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.

Schizophrenia cardiovascular risk under-recognized in primary care

UK researchers have found that despite being a major contributor to premature deaths among patients with schizophrenia, cardiovascular disease is less likely to be recorded on their primary care records than people without schizophrenia.

25 Apr 2013

Perosphere, Daiichi Sankyo sign clinical trial agreement

Perosphere Inc. and Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (hereafter, Daiichi Sankyo) announced today that they have entered into a clinical trial agreement under which Daiichi Sankyo will support and co-sponsor a phase 1 clinical study testing the safety, tolerability and effectiveness of PER977 to reverse the anticoagulant activity of edoxaban, Daiichi Sankyo's investigational oral, once-daily, direct factor Xa-inhibitor.

25 Apr 2013

ARCA biopharma, Medtronic to study effectiveness of Gencaro for prevention of atrial fibrillation

ARCA biopharma, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing genetically-targeted therapies for cardiovascular diseases, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Medtronic, Inc., a leader in medical technologies to improve the treatment of chronic diseases, including cardiac rhythm disorders, to collaborate on ARCA's proposed clinical trial, known as GENETIC-AF, of its lead developmental drug Gencaro (bucindolol hydrochloride).

From Medtronic 23 Apr 2013

EKG could predict cardiovascular illness

A common test that records the heart's electrical activity could predict potentially serious cardiovascular illness, according to a UC San Francisco-led study.

17 Apr 2013

Study finds no evidence that digoxin increases mortality in patients with atrial fibrillation

A study published today in the European Heart Journal found no evidence that digoxin increases mortality in patients with atrial fibrillation, the opposite of results just published by another group in the same journal analyzing the same data.

17 Apr 2013

UCSF Medical Center doctors implant new cardiac defibrillator to diagnose arrhythmias

Doctors at UCSF Medical Center implanted a new cardiac defibrillator that uses a single-lead to sense vital changes in the heart rhythm on March 14, 2013, becoming one of the first heart centers in Northern California to perform this procedure.

15 Apr 2013

Computational simulations can help understand, treat cardiac rhythm disorders

Computational models of the human heart can be very useful in studying not just the basic mechanisms of heart function, but also to analyze the heart in a diseased state, and come up with methods for diagnosis and therapy.

11 Apr 2013

Researchers use brain-imaging tool and stroke risk assessment to detect signs of cognitive decline

UCLA researchers have used a brain-imaging tool and stroke risk assessment to identify signs of cognitive decline early on in individuals who don't yet show symptoms of dementia.

4 Apr 2013

Study: Pradaxa drug may increase risk and severity of viral infections

A study led by researchers at the University of North Carolina indicates that a newly approved blood thinner that blocks a key component of the human blood clotting system may increase the risk and severity of certain viral infections, including flu and myocarditis, a viral infection of the heart and a significant cause of sudden death in children and young adults.

2 Apr 2013

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A predicts cardiovascular events: Study

Higher levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein A were associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events in people with cardiac chest pain that developed as a result of heart disease/coronary artery disease, according to a study published in CMAJ.

19 Mar 2013

ASTRONAUT trial finds no beneficial effects of aliskiren in recently hospitalized heart failure patients

Despite high hopes that a blood pressure-lowering medication called aliskiren would help people following hospitalization for heart failure, no beneficial effects were found, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session.

13 Mar 2013

Women with atrial fibrilation have more symptoms and lower quality of life than men

Women with atrial fibrilation have more symptoms and lower quality of life than men with the same heart condition, according to an analysis of patients in a large national registry compiled by the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

12 Mar 2013

Armetheon plans to develop tecarfarin against prosthetic heart valves or chronic renal dysfunction

Armetheon, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it plans to develop its novel oral anti-coagulant (OAC), tecarfarin (ATI-5923), for a patient population which includes those who have prosthetic heart valves or chronic renal dysfunction.

11 Mar 2013

Salty diet may trigger autoimmune disease

Results from two studies published in Nature show that eating a salty diet may trigger the development of autoimmunity.

7 Mar 2013

Gene cluster implicated in Behçet's disease

Scientists may have uncovered an underlying genetic susceptibility for Behçet's disease in East Asian patients.

5 Mar 2013

Benefits of diastolic function improvement in heart failure questioned

The importance of left ventricular diastolic function improvement in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction has been questioned, after researchers found that treatment with spironolactone resulted in some functional improvements but failed to impact on patients’ exercise capacity.

5 Mar 2013

Omalizumab scratches the itch for urticaria patients

The monoclonal antibody omalizumab seems to be effective at relieving symptoms for patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria who have not responded to H1-antihistamine therapy, report US researchers.

5 Mar 2013

Forceps delivery ‘does not increase atopy risk’

Results from a population-based cohort study suggest that forceps-assisted birth is associated with an increased risk for asthma, but not allergic sensitization, in later childhood.

5 Mar 2013

BIOTRONIK receives FDA approval for Lumax 740 DX System

BIOTRONIK, a leading manufacturer of cardiovascular medical technology, announced the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted final approval for the BIOTRONIK Lumax 740 DX System.

26 Feb 2013

WOEST supports clopidogrel only in PCI patients on anticoagulation

Publication of the WOEST trial results reaffirm the study’s major finding that antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel alone is preferable to the use of both aspirin and clopidogrel in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention who are receiving oral anticoagulant therapy.

25 Feb 2013