Cardiac Arrest News and Research

Latest Cardiac Arrest News and Research

Out-of-hospital use of GIK as therapy for ACS patients needs to be assessed

Patients experiencing symptoms such as chest pain who received from paramedics an intravenous solution consisting of glucose-insulin-potassium (GIK) had no reduction in the rate of progression to heart attack and no improvement in 30-day survival, although GIK was associated with a lower rate of the composite outcome of cardiac arrest or in-hospital death, according to a study appearing in JAMA.

28 Mar 2012

GIK can reduce cardiac arrest or death in patients with acute coronary syndrome

Paramedics can reduce someone's chances of having a cardiac arrest or dying by 50 percent by immediately administering a mixture of glucose, insulin and potassium ("GIK") to people having a heart attack, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 61st Annual Scientific Session.

28 Mar 2012

New CMS requirement increases ICD placement costs

The cost to place an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) increased by $844 per case after a new requirement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) went into effect in February 2010, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 61st Annual Scientific Session.

27 Mar 2012

Lower BMI increases risk during insertion of ICDs

Patients who are underweight or small in stature are twice as likely to experience complications or die during insertion of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) compared to obese and normal-weight patients, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 61st Annual Scientific Session.

26 Mar 2012

Diabetics less likely to survive in-hospital cardiac arrest

Patients with high blood sugar run an increased risk of dying if they have a heart attack, and diabetics are less likely to survive in-hospital cardiac arrest than non-diabetics, reveals research at the Sahlgrenska Academy, at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

26 Mar 2012

EACP recommends minimum standards for emergency cardiovascular care at stadiums

Cardiac arrest during professional sports activities has occurred in the past. Unfortunately, this has not led to a general improvement of the situation in Europe. The recent case of British football player Fabrice Muamba is, regretfully, a sad reminder of the need to adhere to existing guidelines for the screening of athletes and for the safety in big gatherings, especially (but not only) in professional sports events.

22 Mar 2012

FDA panel to review Cameron Health S-ICD System PMA application

Cameron Health, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Circulatory System Devices Panel will review the Premarket Approval (PMA) application of the S-ICD System on April 26, 2012.

19 Mar 2012

Study confirms value of Cambridge Heart's MTWA test for SCA

Cambridge Heart, Inc., a developer of non-invasive diagnostic tests for cardiac disease, today announced that a new study published on-line in the Heart Rhythm Journal confirms the value of Microvolt T-Wave Alternans (MTWA) testing for identifying patients at risk of sudden cardiac arrest.

19 Mar 2012

Japan's MHLW provides reimbursement coverage for MTWA test

Cambridge Heart, Inc., a developer of non-invasive diagnostic tests for cardiac disease, today announced that its Microvolt T-Wave Alternans (MTWA) test received reimbursement coverage from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW).

17 Mar 2012

UM, Shock Trauma partner to train dental students, residents

The University of Maryland's (UM) School of Dentistry has teamed up with the UM School of Medicine's R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center for training future dentists to respond efficiently and effectively to life threatening medical emergencies in a dental setting.

16 Mar 2012

Boston Scientific in bid to take over Cameron Health

Boston Scientific, the second-biggest cardiac-device maker, will pay $150 million when the deal closes and another $150 million if Cameron’s technology called the S-ICD System wins U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, the Natick, Massachusetts-based company said in a statement yesterday.

12 Mar 2012

Boston Scientific exercises option to acquire Cameron Health

Boston Scientific Corporation announces the exercise of its option to acquire Cameron Health, Inc., a privately held company based in San Clemente, California.

9 Mar 2012

Pharmacological antagonist can inhibit body's response to cold

Researchers at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, in collaboration with Amgen Inc. and several academic institutions, have discovered a way to block the body's response to cold using a drug. This finding could have significant implications in treating conditions such as stroke and cardiac arrest.

2 Mar 2012

Cold air can trigger coronary events

People with heart disease may not be able to compensate for their bodies' higher demand for oxygen when inhaling cold air, according to Penn State researchers, making snow shoveling and other activities dangerous for some.

29 Feb 2012

Circadian rhythm can influence a heart attack

Researchers have found that a biological clock can influence a heart attack. The risk of “sudden cardiac death” peaks in the morning and rises again in the evening as shown in lab animals.

23 Feb 2012

CCF endorses bill to identify students at risk of sudden cardiac death

Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced today during National Heart Month the Cardiomyopathy Health Education, Awareness, Risk Assessment and Training in the Schools (HEARTS) Act to the Senate.

18 Feb 2012

UCSD opens lidocaine and amiodarone clinical trial to prevent SCA

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is the leading cause of death in the United States. This form of heart attack kills 325,000 people every year, representing one death every two minutes. Almost all SCA victims die before they even reach a hospital. To identify a drug that paramedics can use in the field, UC San Diego Health System has opened a clinical trial to evaluate two medications to help restore the heart beat.

15 Feb 2012

Study: Syncope results in unexplained cardiac arrests

Up to 45,000 sudden cardiac arrests occur each year in Canada, and less than five percent survive. In some of these cases, the event cannot be explained by the presence of underlying heart disease. In order to identify people at risk of these unexplained cardiac events, a newly published study examined the presence of certain warning symptoms that are present in people who have been resuscitated from a cardiac arrest.

10 Feb 2012

Researchers derive vessel-forming stem cells from amniotic fluid

Researchers at Rice University and Texas Children's Hospital have turned stem cells from amniotic fluid into cells that form blood vessels. Their success offers hope that such stem cells may be used to grow tissue patches to repair infant hearts.

7 Feb 2012

Older women who become pregnant from egg donation not at greater risk than younger counterparts

Although women over age 50 who become pregnant via egg donation are at an elevated risk for developing obstetrical complications, their complication rates are similar to those of younger recipients, according to a study by Columbia University Medical Center researchers to be published in the February 2012 issue of the American Journal of Perinatology.

1 Feb 2012