http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Programming an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) with a long-detection interval compared with a standard-detection interval resulted in a reduction in anti-tachycardia pacing episodes, ICD shocks delivered, and inappropriate shocks, according to a study in the May 8 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-effect-intervals-implantable-cardioverter-defibrillators.html Cardiology Tue, 07 May 2013 16:00:02 EST news287159969 Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of abnormal heart rhythm, affecting 2.5 million Americans. If left undetected or untreated, atrial fibrillation can lead to stroke. Determining who is at increased risk for atrial fibrillation has been difficult, especially among individuals without established heart disease. But now, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital have devised and tested a simple atrial fibrillation risk prediction model, based on six easily obtained factors: a woman's age, height, weight, blood pressure, alcohol consumption and smoking history. The model is published in the online edition of the European Heart Journal on February 26, 2013. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-simple-method-atrial-fibrillation-women.html Cardiology Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:00:02 EST news281105202 Having diabetes doubles a person's risk of dying after a heart attack, but the reason for the increased risk is not clear. A new University of Iowa study suggests the link may lie in the over-activation of an important heart enzyme, which leads to death of pacemaker cells in the heart, abnormal heart rhythm, and increased risk of sudden death in diabetic mice following a heart attack. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-link-diabetes-heart-death.html Cardiology Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:30:01 EST news280156983 (HealthDay)—Approval of the anti-clotting drug Xarelto (rivaroxaban) has been expanded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to include treating deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-xarelto.html Medications Mon, 05 Nov 2012 18:10:01 EST news271358335 Family members didn't give CPR for cardiac arrests as often as passers-by or friends in a Japanese study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-japanese-family-members-cpr-cardiac.html Cardiology Sun, 04 Nov 2012 14:30:02 EST news271242431 A new anticoagulant called apixaban is superior to warfarin in preventing stroke with consistent effects across a wide range of stroke and bleeding risk in patients with atrial fibrillation, according to Duke University Medical Center researchers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-apixaban-superior-warfarin-range-patient.html Cardiology Mon, 01 Oct 2012 18:30:03 EST news268329611 University of Michigan heart researchers are shedding light on a safer method for steadying an abnormal heart rhythm that prevents collateral damage to healthy cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-fine-tuning-cardiac-ablation-quicker.html Cardiology Tue, 24 Jul 2012 09:30:01 EST news262340911 (HealthDay) -- The high blood pressure drug Toprol XL has been combined with a low-dose diuretic to form Dutoprol (metoprolol succinate extended release/hyrdrochlorothiazide), which has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat high blood pressure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-drug-high-blood-pressure.html Medications Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:14:48 EST news253552480 Sudden cardiac death is a risk for patients with heart failure because the calcium inside their heart cells is not properly controlled and this can lead to an irregular heartbeat. New findings published in PLoS ONE, which reveal mechanisms that underlie this life-threatening risk, provide new possibilities for fighting it. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-puzzle-proteins-linked-heart-failure.html Medical research Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:03:57 EST news249134627 (Medical Xpress) -- UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center is now offering patients with atrial fibrillation the breakthrough benefits of heat energy, or radio frequency waves, to irreversibly alter heart tissue that triggers an abnormal heart rhythm or arrhythmia. The THERMOCOOL SF Catheter is an FDA-approved outpatient procedure for an early-stage form of the condition called paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, when recurring symptoms are unresponsive to medicine. Patients typically experience rapid heartbeats that can lead to debilitating fatigue, dizziness, fainting or shortness of breath if left untreated. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-ucsd-energy-odd-heart.html Cardiology Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:10:02 EST news248691103 A drug used to treat multiple sclerosis may also be effective at preventing and reversing the leading cause of heart attack, a new study has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-ms-drug-fatal-heart-condition.html Cardiology Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:55:40 EST news247142703 New research shows people with dementia who have a stroke are more likely to become disabled and not return home compared to people who didn't have dementia at the time they had a stroke. The study is published in the November 1, 2011, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-people-dementia-home.html Neuroscience Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:00:01 EST news239289179 UC Davis researchers have developed an accurate computer model to test the effects of medications for arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythm, before they are used in patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-heart-disease-drugs.html Medical research Wed, 31 Aug 2011 14:34:12 EST news234019947 A synthesised compound which is also found in bear bile could help prevent disturbances in the heart's normal rhythm, according to research published today in the journal Hepatology by a team from Imperial College London. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-bile-chemical-hearts-rhythm.html Medical research Tue, 02 Aug 2011 03:40:01 EST news231474450