Search Tag: atrial fibrillation
Esc-and-eacts-launch-atrial-fibrillation-guidelines
2016 27 Aug
New guidelines on atrial fibrillation were published today in the European Heart Journal, the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery and the ESC website. The guidelines were developed in collaboration with the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS). “These are the first guidelines to target every atrial fibrillation specialist,”...Read more
Warfarin-does-not-offer-long-term-stability-for-atrial-fibrillation
2016 09 Aug
According to a study from Duke Clinical Research Institute, warfarin prescribed for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation may not control blood clotting in the long-run. The findings are published in JAMA . The study was conducted with 3,749 patients who were diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. Generally, anticoagulants are prescribed to prevent...Read more
First-consensus-paper-on-atrial-cardiomyopathies
2016 14 Jun
The first consensus paper on atrial cardiomyopathies is set to be published simultaneously in EP-Europace , HeartRhythm , and the Journal of Arrhythmia. The key contents were presented at CARDIOSTIM - EHRA EUROPACE 2016. The report has been written by a working group of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), a registered branch of the...Read more
Lack-of-warfarin-knowledge-increases-risk-of-side-effects
2016 19 Apr
New research presented at EuroHeartCare 2016 shows that patients have poor knowledge of warfarin which could increase their risk of serious side effects. Dr Kjersti Oterhals, a nurse researcher at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway said, “The stroke and bleeding complications from warfarin can be fatal, Worldwide warfarin...Read more
Pacemaker-checks-help-prevent-stroke
2015 23 Oct
In a study that investigated whether pacemaker checks could be used to identify patients with asymptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF), it was found that it was worthwhile using them to identify patients at risk. AF is a common heart rhythm disorder and affects approximately 2 percent of people in the developed world. The condition increases the risk...Read more
Multiple-risk-factors-cancel-impact-of-atrial-fibrillation-on-ischaemic-stroke-risk
2015 01 Sep
The impact of atrial fibrillation on ischaemic stroke risk in elderly patients is eliminated with multiple risk factors, according to an 11 year study in more than 425 000 patients presented at ESC Congress. The findings suggest that stroke prevention in the elderly may need to focus on the concomitant effects of multiple risk factors rather than on...Read more
Better-outcomes-with-esc-guideline-adherent-antithrombotic-management
2015 30 Aug
Patients with atrial fibrillation who receive antithrombotic management according to ESC guidelines have better outcomes than those who do not, according to one year follow up results from the ESC’s EORP-AF Pilot General Registry presented at ESC Congress 20151 and published online in Europace. “This is the first study to show better outcomes using...Read more
Digoxin-increases-risk-of-death-in-heart-patients
2015 10 May
In a study published online in the European Heart Journal, researchers from the J.W. Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of all studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 1993-2014 that looked at the effects of digoxin on death from any cause in AF and CHF patients. 19 relevant studies...Read more
Atrial-fibrillation-increases-risk-of-nstemi
2015 03 May
New research suggests that atrial fibrillation or irregular heartbeat is associated with only one type of heart attack. The study was led by Elasyed Z. Soliman, MD, Director of the Epidemiological Cardiology Research Center at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and is published in the American Heart Association Journal Circulation. Atrial fibrillation...Read more
Motion-tracking-mris-reveal-harbingers-of-stroke
2015 30 Apr
Researchers from Johns Hopkins have found that specific altered function in the left atrium may signal stroke risk in those with atrial fibrillation, and, possibly, those without it. The findings have been reported in the Journal of the American Heart Association . The researchers performed sophisticated motion studies by using an imaging technique...Read more
High-incidence-of-new-onset-af-in-the-icu
2015 25 Apr
A new study shows that new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF), a common arrhythmia in the ICU, occurred in approximately 5 to 15 percent of all non-cardiac critically ill patients — a figure exceeding previous estimates. Also, hospital mortality in new-onset AF patients was higher than that of patients without AF, according to the study published in the...Read more
Understanding-the-causes-of-sudden-death
2015 18 Apr
Spanish and US researchers have discovered that the transition to calcium alternans, an arrhythmia associated with increased risk of sudden death, has common features with the magnetic ordering of metals. The new finding, reported in the journal Physical Review Letters , boosts our understanding of the physical causes of sudden death and paves the...Read more
Atrial-fibrillation-patients-receive-unnecessary-blood-thinners
2015 16 Apr
A letter by UCSF researchers published in JAMA Internal Medicine provides evidence that a quarter of all atrial fibrillation (AF) patients at the lowest risk for stroke receive unnecessary blood thinners from cardiology specialists. According to senior author Gregory Marcus, MD, MAS, director of clinical research in the UCSF Division of Cardiology,...Read more
Risk-of-delayed-diagnosis-for-nvaf-patients
2014 02 Dec
The results of the European analysis of a global cardiology survey highlight the fact that, despite an increase in the number of non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients compared to five years ago, 97 percent of cardiologists believe that there is still a delay in patients reaching diagnosis. The findings of the survey were released during...Read more
Ensuring-patient-access-to-guideline-based-therapies
2014 17 Nov
Misalignment between evidence-informed clinical care guideline recommendations and reimbursement policies has created care gaps that lead to suboptimal outcomes for patients denied access to guideline-based therapies. Stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AFib) is discussed as an example in a study which appears in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology...Read more
High-risk-of-bleeding-with-dabigatran-in-afib
2014 05 Nov
According to a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine , patients with atrial fibrillation who take the blood thinner dabigatran are at higher risk for major bleeding and gastrointestinal bleeding than those who take warfarin. The findings indicate that more caution is needed when prescribing dabigatran to certain high-risk patients, said researchers...Read more
Ce-mark-for-mri-compatible-pacemaker-leads
2014 20 Oct
St. Jude Medical, Inc. (St. Paul, MN, USA) has received a CE mark approving updated labelling for its Tendril™ STS and IsoFlex™ Optim™ pacing leads, giving existing and future patients with pacing devices access to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in Europe. The leads are used with the Accent MRI™ pacemaker, an advanced pacing platform that provides...Read more
New-guidelines-for-peri-and-postoperative-afib
2014 29 Sep
Evidence-based guidelines for the prevention and treatment of perioperative and postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) and flutter for thoracic surgical procedures have been released by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS). The new guidelines have been published in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery . According...Read more
Bone-loss-drug-passes-trial-side-effects-linger
2014 17 Sep
Merck & Co. plans to seek US marketing approval next year for its long-delayed experimental osteoporosis drug odanacatib, Reuters reported. Although the drug proved effective in a late-stage trial, its use was associated with rare thigh-bone fractures seen with standard treatments. Osteoporosis is a bone-thinning disease primarily affecting postmenopausal...Read more
Face-time-for-a-fib-diagnosis
2014 04 Sep
The results of a pilot project were recently published in the journal Heart Rhythm and demonstrate that subtle changes in skin colour can be used to detect the uneven blood flow caused by atrial fibrillation. This technology, developed in a partnership between the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and Xerox, uses a web camera...Read more
Mobile-apps-for-tracking-heart-health
2014 03 Sep
Two mobile applications that allow patients to track heart health from home have recently been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These mobile apps are from two Silicon Valley startups, AliveCor and Vital Connect, according to an EIN News article. AliveCor said it has obtained the FDA's approval to detect serious heart conditions...Read more
Study-perioperative-af-impacts-stroke-risk
2014 12 Aug
Patients experiencing atrial fibrillation (AF) while hospitalised for surgery have an increased long-term risk of ischemic stroke, more so following noncardiac surgery, according to results of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) . Data show that AF and flutter affect some 33 million people around the world....Read more
Delayed-cardioversion-increases-thromboembolic-risk
2014 12 Aug
Correcting an abnormal cardiac rhythm from atrial fibrillation (AF) should be done urgently, according to recent findings which observed that delaying such action could lead to increased risk of thromboembolic complications. A study, seen in the August 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) , noted that a 12-hour delay...Read more
New-atrial-fibrillation-treatment-device
2014 12 Mar
As the first hospital in Illinois, the Loyola University Medical Center offers a new high-tech catheter device able to improve outcomes of patients treated for atrial fibrillation, the most common irregular heartbeat. The treatment, entitled catheter ablation, involves burning selected spots of tissue inside the heart with the tip of a catheter,...Read more
Electrical-energy-treatment-for-atrial-fibrillation-potentially-viable-alternative-to-medication
2014 19 Feb
Treatment using electrical energy, opposed to medications, could be a viable first option for the treatment of certain type of Atrial Fibrillation According to a study published in the February 19 issue of JAMA, treatment with electrical energy (radiofrequency ablation) administered to patients with untreated paroxysmal (intermittent) atrial...Read more
Delayed-enhancement-mri-useful-for-determining-arrhythmia-treatment
2014 05 Feb
Heart tissue scarring measured non-invasively may help in determining patients most suitable for procedure to treat irregular heart beat According to a study published in the February 5 issue of Jama scarring of tissue in the upper chamber of the heart (atrium) was associated with recurrent rhythm disorder after treatment. Left atrial...Read more
Atrial-fibrillation-seemingly-connected-to-heart-attack-risk
2013 05 Nov
A new study published by JAMA Internal Medicine shows an association between atrial fibrillation (AF, an irregular heartbeat) and a nearly two-fold relative rise in the risk of myocardial infarction (MI, heart attack), especially in women and blacks. According to the findings, MI is a recognised risk factor for AF, however the extent to which...Read more