - the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young athletes.

25 May 2011

HDL to acquire Harris Scientific

Health Diagnostic Laboratory Inc., a CAP accredited leader in health management, announced today that it will expand its comprehensive test menu of risk factors and biomarkers for cardiovascular and related diseases through the acquisition of Harris Scientific, Inc., a company providing omega-3 fatty acid testing based on the research of Dr. William Harris.

25 May 2011

Researchers discover quarky calcium release in heart cells

Three years of microscopic experiments on heart cells has led to a discovery by a team of University of Maryland researchers and collaborators of the workings of faint calcium signals in the heart cells, a discovery that may translate into new therapies for heart disease.

12 May 2011