May 18, 2018 — A significant number of patients with symptomatic premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) have underlying myocarditis identified by FDG-PET, and treatment with immunosuppressive therapy may significantly impact outcomes. This was a key finding in a review of the Myocarditis and Ventricular Arrhythmia (MAVERIC) Registry presented at Heart Rhythm 2018, the Heart Rhythm Society’s 39th Annual Scientific Sessions. 

May 10, 2018 – A new study is the first to test the clinical effectiveness of incremental peri-operative antibiotics as a method to reduce potential infection of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). The trial compared the novel peri-operative antibiotics strategy to the conventional treatment of pre-procedural cefazolin, a common antibiotic.

A new study published in JAMA Cardiology used the Zio continuous cardiac monitoring system by iRhythm to provide a comprehensive picture of the burden of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients. Utilizing this data in combination with electronic health record data, the researchers concluded that an increase in AF burden is independently associated with a higher risk of ischemic stroke and arterial thromboembolism in patients who are not taking anticoagulant medication.

May 16, 2018 — A new study is the first to validate the accuracy of wrist-worn wearable devices in measuring induced paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT), or episodes of rapid heart rate. Three common wearable devices including the Apple Watch Series 2, Samsung Galaxy Gear S3 and the Fitbit Charge 2, were randomly assigned to patients to measure heart rate. The results were presented at Heart Rhythm 2018, the Heart Rhythm Society’s 39th Annual Scientific Sessions.