Enrolment continues enthusiastically for the recently launched FIRE AND ICE trial. This is a multinational clinical trial comparing the long-term safety, effectiveness and ease of use of the Medtronic Arctic Front® Cardiac CryoAblation System compared to the Biosense Webster CARTO® System Guided THERMOCOOL® Catheter to treat patients with symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.
ARWatch
FIRE AND ICE – fry or freeze for AF?
IN THIS ISSUE
GPs not confident when reading ECGs
There continues to be a widespread lack of confidence in electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation within primary care, according to a survey of 119 GP practices within the North of England Cardiovascular Network area. The authors of this article,1 published recently in the British Journal of Cardiology, point to a lack of formalised training and assessment in recording and interpreting the ECG, suggesting that local solutions must be found for this…
Pacemakers reduce syncope fainting
Patients who suffer from fainting due to a neurocardiogenic syncope have fewer fainting occurrences when treated with a pacemaker, according to results from the randomised ISSUE-3 study (International Study on Syncope of Uncertain Etiology 3) announced recently.
BHF names Oxford researcher ‘Fellow of the Year’
Dr Nicola Smart has been named the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) first Fellow of the Year, in recognition of her heart research throughout 2011. Dr Smart has been working under BHF Professor Paul Riley1 on the potential for repairing heart tissue damaged by myocardial infarction (MI).
Design advances for medical devices
To counter the increasing fault-rates expected in the next technology generations, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology’s (Gothenburg, Sweden) on-Demand System Reliability (DeSyRe) project (www.desyre.eu) are developing new design techniques for future Systems-on-Chips to improve reliability and performance.
Art improves stroke survivors’ quality of life
Stroke survivors who like art have a significantly higher quality of life than those who do not, according to new research1 presented recently at the 12th Annual Spring Meeting on Cardiovascular Nursing (Copenhagen, Denmark). Patients who appreciated music, painting and theatre recovered better from their stroke than patients who did not.
Case report: Cardiac imaging conundrum resolved by clinical examination
The authors review the use of various cardiac imaging methods in their hospital, with the case report of a 77 year old man complaining of fatigue and dyspnoea following revascularisation and pacemaker implantation…
Gulf state heart disease linked to cultural habits
Deep-rooted cultural factors and the rapid improvement in socio-economic conditions are responsible for the high rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the Gulf states, according to sessions on the primary prevention of CVD at the recent Annual Conference of the Saudi Heart Association, which also featured a one-day collaborative programme with the European Society of Cardiology.
CURRENT NEWS
New oral anticoagulants eclipse warfarin in cost savings
Usage of the new oral anticoagulants (NOACs), dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban, may be associated with lower medical costs (excluding drug costs) relative to warfarin, according to results from the RE-LY, ROCKET-AF, and ARISTOTLE clinical trials. These were presented at the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC’s) 61st Annual Scientific Session, held recently in Chicago.
HARMONY trial on PAF enrolling
Recruitment continues for the HARMONY trial (A Study to Evaluate the Effect of Ranolazine and Dronedarone When Given Alone and in Combination in Patients With Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation), a randomised, pacemaker-patient-based trial to examine the efficacy and safety of dronedarone (Multaq,® Sanofi) and ranolazine (Ranexa,® Gilead Sciences) on AF burden.
New compound for treating stroke
A new chemical compound for the possible treatment of brain damage caused by stroke has been designed, produced and patented by researchers at the University of Copenhagen. The results of biological tests have just been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.1
Premature diagnosis of death after CPR
Death is being prematurely diagnosed after failure to respond to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), causing unnecessary distress to families, according to a signal statement released recently by the UK’s National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA).
Stem cell cardiopatch aids post-MI health
A new type of stem cell-seeded patch promotes healing after myocardial infarction (MI), according to a study published recently in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine.1
Human error risk to developing world patients
Inadequate training or supervision of clinical staff, and failure to follow clinical protocols, are more important than shortage of equipment or staff as causes of harm to hospitalised patients in the developing world, according to a study published recently on bmj.com.1
New heart failure treatments on horizon
Dissatisfaction with limited chronic heart failure (CHF) therapies, and the fast-expanding patient population, are encouraging the development of new drug options and superior treatments, according to a new report by GlobalData.1
Death risk increased in depressed coronary stent patients
Depression increases the risk of death in patients who have a coronary stent implanted, according to research presented at the 12th Annual Spring Meeting on Cardiovascular Nursing, held recently in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Kidney donors – no increased CVD risk
Living kidney donors are at no greater risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than the healthy general population, according to a study published recently on bmj.com.1
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