Defibrillation News and Research

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St. Jude Medical receives European approval for Fortify ST ICD and Unify CRT-D defibrillators

St. Jude Medical, Inc. today announced European CE Mark approval and first implants of its Fortify™ and Fortify ST implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) and Unify™ cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D). The devices will be fully launched in Europe later this spring, and U.S. versions of the Fortify ICD and Unify CRT-D are expected to be launched later this year. The reduced size of these new devices compared to those of previous generations creates the smallest available device footprint in the industry.

5 Feb 2010

Apple Valley Medical Center to hold free Heart Failure Community Education Evening

A free Heart Failure Community Education Evening will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 9, 2010, at the Apple Valley Medical Center.

3 Feb 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

HSF announces $1 million contribution by The Cowan Foundation to AED program

The Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF) today announced a $1 million contribution by The Cowan Foundation to its national Heart&Stroke Restart a Heart, Restart a Life(TM) Automated External Defibrillator (AED) program.

14 Dec 2009

Combination of CPR and AED saves boy's life

A 13-year old male student attending James Keating Elementary School is alive today thanks to the partnership between the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario and the County of Simcoe Paramedic Services.

27 Nov 2009

PULSE urges Government of Ontario to introduce CPR course for school students

The Physicians and Paramedics Urging Life Saving Education (PULSE), wants all Ontarians to be prepared to respond in cases of an emergency requiring the use of CPR.

26 Nov 2009

NHLBI stops enrollment in study comparing resuscitation strategies

Enrollment has ended early in a large, multicenter clinical trial comparing two distinct resuscitation strategies delivered by emergency medical service (EMS) providers to increase blood flow during cardiac arrest. The study's independent monitoring board and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the lead sponsor of the study, stopped enrollment based on preliminary data suggesting that neither strategy significantly improved survival.

7 Nov 2009

Cardiac Science and OMRON Healthcare sign distribution agreement

Cardiac Science Corporation (Nasdaq: CSCX), a global leader in automated external defibrillator (AED) and diagnostic cardiac monitoring devices, entered into an exclusive agreement with OMRON Healthcare distribute Omron's vital signs and spot check monitors under the Cardiac Science brand in the United States and Canada.

20 Oct 2009

SCAA honors San Diego Project Heart Beat with 2009 Public Service Award

October is Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month, and the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA) honored San Diego Project Heart Beat with the 2009 Public Service Award for its work to raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), prevent sudden cardiac death and improve cardiovascular health.

12 Oct 2009

70% of Americans underestimate the seriousness of SCA

More than 250,000 deaths occur each year as a result of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). In fact, SCA claims one life every two minutes, taking more lives each year than breast cancer, lung cancer or AIDS. Yet, according to a recent survey issued by the Heart Rhythm Society, more than 70 percent of Americans not only underestimate the seriousness of SCA, but also believe SCA is a type of heart attack.

3 Oct 2009

Philips announces voluntary recall of 5,400 HeartStart FR2+ automated external defibrillators

Philips announced today that it is voluntarily recalling approximately 5,400 HeartStart FR2+ automated external defibrillators (AEDs). This recall is being conducted due to the possibility of a memory chip failure that may render the device inoperable.

1 Oct 2009

Continuous chest compressions during CPR improve survival rates during cardiac arrest

Maximizing the proportion of time spent performing chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) substantially improves survival in patients who suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital setting, according to a multicenter clinical study that included UT Southwestern Medical Center.

29 Sep 2009

Black patients less likely to survive cardiac arrests in hospitals

Black patients have lower rates of successful resuscitation and are less likely to survive an in-hospital cardiac arrest compared to white patients, according to a study in the Sept. 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

16 Sep 2009

Boston Scientific to discuss final results of MADIT-CRT trial at the European Society of Cardiology Congress

Boston Scientific Corporation today announced the schedule of the Company's major events and news announcements for the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, which runs from August 29 to September 2 in Barcelona. Highlights include final results from the MADIT-CRT trial and two-year results from the SYNTAX trial.

28 Aug 2009

Doctors overiding end of life counseling see benefit in current controversy

The paragraphs, buried deep in the 1,000-page House health reform bill, appear innocuous, but they have ignited a firestorm among critics predicting government-sponsored euthanasia.

14 Aug 2009

Therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest is cost-effective

A brain-preserving cooling treatment called therapeutic hypothermia is a cost-effective way to improve outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, which claims the lives of more than 300,000 people each year in the United States and leaves thousands of others neurologically devastated.

6 Aug 2009

Cooling unconscious cardiac arrest survivors increases survival, cost effective

Cooling unconscious cardiac arrest survivors can increase survival and has a cost effectiveness comparable to other widely accepted treatments in modern health care, researchers report in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

4 Aug 2009

Physio-Control receives FDA 510(k) clearance for LIFEPAK monitor/defibrillator

Physio-Control, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Medtronic, Inc., has announced it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the LIFEPAK 15 monitor/defibrillator within the United States.

29 Mar 2009

Study offers closer look at Takotsubo cardiomyopathy

"Broken heart syndrome" is still a mystery to many in the medical community, but new data from researchers at The Miriam Hospital may shed some light on the clinical characteristics and outcomes of this relatively rare, life-threatening condition.

29 Mar 2009

European Society of Cardiology reaffirms advice on cardiovascular risks associated with long-haul flights

Following a review by The Lancet of the medical issues associated with commercial air travel, the European Society of Cardiology has reaffirmed its advice about the risks of venous thromboembolism (VTE), whose risk, according to The Lancet, is increased "up to four-fold" by long-haul flight.

24 Feb 2009