A large observational study published in JAMA suggests that patients with left bundle-branch block (LBBB) and longer QRS duration derive the most benefit from a cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D). The findings appear to support current, but often criticized, guidelines from the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and the Heart Rhythm Society, in which a class I recommendation…
Bruise Control: Continued Warfarin Beats Heparin Bridging During Device Implantation
May 9, 2013 by 1 Comment
Many patients receiving an ICD or a pacemaker are already receiving oral anticoagulants. Current guidelines recommend replacement of the oral anticoagulant with the temporary use of heparin as a bridging strategy. Now a new study, BRUISE CONTROL (Bridge or Continue Coumadin for Device Surgery Randomized Controlled Trial), offers convincing evidence that this strategy is not…
FDA Approves Second Generation MRI-Friendly Pacemaker System
February 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Medtronic announced today that the FDA had approved its Advisa DR MRI SureScan, a next generation pacemaker system specifically designed and tested for use with MRI scanners. The system, which Medtronic said would be launched immediately, includes the Advisa MRI device and two CapSureFix MRI SureScan leads. Click here to read the full post on Forbes….
BLOCK HF: A “Game Changer” For Cardiac Pacing
November 6, 2012 by 3 Comments
Editor’s Note: The following guest post is published with the permission of its author, Edward J. Schloss, MD, (Twitter ID @EJSMD) the medical director of cardiac electrophysiology at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, OH. Dr. Schloss was an investigator in the BLOCK HF trial. In what has been described as a “game changer” for the field of…
Guest Post: An Electrophysiologist Looks At The New HRS/ACCF Pacemaker Guidelines
August 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Editor’s Note: The following guest post is published with the permission of its author, Edward J. Schloss, MD, (Twitter ID @EJSMD) the medical director of cardiac electrophysiology at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, OH. Overview of the New HRS/ACCF Pacemaker Guidelines by Edward J Schloss MD Since the development of the first dual chamber pacemakers in the 1980s, doctors…
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