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.

Special report on A-Fib to be premiered in RLTV's Healthline series

Retirement Living TV's (RLTV) award-winning series, Healthline will premiere a special report on Atrial Fibrillation. This half-hour episode explores the possible symptoms, risk factors and treatments to successfully live with this chronic illness.

21 Jan 2010

Sanofi-aventis U.S. brings national experts together to help aging Americans with AFib

National medical and lifestyle experts have been brought together by sanofi-aventis U.S. to help aging Americans learn to live life more fully despite a serious and increasingly prevalent heart condition – atrial fibrillation (AFib), a type of irregular heartbeat.

21 Jan 2010

New technique could bring immense benefits for patients with irregular heart rhythm

Scientists at the University of Leicester are 'painting' the colours of the heart in an innovative project that has potential to bring benefits for millions of people with irregular heart rhythm.

20 Jan 2010

St. Jude Medical completes second interoperability testing process for Merlin.net Patient Care Network

St. Jude Medical, Inc. today announced it has successfully completed its second interoperability testing process for the company’s Merlin.net™ Patient Care Network, an Internet-based repository of patient and implantable device data.

20 Jan 2010

Corventis' NUVANT MCT System for detecting non-lethal arrhythmias receives FDA marketing clearance

Corventis, Inc., a developer of wireless cardiovascular solutions, announced today that it has received 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its NUVANT™ Mobile Cardiac Telemetry (MCT) System for the detection of non-lethal arrhythmias. In addition, the company announced that its Monitoring Center has been approved by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as an Independent Diagnostic Testing Facility (IDTF). Corventis has also received approval to bill for services provided to patients with Medicare and several commercial insurers, paving the way for the NUVANT MCT System to be available across the United States.

19 Jan 2010

New issue from Annals of Internal Medicine

Prescriptions of some opioids, such as oxycodone, have increased significantly over the past decade. As long-term opioid therapy for chronic noncancer pain becomes more common, the deaths associated with opioids increase.

19 Jan 2010

Japanese MHLW approves St. Jude Medical's Genesis spinal cord stimulation system

St. Jude Medical, Inc. today announced regulatory approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) for the Genesis™ spinal cord stimulation system for the management of chronic pain.

18 Jan 2010

Novel technique eliminates radiation exposure to patients and medical providers

A growing body of research continues to warn of the potential long-term effects of radiation exposure for patients and medical providers during such imaging procedures as x-rays and computed tomography (CT) scans, both of which are traditionally used with certain heart procedures.

18 Jan 2010

Ibutilide Fumarate Injection launched

Bioniche Pharma, a leading developer and manufacturer of injectable pharmaceuticals announced today the launch of Ibutilide Fumarate Injection, the generic equivalent of Corvert® from Pfizer Inc.

12 Jan 2010

Variations in SNPs involved in modulating electrical impulse that govern working of heart discovered

Scientists at deCODE genetics today report the discovery of seven novel and common single-letter variations in the sequence of the human genome (SNPs) that are involved in modulating the electrical impulses that govern the working of the heart.

11 Jan 2010

Physicians perform first implantation of leadless cardiac monitoring device for detecting arrhythmias

BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG, the pioneer of wireless remote monitoring technologies and leading manufacturer of implantable cardiac devices, today announced the first implantations of BIOTRONIK’s new leadless cardiac monitoring device performed by a team of physicians led by Professor Dr. Gerhard Hindricks, Director, Electrophysiology Department at the Leipzig Heart Center in Leipzig, Germany.

6 Jan 2010

NewCardio announces two encouraging validation studies related to CardioBip

NewCardio, Inc., a cardiac diagnostic technology provider, announced today two encouraging validation studies related to CardioBip(TM), a hand-held patient-activated device for recording and wireless transmission of reconstructed 12-lead ECGs.

6 Jan 2010

ARYx Therapeutics receives guidance in writing from FDA on tecarfarin

ARYx Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, today announced that is has received guidance in writing from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirming that the existing development pathway remains acceptable to seek regulatory approval of ARYx’s novel anticoagulant agent, tecarfarin (ATI-5923).

5 Jan 2010

Cardima receives Shonin approval from the Japanese MHLW to market PATHFINDER catheters

Cardima, Inc., a medical device company focused on the diagnosis and treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF), has received Shonin approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) to re-enter the Japanese market with its family of guidewire-based, multi-electrode PATHFINDER® diagnostic mapping catheters.

4 Jan 2010

Tarantula venom protein promising for MD

University at Buffalo biophysicists have found a protein in tarantula venom that shows promise as a potential therapy for muscular dystrophy (MD). They have formed a start-up biotech company in Buffalo -- Rose Pharmaceuticals -- to advance the drug to clinical trials.

30 Dec 2009

Eritoran well tolerated in Phase II trial for severe sepsis

The investigational compound, eritoran tetrasodium ("eritoran," also known as E5564) appeared to be well tolerated in patients with severe sepsis in a Phase II trial published in the January issue of Critical Care Medicine, the official journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the largest multiprofessional organization dedicated to ensuring excellence and consistency in the practice of critical care.

22 Dec 2009

Only half of eligible heart failure patients receive implantable devices

A study of heart failure patients who meet national guidelines for devices that stabilize and strengthen the heart's electrical system found that only half of eligible patients received the devices.

19 Dec 2009

Discovery of common single-letter variant in SNP links parental origin to risk of T2D

Scientists at deCODE genetics, Inc. publish in the journal Nature the discovery of a version of a common single-letter variant in the sequence of the human genome (SNP) with a major impact on susceptibility to type 2 diabetes (T2D).

17 Dec 2009

St. Jude Medical applauds the updated level of evidence for FFR-guided treatment

St. Jude Medical, Inc. applauds the updated level of evidence for Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR)-guided treatment in the Guidelines on Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI).