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.

Effect of Torcetrapib on the progression of coronary atherosclerosis

Investigators report that torcetrapib, a drug that substantially raises high-density lipoprotein cholesterol or HDL (the "good" cholesterol), did not slow the progression of plaque buildup in the coronary arteries as measured using an ultrasound probe (IVUS).

2 Apr 2007

African Americans may be at higher risk of heart failure because of racial variations in heart muscle's pumping ability

Scientists have known for nearly a decade that African Americans have higher rates of hospitalization for heart failure than other major U.S. racial or ethnic groups, but until now they have had limited information other than socio-economic and demographic characteristics to explain why this is so.

2 Apr 2007

Crateagus extract postpones cardiac events in patients with congestive heart failure

An herbal medicinal substance, Crataegus Extract WS:1442, safely extends the lives of congestive heart failure patients already receiving pharmacological treatment for the disease, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 56th Annual Scientific Session.

30 Mar 2007

Boston Scientific publishes results of Dual-Chamber Pacing study

Boston Scientific Corporation has announced that results of the largest implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) study to date, known as INTRINSIC RV, were published in the January issue of the journal Circulation.

2 Jan 2007

Food can have an impact in preventing cancer

With cancer, researchers don't believe "you are what you eat"; that disease is always a direct result of what is, or what isn't, on your dinner plate.

14 Nov 2006

Anxiety disorders linked to thyroid disease, respiratory disease, arthritis and migraine headaches

Anxiety disorders appear to be independently associated with several physical conditions, including thyroid disease, respiratory disease, arthritis and migraine headaches, according to a report in the October 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. This co-occurrence of disorders may significantly increase the risk of disability and negatively affect quality of life.

23 Oct 2006

Underlying causes, frequencies, and outcomes of dilated cardiomyopathy

The mystery behind a commonly untreatable and undetected heart muscle disease in children is partially revealed for the first time in today's edition of the scientific journal JAMA.

17 Oct 2006

Closing in on lethal arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia in young athletes

Johns Hopkins experts on the genetics of a potentially lethal heart rhythm defect that runs in families and targets young athletes report they have greatly narrowed the hunt for the specific genetic mutations that contribute to the problem.

7 Sep 2006

Useful insights into mechanisms of catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia

World Congress of Cardiology Report - Familial genetic defects are responsible for several cases of unexpected sudden cardiac death in young and otherwise healthy individuals.

5 Sep 2006

Automated external defibrillators, reliability and clinical benefits

The FDA frequently issues safety advisories for automated external defibrillators and accessories, although the number of actual device malfunctions appears to be relatively small.

8 Aug 2006

Growing old with a partner a healthier option

According to new research from Denmark older people who live alone are twice as likely to suffer serious heart disease than those who live with a partner.

13 Jul 2006

Smokers more likely to receive jolt from defibrillators

If some patients with heart disease don't take their doctor's advice to quit smoking, they are probably going to get "shocking" reminders.

8 May 2006

New method allows heart beat triggers to be viewed and better understood

Researchers have developed unique chemical dyes that have made it possible to see what the naked eye has never seen before: action potentials, or voltage changes, of cardiac cells - including those deep inside the heart, which trigger and determine the pace of heartbeats.

25 Apr 2006

Benefit of fish oils under question

In a turn up for the books, experts are now saying that contrary to the widely held belief that the omega 3 fats found in oily fish help prevent heart disease, this has not been proven.

26 Mar 2006

Study identifies patients at risk for sudden cardiac death

Researchers have found a more accurate way to tell which children and teenagers are likely to be among the thousand or so who suddenly die each year in the United States from genetic heart conditions that cause arrhythmia

21 Mar 2006

Implantable defibrillators benefit women as much as men after heart attack

Women who have had a heart attack get as much survival benefit as men from implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), devices designed to monitor the heart's pumping rhythm and shock it back to normal when needed, according to a study published in the December edition of the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology.

22 Dec 2005

Study to look for links between the nervous system and fatal heart rhythm

Finding out why seemingly healthy people experience ventricular fibrillation, a fatal irregular heart rhythm, could eventually lead to better methods of early detection, according to a Medical College of Georgia researcher.

22 Dec 2005

Carvedilol, a cardiovascular drug, may improve heart failure and help prevent sudden death

Research shows that Carvedilol, a cardiovascular drug, could be useful in reducing cardiac death in high risk patients with prior myocardial infarction and/or heart failure and also in reducing the incidence and/or preventing the occurrence of atrial fibrillation in a number of clinical situations.

2 Dec 2005

Carvedilol may improve heart failure and help prevent sudden death

16 Nov 2005

MRI measurements of scar tissue accurately predict the risk of arrhythmia-related sudden death

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the heart wall, researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that people whose muscle wall thickness contained more than 25 percent scar tissue were approximately nine times more likely to test positive for a fast and dangerous heart rhythm known as ventricular arrhythmia.

3 Nov 2005