http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Chandrakan Pawar is lucky to be alive. In September, the Indian former textile mill worker was given an artificial pacemaker after his heart rate plunged to just 20 to 30 beats per minute. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-pacemakers-indians-lease-life.html Cardiology Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:04:08 EST news241074241 A wearable defibrillator can prevent sudden death in people with dangerous heart arrhythmias, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2011. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-wearable-defibrillator-death-people-arrhythmias.html Cardiology Sun, 13 Nov 2011 12:14:44 EST news240408834 Most of the 600,000 Americans with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) -- a genetic heart muscle disease -- can live normal life spans, according to the first science-based guideline for diagnosing and treating this disorder. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-americans-hcm-life-spans.html Cardiology Tue, 08 Nov 2011 11:38:32 EST news239974703 Despite significant improvements in stroke prevention over the past decade, and a fall in incidence and deaths, UK doctors are still undertreating one of the major risk factors - atrial fibrillation - reveals research published in BMJ Open. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-uk-doctors-undertreating-atrial-fibrillation.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 13 Oct 2011 03:32:04 EST news237695514 Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart rhythm disturbance in the United States and affects 2 to 4 million Americans. It is usually a disease of aging, however it can affect people of all ages -- 1 percent of people under age 60 and 10 percent of all people over age 80 have AF. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-medical-minute-atrial-fibrillation-.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 06 Oct 2011 05:54:36 EST news237099242 An implanted device meant to correct heart rhythm may generate repeated painful shocks during a patient’s final hours, at a time when the natural process of dying often affects the heart’s rhythm. Yet, clinicians rarely discuss options for limiting these distressing events, according to a new review of literature, in the current issue of American Journal of Nursing. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-patients-implanted-cardiac-devices-end-of-life.html Cardiology Wed, 05 Oct 2011 09:09:12 EST news237024531 Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), an important diagnostic test, has traditionally been off limits to more than 2 million people in the United States who have an implanted pacemaker to regulate heart rhythms or an implanted defibrillator to prevent sudden cardiac death. Now, in a study published in the October 4 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, cardiologists at Johns Hopkins report that a protocol they developed has proved effective in enabling patients with implanted cardiac devices to safely undergo an MRI scan. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-hopkins-mri-safe-people-implanted.html Cardiology Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:28:13 EST news236881685 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. However, new research shows that 70 percent of patients with the disorder who were treated with cryoballoon ablation, the freezing technique, are free of any heart rhythm irregularities one year out from having the procedure. These results suggest that this minimally invasive procedure may be faster, safer and more effective than the commonly used approach of burning the cells in order to put the heart back into a normal rhythm pattern. Northwestern Memorial Hospital is the only hospital in the city of Chicago, and one of only three in the state of Illinois, performing this procedure. According to cardiologist, Bradley Knight, MD, the switch from "hot" to "cold" has been good for patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-desist-disabling-cardiac-cells-arrhythmia.html Cardiology Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:54:01 EST news235065168 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 Swedish study presented at the ESC Congress 2011 today, found a higher incidence of arrhythmias in cross-country skiers with a long history of endurance training. Compared to those who had completed one single race, those who had completed 7 or more races had 29% higher risk of a subsequent arrhythmia. Further, elite athletes finishing at 100-160% of the winning time had 37% higher risk of arrhythmias than recreational athletes finishing at more than 241% of the winning time. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-elite-cross-country-linked-subsequent-arrhythmias.html Cardiology Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:32:40 EST news233836326 University of Adelaide research has shown for the first time that obesity directly causes electrical abnormalities of the heart. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-links-obesity-heart-rhythm-disorder.html Cardiology Tue, 16 Aug 2011 09:21:22 EST news232705236 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 The human genome encodes 243 voltage-gated ion channels. Mutations in calcium channels can cause severe inherited diseases such as migraine, night blindness, autism spectrum disorders and Timothy syndrome, which leads to severe cardiovascular disorders. Katrin Depil and Anna Stary-Weinzinger together with colleagues from the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna analyzed changes in molecular organization of calcium channels caused by Timothy syndrome mutations. Recently, they published their current research results in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-timothy-syndrome-mutations-insights-l-calcium.html Medical research Thu, 14 Jul 2011 11:20:03 EST news229860333 Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine have discovered a peptide that short circuits a pathway for chronic pain. Unlike current treatments this peptide does not exhibit deleterious side effects such as reduced motor coordination, memory loss, or depression, according to an article in Nature Medicine posted online June 5, 2011. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-pain.html Neuroscience Sun, 05 Jun 2011 13:00:09 EST news226496956 (Medical Xpress) -- Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have pinpointed a common gene variant in blacks that may be associated with the development of life-threatening heart arrhythmias. The finding may help determine which patients are likely to benefit most from implantable cardio-defibrillators (ICDs). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-gene-variant-sudden-cardiac-death.html Genetics Wed, 11 May 2011 08:01:28 EST news224319514 One in 10 heart failure patients had compression fractures in the spine that could have been detected by a chest X-ray, but few are receiving treatment to help prevent such fractures according to a Canadian study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Heart Failure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-heart-failure-patients-osteoporosis-undiagnosed.html Cardiology Tue, 10 May 2011 16:24:37 EST news224263449 An international panel of experts from The Heart Rhythm Society and the European Heart Rhythm Association issued new guideline recommendations for all health care professionals about cardiovascular genetic testing at the Heart Rhythm Society's 32nd Annual Scientific Sessions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-guidelines-cardiovascular-genetic.html Cardiology Fri, 06 May 2011 12:58:38 EST news223905481 Fire-walkers' heart rates sync with those of onlooking family and friends during the ritualistic walk across the coals, a PNAS study finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-fire-walking-heart-to-heart.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 05 May 2011 08:00:01 EST news223799968