Atrial Fibrillation News and Research

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Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia. An arrhythmia is a problem with the speed or rhythm of the heartbeat. A disorder in the heart’s electrical system causes AF and other types of arrhythmia. AF occurs when rapid, disorganized electrical signals in the heart’s two upper chambers, called the atria, cause them to contract very fast and irregularly (this is called fibrillation). As a result, blood pools in the atria and isn’t pumped completely into the heart’s two lower chambers, called the ventricles. When this happens, the heart’s upper and lower chambers don’t work together as they should. Often, people who have AF may not even feel symptoms. However, even when not noticed, AF can lead to an increased risk of stroke. In many patients, particularly when the rhythm is extremely rapid, AF can cause chest pain, heart attack, or heart failure. AF may occur rarely or every now and then, or it may become a persistent or permanent heart rhythm lasting for years.

AI helps detect atrial fibrillation cheaply and reliably

A startling new study from Mayo Clinic shows that artificial intelligence (AI) can help pick up the earliest signs of the potentially fatal irregularity in heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation (AF) on electrocardiography (EKG)– even when the heart rhythm is perfectly normal at the time of testing.

6 Aug 2019

'Tickle' therapy may slow down an important effect associated with aging

'Tickling' the ear with a small electrical current appears to rebalance the autonomic nervous system for over-55s, potentially slowing down one of the effects of ageing, according to new research.

30 Jul 2019

Anti-arrhythmic agents linked to increased risk of falls

Anti-arrhythmic drugs, particularly those used to treat atrial fibrillation, could increase the risk of fall-related injuries, a new study found.

29 Jul 2019

Researchers discover new blood-borne marker for atrial damage

Atrial fibrillation is a common abnormal heart rhythm. It is treated either with medications or by applying heat or extreme cold to destroy small specific tissue areas in the atrium. This inevitably causes small wounds.

24 Jul 2019

Former NFL players may have greater risk of atrial fibrillation

Former National Football League players were nearly 6 times more likely to have atrial fibrillation compared to men of similar age who did not play professional football, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

24 Jul 2019

Research opens possibility of developing single-dose gene therapy for inherited arrhythmias

Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital report creating the first human tissue model of an inherited heart arrhythmia, replicating two patients' abnormal heart rhythms in a dish, and then suppressing the arrhythmia with gene therapy in a mouse model.

17 Jul 2019

Detection of atrial fibrillation after stroke made easy with electrocardiomatrix technology

Researchers have developed a new and easier method of detecting irregular heart rhythms such as Atrial Fibrillation (AF or AFib) after a stroke. At present clinical rely upon standard cardiac telemetry to detect AF seen commonly after a stroke.

14 Jul 2019

New method improves detection of atrial fibrillation in stroke survivors

A new method of evaluating irregular heartbeats outperformed the approach that's currently used widely in stroke units to detect instances of atrial fibrillation.

14 Jul 2019

More than 936 million people have sleep apnea, ResMed-led analysis reveals

More than 936 million people have obstructive sleep apnea – the disease’s first prevalence update in more than a decade – according to The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, the world’s leading journal in its field.

10 Jul 2019

New strategies for preventing and coping with rising burden of brain diseases

New strategies for preventing and coping with the growing burden of brain diseases were outlined today at the 5th European Academy of Neurology Congress in Oslo, Norway.

1 Jul 2019

Novel population-based approach to examine families where AF occurs with left atrial fibrosis

Atrial fibrillation is a condition that produces an irregular heartbeat that affects about two percent of the general population and six percent of people over 65 years of age.

29 Jun 2019

Study finds no increase in deaths from cardiac arrests at the weekend

People admitted to NHS hospitals with a cardiac arrest over the weekend do not face a higher risk of dying compared to those admitted during the week, according to new research presented today at the British Cardiovascular Society Conference in Manchester.

3 Jun 2019

ISPOR examines how real-world evidence can be improved with patient-provided information

ISPOR, the professional society for health economics and outcomes research, examined how real-world evidence can be improved with patient-provided information this afternoon at its ISPOR 2019 annual conference with the session, "Leveraging Patient-Provided Information to Improve Real-World Evidence: Getting to Good Practices on How."

24 May 2019

New algorithm guides catheters to accurately locate atrial fibrillation sources

Patients with atrial fibrillation or AFib experience chaotic electrical signals in the upper chamber of their heart (atria), which cause an irregular or quivering heartbeat (arrhythmia) that can lead to blood clots and heart failure. AFib also is a major cause of stroke and affects 33 million people worldwide.

21 May 2019

Study aims to optimize device implantation in patients with atrial fibrillation and stroke risk

According to clinical studies, about a third of patients with atrial fibrillation will suffer a stroke during their lifetime. Between 70 and 90% of these strokes are caused by a thrombus formed in the left atrial appendage.

16 May 2019

Renal infarction linked with acute kidney injury in patients with cardiac amyloidosis

Systemic amyloidosis is a major cause of renal injury, mostly due to direct kidney damage caused by deposits of abnormal protein called amyloid, in the kidney parenchyma.

16 May 2019

Patients with sleep apnea have higher risk of postoperative cardiovascular complications

According to a new study published today in The Journal of the American Medical Association, patients who have severe obstructive sleep apnea have a significantly higher risk of complications related to their heart in the first 30 days after major surgery.

14 May 2019

Atrial Fibrillation News and Research

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