Defibrillator News and Research

Latest Defibrillator News and Research

Spectranetics receives FDA clearance for its new VisiSheath Dilator Sheath device

Spectranetics Corporation today announced it has received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for its new VisiSheathTM Dilator Sheath device. This expands the market for VisiSheath, which recently also received CE Mark approval in Europe.

3 Dec 2009

CPR/AED education program for teens

Be the Beat, the American Heart Association's new online cardiac arrest awareness campaign, teaches 12- to 15-year-olds fun ways to learn the basics of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED).

30 Nov 2009

Cardiac Science, eClinicalWorks announce partnership

Cardiac Science Corporation, a global leader in automated external defibrillator (AED) and diagnostic cardiac monitoring devices that connect to electronic medical record (EMR) and hospital information systems, today announced a partnership with eClinicalWorks, a leading provider of EMR systems.

30 Nov 2009

ACT Foundation achieves milestone: More than one million students trained in CPR Program

The Advanced Coronary Treatment (ACT) Foundation is thrilled to announce that more than one million Ontario high school students have now been trained in the lifesaving ACT High School CPR Program - an unprecedented milestone.

27 Nov 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

Medtronic's strong earnings reassure defibrillator industry

Medical technology company Medtronic's stocks surged 5 percent Tuesday in the wake of strong earnings reports, while rivals on implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) market saw similar gains in the neighborhood of 4 percent, Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal reports. ICDs monitor patient's hearts and shock them when they fall out of beat. The market for the devices was believed to be in a slowdown lately.

25 Nov 2009

Second-quarter fiscal 2010 results announced by Medtronic

Medtronic, Inc. today announced financial results for its second quarter of fiscal year 2010, which ended Oct. 30, 2009.

24 Nov 2009

Real-time CPR feedback effective in EMS systems with well-trained rescuers

Emergency medical service (EMS) providers in the United States assess an estimated 350,000 cardiac arrests each year. Only 5 to 10 percent of people who have sudden cardiac arrest survive. Better quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) provided by prehospital EMS providers may be associated with better patient outcome. The Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (ROC) is the largest clinical research network to study prehospital treatments for cardiac arrest in the United States and Canada.

23 Nov 2009

VCU and RAA have improved resuscitation and survival rates for cardiac arrest patients

Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center and the Richmond Ambulance Authority have improved resuscitation and survival rates dramatically for cardiac arrest patients by training and equipping paramedics to begin lowering a patient's body temperature in the field during resuscitation and following up at the hospital with a host of high-tech strategies to improve the odds of survival.

17 Nov 2009

Sudden cardiac death more predictable in men than women

A woman who suffers sudden cardiac arrest is significantly less likely than a man to exhibit the decrease in the heart's pumping ability that is widely recognized as a precursor, says a new study in the Nov. 24 Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

17 Nov 2009

Genetic test for familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy launched by PGxHealth

PGxHealth, a division of Clinical Data, Inc., today announced the launch of its genetic test for familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy, an inherited heart disease which is the leading cause of heart transplants and a possible cause of sudden cardiac death.

16 Nov 2009

Mayo Clinic Health Letter provides treatment options for people with heart disorders

Fewer than one-third of patients with heart failure are taking the three types of medications that are most effective in prolonging life and improving quality of life. The November issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter provides an overview of treatments recommended by national guidelines.

16 Nov 2009

Self-care tips for hemorrhoids from Mayo Clinic

By about age 50, more than half of adults have dealt with hemorrhoids. The November issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers home treatments that can relieve symptoms of this common and embarrassing problem.

16 Nov 2009

Bystanders can save more lives by performing continuous chest compressions, shows analysis

The chance of surviving a cardiac arrest outside a hospital was found to be twice as high when bystanders performed continuous chest compressions without mouth-to-mouth breathing than when bystanders performed standard CPR. These are the latest findings reported by the Resuscitation Research Group at the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center and the SHARE Program (Save Hearts in Arizona Research and Education) at the Arizona Department of Health Services.

16 Nov 2009

Regence BlueCross recognized as Platinum-Level Start! Fit-Friendly Company

Regence BlueCross BlueShield has been recognized as a Platinum-Level Start! Fit-Friendly Company by the American Heart Association's Start! movement for helping employees eat better and move more.

13 Nov 2009

Cardiac Science and Cambridge Heart team up to develop MTWA module

Cardiac Science Corporation [NASDAQ: CSCX], a global leader in automated external defibrillator (AED) and diagnostic cardiac monitoring devices, and Cambridge Heart, Inc., [OTCBB-CAMH], a developer of noninvasive diagnostic tests for cardiac disease, with a focus on identifying those at risk for sudden cardiac arrest, today announced a partnership pursuant to a Development, Supply and Distribution Agreement Cambridge Heart previously announced on June 23, 2009.

13 Nov 2009

Non-invasive test to determine risk of sudden cardiac arrest in heart bypass surgery patients

Years after heart bypass surgery, Jim Miller was symptom free. Several measures of his heart’s functioning did not show that he was in danger of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). But Miller’s doctor decided to make sure and the quick, non-invasive test he performed may have saved Miller’s life.

10 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

Lack of evidence a problem for policymakers, doctors and patients

One category of medical mysteries that stumps expert doctors and policymakers alike falls under the heading: What works? News reports on two new studies - and one that was never completed - offer insight into that issue.

6 Nov 2009

First Edition: November 5, 2009

Today's headlines center on the House health overhaul vote scheduled for Saturday -- what some are calling a potentially 'historic moment' for Democrats.

5 Nov 2009