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Cardiac Arrest? Drones Might Someday Come to the Rescue

Drones might prove a feasible way to deliver lifesaving defibrillators to cardiac arrests in remote areas, a new research simulation suggests.

Delivering automated external defibrillators (AEDs) by drone could dramatically improve emergency response times in both urban and rural areas, according to findings to be presented Saturday and Sunday at an American Heart Association meeting, in P...

Stress, Anxiety Plague Many Who Get Implanted Heart Devices

New research finds that many of those who have received an implanted cardiac device to extend their life also have mood disorders, including anxiety, depression and PTSD.

“Implantable cardioverter defibrillators [ICDs] are effective at extending patients' lives, but we need to make sure that's a good quality life,” said study author

Electric Car Chargers Safe for Folks With Heart Devices: Study

Cars are going electric at record speed, but are the high-powered charging devices the cars need safe for people who have implanted heart devices?

Yes, claims new research that also found home car chargers are likely also safe, as long as the person with the ...

Could Your Smartwatch Interfere With Your Pacemaker?

If you're one of the millions of people with a pacemaker or an implantable defibrillator to help control abnormal heart rhythms, certain health-tracking devices may do more harm than good.

Smartwatches, rings or scales that emit electrical currents can interfere with these lifesaving implantable heart devices, causing them to malfunction, a new study suggests.

“While the elec...

Few People Get Infected Heart Devices Removed, Despite Benefit

When implanted heart devices get infected, doctors recommend surgery to remove them, but many patients ignore that advice, a new study reveals.

More than eight in 10 patients with an infected implant (such as a defibrillator or pacemaker) choose antibiotic treatment instead, t...

Death During Sex Very Rare Among Those Under 50

It's a familiar trope of TV and movies -- a couple is engaged in passionate sex when the guy's heart suddenly gives out.

"Usually it's a middle-aged man. Usually he's cheating with somebody else. It's funny, there's this myth in our mind that this can happen," said cardiologist Dr. Martha Gulati, who refers to the concept as the "Hollywood heart attack."

But ardor simply isn't that ...

Getting a Pacemaker Can Raise Odds for Opioid Abuse

People who are prescribed opioid painkillers after receiving a heart pacemaker or defibrillator may be at risk for opioid abuse -- and the higher the initial dose, the greater the risk, according to a new study.

“The significance of this study is to make other electrophysiologists aware that even a low-risk procedure like a pacemaker or a defibrillator can lead to chronic opioid use and...

Heart Defibs in Schools Are Saving Staff Lives: Study

Adult staff in schools are more likely than students to suffer sudden cardiac arrest, but automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are often used and improve the chances of survival, a new study finds.

AEDs are portable devices that deliver an electric shock to try and restart the heart. If appropriate action isn't taken immediately, cardiac arrest is often fatal.

"Most research on ...

When Cardiac Arrest Strikes, Survival Odds Are Better at Airports

If you have a cardiac arrest, your odds of survival are best in an airport or airplane, a new study finds.

That's because automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are readily available and so are people ready to help, researchers explained.

"Our findings emphasize that cardiac arrest in travelers is survivable and that early resuscitation interventions matter," said lead researcher ...

Smart Phones, Watches Can Mess With Implanted Pacemakers

Do you have an implanted defibrillator or pacemaker? Try keeping your smart watch or smart phone a few inches away from them.

New research from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finds that your phone or watch could interfere with implanted heart devices.

Based on the new findings, heart patients and health care providers should be aware of potential risks, the research team...

Exercise Boosts Survival for People With Implanted Defibrillators

Just small amounts of exercise can benefit people with implanted heart defibrillators, new research shows.

An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a battery-powered device placed under the skin to detect abnormal heart rhythms and deliver an electric shock to restore a normal heartbeat.

The new study found that even slight increases in physical activity reduced the risk o...

Magnets in Cellphones, Smartwatches Might Affect Pacemakers, FDA Warns

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning that strong magnets in some cellphones and smartwatches can interfere with pacemakers and other implanted medical devices.

Studies have shown that these high-strength magnets may cause some implants to switch to "magnet mode," stopping normal functioning until the magnet is moved away from the device.

Many implants have a "magnet mode...

Worry, Depression Can Plague Folks Who Get Implanted Defibrillators

An implanted heart defibrillator is a life changer in more ways than one. More than one in 10 patients who receive the device also developed anxiety or depression, a new study reveals.

The findings highlight the need for regular screening of patients who receive an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in order to identity those who may require additional mental health support, acc...

MRIs Might Be Safe for Patients With Implanted Heart Devices

For years, people with implanted heart devices have been told they can't undergo MRI scans. But a new study adds to evidence that, with certain measures in place, the procedure is safe.

The study focused on patients with older pacemakers and implantable defibrillators that were not designed to be more compatible with MRI scanners. The researchers found that when a particular protocol ...

Could Your E-Cig Disrupt Your Pacemaker?

The magnets in vaping devices might be able to wreak havoc on heart pacemakers and defibrillators, a new case report suggests.

By placing a Juul in his shirt pocket, a heart patient caused his implanted pacemaker and defibrillator to malfunction, his health care providers said.

"To our knowledge, this is the first time it's been reported," said report author Julie Shea, nurs...

Why Are Cardiac Arrests More Deadly on Weekends?

Your odds of surviving a cardiac arrest long enough to be admitted to the hospital are lower on the weekend than on a weekday, researchers say.

For the study, the investigators analyzed data from nearly 3,000 patients worldwide who suffered an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and were treated with a publicly accessible automated external defibrillator (AED).

Overall, 27% o...

1 in 5 Heart Pacemaker Patients Prescribed Opioids After Surgery

Opioid painkillers are prescribed to 1 in 5 patients who get a pacemaker or other implantable heart device, a new study finds.

It included more than 16,500 U.S. adults who had heart devices implanted between 2010 and 2018.

After their procedures, opioids were prescribed to about 20%. Of those, 80% had never taken opioids before. Among those patients, more than 9%...

Pacemakers, Insulin Pumps Could Be Hacking Targets: FDA

Medical devices that can connect to the internet might be at risk for hacking, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Tuesday.

"While advanced devices can offer safer, more convenient and timely health care delivery, a medical device connected to a communications network could have cybersecurity vulnerabilities that could be exploited resulting in patient harm," said Dr. Amy Abe...

Bans Not Keeping Drivers With Implanted Defibrillators off the Road

One in three patients who have implanted devices for irregular heartbeats still drive, despite being banned from getting behind the wheel, a new Danish study finds.

It looked at more than 2,500 patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), which deliver an electric shock to correct potentially deadly abnormal heart rhythms.

Some ICD patients are healthy enough ...

Airport Scanners OK for People with Implanted Heart Devices: Study

It appears to be safe for people with implantable heart devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators to go through body scanners at airport security checkpoints, researchers say.

Body scanners are becoming increasingly common worldwide.

But some people are concerned that they may be a source of electromagnetic interference (EMI) that could disrupt implantable devices used t...

Bystanders Key to Cutting Cardiac Arrest Deaths

Cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting is a leading cause of disease-related health loss in the United States, a new study says.

But bystander use of CPR and automated external defibrillators reduces the risk of death and disability.

"Cardiac arrest is unique because survival is dependent on the timely response of bystanders, medical dispatch, EMS personnel, physicians...

AHA: Another Day at the Office -- Thanks to a Defibrillator Close at Hand

On National Wear Red Day in 2018, few people at the Nashville law firm Lewis, Thomason, King, Krieg & Waldrop took notice of the occasion, which calls attention to heart disease being the No. 1 killer of women.

"I think we had forgotten about it being that day," said Tania Freeman, the firm's business development officer.

Still, Feb. 2, 2018, turned out to be a day man...