Sudden Cardiac Death News and Research

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The term sudden cardiac death refers to natural death from cardiac causes, heralded by abrupt loss of consciousness within one hour of the onset of acute symptoms.

Review finds high cardiovascular disease mortality rates among homeless populations

Among homeless individuals cardiovascular disease remains one of the major causes of death due to challenges in predicting initial risk, limited access to health care and difficulties in long-term management, according to a review published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

28 May 2018

Genomic science can help healthcare professionals to identify, treat inherited cardiac conditions

The family history questions asked during patient assessments are becoming even more important with the rise of precision medicine and genetic testing.

11 May 2018

Natural substances in Chinese medicinal plant can trigger heart arrhythmias

A medicinal plant frequently used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) - Evodia rutaecarpa - contains substances that can cause cardiac arrhythmia. This is what researchers from the Universities of Basel, Vienna and Utrecht have recently found out.

2 May 2018

Younger siblings of SIDS victims have four-fold increased risk of sudden death

Siblings of cot death victims have a four-fold higher risk of cot death, according to research presented today at EHRA 2018, a European Society of Cardiology congress.

19 Mar 2018

Telemonitoring benefits remain unclear for patients with cardiac disorders

To prevent cardiac death, people with certain cardiac disorders are implanted with electronic devices designed to automatically stimulate the heartbeat or counteract serious arrhythmia if necessary.

12 Mar 2018

Wearable defibrillator reduces overall mortality, but not sudden cardiac death

Wearing a lightweight vest equipped with a cardioverter defibrillator that detects abnormal heart rhythms in addition to taking recommended medications is associated with a reduction in the likelihood of dying during the first 90 days following a heart attack in people whose heart function was also impaired, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session.

12 Mar 2018

Patients at risk of heart disease do not always understand genetic test results

University of Sydney researchers are raising concerns over the need for informed decision making for genetic testing after a study published today finds patients at risk of inherited heart disease do not always understand test results or the impact results will have on their life.

23 Feb 2018

Scientists discover new treatment approach to curb severe myocarditis

The outcome of viral myocarditis is closely associated with the immune response of the affected individual. An inhibitor of the immunoproteasome, a protein degradation complex in immunocompetent cells, reduces the extent of the inflammation and thus also the damage to the heart during myocarditis.

22 Feb 2018

Study reveals rising burden of atrial fibrillation among Asian patients

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent sustained cardiac arrhythmia, and its prevalence is projected to rise continuously over the next few decades because of an aging population.

5 Feb 2018

New study uncovers why sauna bathing provides health benefits

Over the past couple of years, scientists at the University of Eastern Finland have shown that sauna bathing is associated with a variety of health benefits.

5 Jan 2018

Radiation therapy can be used to treat patients with life-threatening heart rhythm

Radiation therapy often is used to treat cancer patients. Now, doctors at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that radiation therapy - aimed directly at the heart -; can be used to treat patients with a life-threatening heart rhythm.

14 Dec 2017

Powerful digital model replicates biological activity that precedes sudden cardiac death

Some heart disease patients face a higher risk of sudden cardiac death, which can happen when an arrhythmia -- an irregular heartbeat-- disrupts the normal electrical activity in the heart and causes the organ to stop pumping.

29 Nov 2017

New project to seek answers for effects of alcohol on the nervous system

When a drink at the local watering hole turns into five or six, what are the effects on our brains and hearts? How does too much to drink affect how we sleep? How does binge drinking affect blood pressure for people who drink socially but not usually to excess? Do women's bodies process alcohol differently depending on stages of their menstrual cycles?

11 Oct 2017

Mitochondrial DNA copy number appears to be predictive of sudden cardiac death, heart attacks

Johns Hopkins researchers report that the level, or "copy number," of mitochondrial DNA--genetic information stored not in a cell's nucleus but in the body's energy-creating mitochondria--is a novel and distinct biomarker that is able to predict the risk of heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths a decade or more before they happen.

11 Oct 2017

Low serum calcium levels linked to increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is fatal for over 90% of patients, and more than half of men and close to 70% of women who die of SCA have no clinical history of heart disease prior to this cardiac event.

5 Oct 2017

Study shows frequent sauna bathing reduces risk of elevated blood pressure

Frequent sauna bathing reduces the risk of elevated blood pressure, according to an extensive follow-up population-based study carried out at the University of Eastern Finland.

30 Sep 2017

Study finds underutilization of lifesaving implantable cardioverter defibrillators in eligible patients

Fewer than 10% of people who experience sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) outside of a hospital survive. Reoccurrence rates after an initial event are high, which is why current Canadian Cardiovascular Society, as well as other international guidelines, strongly recommend the use of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) in selected patients who survive cardiac arrest.

7 Sep 2017

Consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3s reduces cardiac death risk, study shows

Results from a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology showed that in 14 randomized, controlled trials of 71,899 people, consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3s reduced the risk of cardiac death by a statistically-significant average of 8 percent.

24 Aug 2017

Study shows new method for repairing disease-causing mutation in human embryos

Scientists have demonstrated an effective way of using a gene-editing tool to correct a disease-causing gene mutation in human embryos and stop it from passing to future generations.

3 Aug 2017

Cedars-Sinai researchers develop new risk assessment tool to predict sudden cardiac arrest

A Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute investigator and his team have developed a new risk assessment tool that brings physicians closer to predicting who is most likely to suffer a sudden cardiac arrest, a condition that is fatal in more than 90 percent of patients.

27 Jun 2017