Video: researchers use light to defibrillate arrhythmias in mice

Posted on by Kurt Jensen

Scientists from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Bonn in Germany have applied advances in optogenetics to terminate arrhythmias in mice.

In a new study published online yesterday in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, authors prove the concept of optogenetic defibrillation, where epicardial illumination can effectively terminate ventricular tachycardia—a potential alternative to implantable defibrillators.

"Strong electrical shocks can damage the heart and cause severe pain," write the authors. "Our results... could potentially be translated into humans to achieve nondamaging and pain-free termination of ventricular arrhythmia."

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A revolution in chronic heart failure management and more in CV Directions Vol. 3, No. 1

Posted on by Kurt Jensen

This is the first and only FDA-approved heart failure monitoring solution proven to reduce heart failure hospital admissions when used by physicians to manage heart failure. And the reduction is significant— 28 percent within the first six months and 37 percent over 15 months demonstrated in a large randomized study...

Learn more about CardioMEMS, find strategies to improve case mix index, or build a learning community in your team through preceptorship—all inside the Alliance of Cardiovascular Professionals flagship, peer-reviewed publication, CV Directions.

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Broader CMR or SPECT imaging reduces unnecessary angiography

Posted on by Kurt Jensen

Results from the CE-MARC 2 trial, announced today at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, suggest that unnecessary angiography could be significantly reduced by favoring noninvasive cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging or single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to initially investigate patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD).

These findings could have an "important impact on referral rates for invasive coronary angiography," says the ESC press release.

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Future of cardiology: personalized care through genetics?

Posted on by Kurt Jensen

Genetic arrhythmia programs are paving new roads for personalized cardiac care—from preventing unnecessary cautionary testing or treatment to improving screening.

Melvin Scheinman, MD—the first person to perform catheter ablation for arrhythmia in a human patient, now chief of the Comprehensive Genetic Arrhythmia Program at the University of California, San Francisco—believes genetic testing will lead to the "ultimate form of personalized medicine," writes Gregory A. Freeman of HealthLeaders Magazine.

"If you examine the genetic background of a patient, you may be able to identify sensitivity to specific drugs, propensity for developing some very serious heart disorders, and at the same time rule out those same things for other people," said Scheinman to HealthLeaders.

"That is really what personalized medicine is all about—delivering the right care to the patient because you truly understand the patient and don't have to treat him or her as just a member of a group with certain statistical risks."

A proliferation of genetic arrhythmia programs "across the country" have been introducing new, measured responses to a sudden cardiac death in the family—preventive healthcare for some, but not all family members.

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