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.

NewCardio second-quarter net loss decreases to $1.5 million

NewCardio, Inc., a cardiac diagnostic technology provider, today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

13 Aug 2010

JumpStart Ventures announces investment commitment of $250,000 in ChanRx

JumpStart Ventures, which invests in and partners with innovative, early-stage companies in Northeast Ohio, announced an investment commitment of $250,000 in drug development company ChanRx. The two-year-old company is developing a pharmaceutical compound to treat atrial fibrillation, a heart condition that affects two million Americans, with 200,000 new cases being diagnosed each year.

6 Aug 2010

AGA Medical second-quarter 2010 net sales increase 7.6% to $53.8 million

AGA Medical Holdings, Inc., a leading developer of interventional medical devices for the minimally invasive treatment of structural heart defects and vascular abnormalities, today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

3 Aug 2010

Merck reports strong bottom-line performance in second quarter

Merck & Co., Inc. today announced financial results for the second quarter of 2010. The company reported non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) earnings per share (EPS) for the second quarter of $0.86, which excludes purchase accounting adjustments, merger-related expenses, restructuring costs and the gain on AstraZeneca's asset option exercise. Second-quarter GAAP EPS was $0.24.

2 Aug 2010

Study on link between SNP and concentrations of serum creatinine

Scientists at deCODE genetics and colleagues at Radboud University in the Netherlands today describe how the impact of a single letter variation in the sequence of the human genome conferring risk of kidney disease varies with age and with the onset of other diseases. The study provides independent confirmation of the association made in an earlier study between a version of the the SNP, located on chromosome 16p12, and risk of chronic kidney disease. It also confirmed the link between the SNP and concentrations of serum creatinine, a key indicator of kidney function.

30 Jul 2010

Study reveals high rate of atrial fibrillation in patients with early stages of CKD

Millions of Americans in the early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at an increased risk of having atrial fibrillation (AF) - a major risk factor for stroke - according to new research by investigators at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

29 Jul 2010

Process improvement program improves adherence to evidence-based CRT, ICD and drug therapy

Results of the largest U.S. outpatient heart failure clinical study show that implementation of a process improvement program significantly improved adherence to evidence-based, guideline-recommended cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and drug therapy.

27 Jul 2010

Study tests new performance intervention to improve heart failure patients in outpatient setting

A study led by UCLA tested a new performance intervention to help improve adherence to national guideline-recommended therapies for heart failure patients in an outpatient setting.

27 Jul 2010

St. Jude Medical second-quarter net sales increase 11% to $1.313 billion

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today reported sales and net earnings for the second quarter ended July 3, 2010.

23 Jul 2010

Bristol-Myers Squibb second-quarter net sales increase 2% to $4.8 billion

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today reported results for the second quarter of 2010 which featured data on key marketed and investigational compounds in its oncology, diabetes and cardiovascular franchises, and growth in sales and EPS. The company also confirmed guidance for 2010 and minimum guidance for non-GAAP EPS in 2013.

22 Jul 2010

ARUP enters partnership to offer deCODE's DNA-based prostate cancer risk assessment test

deCODE genetics and ARUP Laboratories today announced a partnership through which ARUP will offer deCODE's DNA-based prostate cancer risk assessment test to its clients nationwide.

20 Jul 2010

Robotic therapies reduce blood vessel trauma during minimally invasive procedures

Research conducted by surgeons from the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center shows that using robotics reduces blood vessel trauma during minimally invasive procedures to repair diseased arteries. Research results were presented at the Society for Vascular Surgery's 2010 Vascular Annual Meeting in Boston.

19 Jul 2010

BioSTAR biodegradable implant achieves comparable closure rates to Amplatzer ASO

A novel study by Canadian physicians reported that the BioSTARTM biodegradable implant achieved comparable closure rates to the Amplatzer Septal OccluderTM (ASO) in children with atrial septal defect (ASD). The BioSTAR device displayed successful outcomes, while avoiding issues associated with implants containing substantial amounts of metal.

16 Jul 2010

BIOTRONIK publishes final results of landmark TRUST Trial in Circulation

BIOTRONIK, the pioneer of wireless remote monitoring technologies and leading manufacturer of implantable cardiac devices, announced today that the final results of the landmark TRUST Trial (Lumax-T/Lumos-T Safely RedUceS RouTine Office Device Follow-Up) have been published in the July 27, 2010 issue of Circulation. BIOTRONIK Home Monitoring is the industry's first and most advanced wireless remote monitoring system for patients with cardiac devices.

13 Jul 2010

GE Healthcare Medical Diagnostics reintroduces Optison ultrasound contrast agent for echocardiograms

GE Healthcare Medical Diagnostics today announced the market reintroduction of Optison™ (Perflutren Protein-Type A Microspheres Injectable Suspension, USP), a diagnostic ultrasound contrast agent for use in select echocardiograms. Optison is indicated for use in patients with suboptimal echocardiograms to opacify the left ventricle and to improve the delineation of the left ventricular endocardial borders. The safety and efficacy of Optison with exercise stress or pharmacologic stress testing have not been established.

12 Jul 2010

Common SNP in sequence of human genome conferring risk of vascular diseases discovered

Scientists at deCODE genetics and academic colleagues from the Netherlands and twelve other countries across Europe and North America today report the discovery of a common single-letter variation (SNP) in the sequence of the human genome conferring risk of a range of vascular diseases. The SNP confers risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), early-onset heart attack, peripheral artery disease (PAD), and pulmonary embolism, independent of other known risk factors.

12 Jul 2010

Patients enrolled in CLARITY-AF study

Biosense Webster, Inc., a worldwide leader in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, announces that more than 10 patients have now been enrolled in the CLARITY-study, comparing the efficacy, safety and efficiency of CARTO 3 System guided radiofrequency ablation using the NAVISTAR THERMOCOOL catheter versus fluoroscopy guided radiofrequency ablation using the Pulmonary Vein Ablation catheter (Ablation Frontiers, Medtronic) in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

9 Jul 2010

EMA CHMP recommends marketing approval of BRINAVESS for conversion of recent onset AF to sinus rhythm

Merck and Cardiome Pharma Corp. today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended marketing approval for BRINAVESS® (vernakalant), an investigational intravenous (IV) formulation for the conversion of recent onset atrial fibrillation (AF) to sinus rhythm in adults.

28 Jun 2010

St. Jude Medical's Therapy Cool Path Ablation Catheter receives Japanese MHLW approval

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare approval and reimbursement approval of its Therapy Cool Path Ablation Catheter. This marks the company's first entry into the irrigated catheter ablation market in Japan.

25 Jun 2010

Digoxin drug may increase risk of premature death in patients with kidney disease

For patients with kidney disease on dialysis, the widely used heart medication digoxin may lead to an increased risk of premature death, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).