Too Much, Too Fast? Cross-Country Skiing And Heart Arrhythmias
When it comes to exercise it may be true that you can do too much or go too fast. It may seem counterintuitive but a new study finds that among cross-country skiers the risk of having a cardiac arrhythmia was highest in those who raced the fastest or most often. … In a paper published in the European Heart Journal, Swedish researchers report on more than 50,000 participants in the Vasaloppet, an enormously popular 90 kilometer cross-country skiing event that takes place each year in Sweden. Previous research has shown that Vasaloppet participants are, not surprisingly, healthier than other Swedes across a More...
Source: CardioBrief - June 12, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Larry Husten Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
ECG clues one should look for after reverting a VT ?
Ventricular tachycardia is a common cardiac arrhythmia. The significance of which can be very dangerous to relatively benign depending upon the etiology and underlying heart disease . The ECG during VT is rarely useful to identify the etiology .Often times ECG after reversal will throw more light .
What are the ECG clues one should look for once VT is reverted ?
Any evidence for old MI
Low voltage QRS/ LBBB/RBBB may indicate DCM
LVH -HOCM features
VPDs – Multiple , LBBB morphology / suggest RVOT VT
QRS slur or notching indicating scars
Epsilon waves indicate ARVD
RBBB pattern would suggest Brugad...
Source: Dr.S.Venkatesan MD - May 31, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: drsvenkatesan Tags: Cardiology - Electrophysiology -Pacemaker cardiology -ECG Uncategorized Baseline ECG in the diagnosis of VT brugada syndrome epsilon waves in vt Source Type: blogs
An unusual cardiac arrhythmia : This ectopic beat * arises right from sinus node itself !
This is an ECG which I reported yesterday in my clinic . I thought it was a near perfect example for sinus node premature beat .
(Of course I need to explain why the P morphology slightly differs )
A sudden unexpected QRS complex is often called as ectopic beat . If it occurs prematurely (ie earlier than anticipated ) it is called as premature beat. If it occurs late it is refereed to as escape beat .Please note the difference is not absolute .
Sinus node is a dramatic bundle of energy with divine powers that drives rhythm of life !
The pacemaker cells are arranged in a compact fashion wit...
Source: Dr.S.Venkatesan MD - May 24, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: drsvenkatesan Tags: Cardiology - Electrophysiology -Pacemaker cardiology -ECG Cardiology -unresolved questions Cardiology-Arrhythmias SA node sinus node anatomy sinus premature systole Source Type: blogs
Preventice BodyGuardian Continuous Patient Monitor Being Made Available in U.S.
Preventice out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, having received FDA approval last year for remote monitoring of individuals with non-lethal cardiac arrhythmias, is launching its BodyGuardian Remote Patient Monitoring System. The core technology behind the BodyGuardian was developed at the Mayo Clinic and involves processing of live data such as ECG, heart rate, heart rate variability, respiration rate, and the person’s activity level gathered from a sensor attached to the patient’s chest.Cardiologists and other clinicians can keep a close eye on their patients throughout the day while special algorithms analyze a mont...
Source: Medgadget - May 17, 2013 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Editors Tags: Cardiology Medicine Net News Source Type: blogs
Marijuana and Strokes: Medical Reality or Scare Story?
Heavy tokers may be at higher risk, but alcohol is the hidden confounder.
Young people don’t suffer from strokes, as a rule. And when they do, at least half the time there is no obvious cardiovascular explanation. So it’s not surprising that drugs are often invoked as the culprit.
A New Zealand study earlier this year once again raised the specter of a possible link between stroke and marijuana smoking. As reported by Maia Szalavitz at Time Healthland, the confounding issue, as is typical of such studies, is the coexisting use of other drugs, like alcohol and cigarettes. As Szalavitz writes:
The stroke study, whi...
Source: Addiction Inbox - April 7, 2013 Category: Addiction Authors: Dirk Hanson Source Type: blogs
Premature Ventricular Complexes (PVCs)
PVCs are a common form of cardiac arrhythmia, and their significance can be confusing to both patients and their doctors. Read about PVCs, how to tell if they're medically significant, and how they are treated, here. (Source: About.com Heart Disease)
Source: About.com Heart Disease - April 1, 2013 Category: Cardiology Source Type: blogs
There is nothing called Idiopathic VPDs . . . It may simply reflect our Ignorance !
VPDs are such a common cardiac arrhythmia . We also know most are benign .Still modern science demands to rule out structural heart disease in any patient with multiple VPDs.
When ventricles get irritated it reacts with VPDs . ( The irritants can be anatomical , physiological or primary electrical)
Echo can detect only anatomical irritants .We are recognising more such focus for VPDs . Hence idiopathic VPDs may simply reflect our ignorance ! A focused echocardiogram is required .
The following conditions are often observed in patients with recurrent VPDs
Posterior Mitral annular calcification (Especially in ...
Source: Dr.S.Venkatesan MD - March 31, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: drsvenkatesan Tags: Cardiology - Electrophysiology -Pacemaker Cardiology-Arrhythmias echocardiography Infrequently asked questions in cardiology (iFAQs) valvular heart disease premature ventricular beats structural heart disease and vpds ventricular ectopic bea Source Type: blogs
How safe is a Z-pak?
Text message:
“John, This cough and congestion is killing me. It’s turning thick and green. Can you write me a Z-pak? It always works for me.”
If you write a blog on medical decision-making and heart rhythm matters, it seems an incredible omission not to opine on the FDA warning concerning the commonly used antibiotic azithromycin (the drug in a Z-Pak). Quoting directly from the FDA warning:
[Azithromycin] can cause abnormal changes in the electrical activity of the heart that may lead to a potentially fatal irregular heart rhythm.
Should we say this more clearly: that simple antibiotic you are taking for a minor i...
Source: Dr John M - March 27, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr John Source Type: blogs
Dying For Caffeine
It’s not the coffee, it’s everything else.
Late last year, coffee drinkers were buoyed by the release of a massive study in the New England Journal of Medicine that “did not support a positive association between coffee drinking and mortality.” In fact, the analysis by Neal D. Freedman and associates showed that even at the level of 6 or more cups per day, coffee consumption appeared to be mildly protective against diabetes, stroke, and death due to inflammatory diseases. Men who drank that much coffee had a 10% lower risk of death, and women in this category show a 15% lower death risk. Coffee, it seemed, was goo...
Source: Addiction Inbox - March 13, 2013 Category: Addiction Authors: Dirk Hanson Source Type: blogs
The History of the College and the Advances in American and International Cardiology
This post was authored by John Gordon Harold, MD, MACC, incoming President of the ACC.
Those who know me know that I am a bit of a history buff and have a particular interest in the history of the College and cardiology as a whole. Dr. Berndt Lüderitz, Dr. David Holmes and I recently published an article in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology about the history of the German Cardiac Society (GCS) and the ACC.
Those who don’t know the story of how the College was founded, the article is definitely worth a read (it’s short and sweet, I promise!) Here is the ...
Source: ACC in Touch Blog - February 22, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Administrator Tags: Professionalism Source Type: blogs
Popular Antidepressants May Put Patients At Risk For Serious Arrhythmias
In August 2011 the FDA issued a safety communication recommending that the extremely popular antidepressant citalopram (Celexa) not be used at doses greater than 40 mg/day because of a potential increased risk for serious cardiac arrhythmias associated with prolongation of the QT interval. Now a study published in BMJ lends support to this warning and suggests that other antidepressants may also prolong the QT interval. Click here to read the complete story on Forbes. (Source: CardioBrief)
Source: CardioBrief - January 29, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Larry Husten Tags: Uncategorized Antidepressant BMJ Citalopram FDA food and drug administration Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor Source Type: blogs
nContact EPi-Sense Cardiac Ablation Device Embeds Sensors, Clears FDA
nContact of Morrisville, NC received FDA go-ahead to market its new EPi-Sense Guided Coagulation Device for treatment of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter. The device contains special sensors along the ablation section, which assist physicians in making sure the tip is properly in contact with cardiac tissue. Once ablated, the electrical signal of the region can be checked to confirm proper lesion formation. More about the device from its product page:The EPi-Sense® further enhances the advantages of the Convergent Procedure with the utilization of EP mapping for ablation on the epicardium of the atrium and ven...
Source: Medgadget - January 25, 2013 Category: Technology Consultants Authors: Gene Ostrovsky Tags: Cardiac Surgery Vascular Surgery Source Type: blogs
Energy drinks: death in a can?
You need energy for everything you do, from doing your job, to having s.e.x., to walking down the street. But drinking an energy drink to increase your energy just might send you to the emergency room. This isn’t just my opinion, it was reported on a government health website, which reports an increase in ER visits due to energy drink consumption: (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_133134.html).
And energy drinks might do more than send you to the ER.
Can caffeine kill?
November 2000. An 18-year-old student drank three Red Bull energy drinks before a basketball game and died during the match. The medi...
Source: Doctor Kalitenko antiaging blog - January 24, 2013 Category: Physicians With Health Advice Authors: admin Source Type: blogs
