Arrhythmias

A team of researchers led by Northwestern University and the University of Texas at Austin (UT) have developed a novel graphene heart implant that’s about the thickness of a strand of hair and monitors and corrects abnormal heart rhythms using light.Heart rhythm disorders – cardiac arrhythmias – are caused by faulty electrical signaling in the heart, causing it to beat too quickly or too slowly. In some cases, this can lead to heart failure, stroke, and even sudden death.Cardiac arrhythmias are commonly treated with…

The steady drum of a heartbeat is something that can easily fade into the background of our daily lives, with little thought given to the reliability of its pulse.But for those who develop an arrhythmia, the situation is much more fraught – their heartbeat is monitored and controlled by life-saving devices called pacemakers, which deliver controlled shocks to the heart to cease its quivering and give it a chance to find its rhythm again.Studying the wide variety of ways a heart can stumble and stutter its way into a…

A new study found that exposure to e-cigarette aerosols can cause heart arrhythmias in animal models.Some cardiac effects of e-cigarette ingredients are similar to or worse than conventional cigarettes.Exposure to e-cigarette aerosols can cause heart arrhythmias in animal models — both in the form of premature and skipped heart beats. These are the findings of a new study from University of Louisville (UofL) researchers in the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute. Published on October 25 in <span…

Computer gaming might create life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias in vulnerable youngsters whose tendency may have previously gone unreported, according to a new study.The researchers observed an uncommon yet distinct pattern in children who lose consciousness while playing video games.The findings of the study were published in the journal of the Heart Rhythm Society, the Cardiac Electrophysiology Society, and the Pediatric & Congenital Electrophysiology Society."Video games may represent a serious risk to some…