Can Twitter Save Lives?

Discussion about cardiac arrest on Twitter is common and represents a new opportunity to provide lifesaving information to the public, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The Penn investigators...

Multi-talented Debbie Allen Teams Up with Medtronic, Inc. to Launch ‘Join the Pace Makers’

Famed dancer, actress, and director Debbie Allen has teamed up with Medtronic, Inc. has launched “Join the Pace Makers,” a national campaign designed to empower people with a condition called bradycardia, also known as a slow heartbeat, to learn about...

Freeze And Desist: Disabling Cardiac Cells That Can Cause Arrhythmia

Many patients are responding to a new, minimally invasive way of treating irregular heartbeats by freezing out the bad cells. Atrial fibrillation (A-Fib) is one such heart rhythm disorder, and it’s the most common arrhythmia affecting Americans....

Medical And Patient Communities Call for Urgent Action to Prevent Stroke Crisis in Latin America

Urgent coordinated action from national governments, medical societies and patient organizations is needed to avoid a public health crisis resulting from the tide of preventable strokes that leave many people with atrial fibrillation (AF) mentally and...

Patients are Living Longer with ICDs, But Pacing Impacts Survival Rates

The adverse effect of right ventricular pacing on implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) patient survival is sustained long-term; however, the impact appears to be mitigated by cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), based on a scientific poster...

Newts And Salamanders Can Regrow Their Damaged Hearts, So Why Can’t We?

Stem cell researchers at UCLA have uncovered for the first time why adult human cardiac myocytes — specialized muscle cells in the heart — have lost their ability to proliferate, perhaps explaining why the human heart has little regenerative capacity.

Pediatric Cardiologists Not Always Accurate in Interpreting ECG Results for Young Athletes

Pediatric cardiologists are prone to misinterpreting electrocardiograms when using the results to determine whether young athletes have heart defects that could make exercising perilous, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of...

Protecting Medical Implants From Attack

Millions of Americans have implantable medical devices, from pacemakers and defibrillators to brain stimulators and drug pumps; worldwide, 300,000 more people receive them every year. Most such devices have wireless connections, so that doctors can monitor...

Nearly 68,000 Deaths Potentially Could be Prevented Each Year By Implementing Key National Guideline-recommended Therapies in Eligible Heart Failure Patients

A national study has found that nearly 68,000 deaths potentially could be prevented each year by optimally implementing key national guideline–recommended therapies, including critical medications and cardiac devices, for all eligible heart failure...