Cellular Source Of Most Common Type Of Abnormal Heart Beat Described Nov 13, 2009
13, 2009) While studying how the heart is formed, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine serendipitously found a novel cellular source of atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common type of abnormal heart beat. Jonathan Epstein, MD, William Wikoff Smith Professor, and Chair, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, and Vickas Patel, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, have identified a population of cells in the atria of the heart and pulmonary veins of humans... (Science Daily)
Girl Given Stranger's Heart Medication Nov 12, 2009
She was given Amiodarone, which is used to treat an irregular heartbeat. O'Neil was told she should get her daughter to the hospital. (KSBW 8, CA)
Ceres drugstore gives child heart meds by mistake Nov 10, 2009
O'Neill said Walgreens told emergency room personnel that the liquid medicine was a pediatric form of amiodarone, a drug used to treat irregular rapid heartbeat when other drugs fail ... Amiodarone relaxes heart muscles. (Modesto Bee, CA)
Women With Diabetes At Increased Risk For Irregular Heart Rhythm Oct 20, 2009
14, 2008) Reducing how often a patient receives amiodarone, a medication used for suppressing atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beat) but which causes side effects, did not decrease the overall amount of. . (Science Daily)
Have you consented to prescription drug risks? Sep 1, 2009
"My husband is now legally blind in his right eye and has 30 percent sight loss in his left eye because of a medication called amiodarone. This medicine was given to him for atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart rhythm). We were never told that visual problems could be a side effect of this drug. His optic nerve was destroyed, and he will never regain his eyesight. "There were other options available to us, but the doctor insisted he take this medicine. My husband stopped taking amiodarone... (Athens Banner-Herald)
Heart Disorder Linked To Alzheimer's Disease May 18, 2009
14, 2008) Reducing how often a patient receives amiodarone, a medication used for suppressing atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beat) but which causes side effects, did not decrease the overall amount of. (July 22, 2006) Mayo Clinic investigators have discovered a gene mutation causing chaotic electrical activation of the heart muscle and atrial fibrillation (AF), a common heart-rhythm disturbance affecting millions. (Science Daily)
Your Health: Taking vitamin D may help in fighting frequent colds Apr 28, 2009
Q: My husband was taking amiodarone for a heart-rhythm problem ... Amiodarone (also available under the brand names Cordarone and Pacerone) is used to treat heart-rhythm disturbances that don't respond to other medications ... A black-box warning in the prescribing information tells doctors: Amiodarone hydrochloride is intended for use only in patients with the indicated life-threatening arrythmias because its use is accompanied by substantial toxicity. (Sioux Falls Tri-State Neighbor, SD)
Atrial Fibrillation: MRI-based Method Holds Promise For Predicting Treatment Outcomes Apr 16, 2009
14, 2008) Reducing how often a patient receives amiodarone, a medication used for suppressing atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beat) but which causes side effects, did not decrease the overall amount of. (June 16, 2005) A common stomach bug may also be linked to the development of irregular heart rhythm, also known as atrial fibrillation, suggests a small study in. (Science Daily)
Atrial Fibrillation Linked To An Increased Risk Of Death In Diabetic Patients Mar 20, 2009
19, 2009) Results from a large, international, randomised, controlled trial have shown that there is a strong link between diabetics who have an abnormal heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation) and an increased risk of other heart-related problems and death. The ADVANCE* study of 11,140 patients with type 2 diabetes found that patients who had atrial fibrillation (AF) at the start of the trial had a 61% increased risk of dying from any cause, a 77% increased risk of dying from cardiovascular causes... (Science Daily)
Sanofi's Heart Drug Gets Shot With U.S. Reviewers at $1.9 Billion in Sales Mar 17, 2009
Citigroup analysts said the pill may be shown to be safer than generic drugs like amiodarone, which has toxic side effects. The analysts advised their clients earlier this month to adopt an investing strategy that would pay off if shares rally following the FDA advisory committee hearing. (Bloomberg -- Europe)
FDA: New heart drug may cut hospitalizations Mar 17, 2009
Currently doctors frequently prescribe the drug amiodarone, a heart rhythm medication marketed as Cordarone or Pacerone. But that drug can have significant side effects, including breathing problems. (MSNBC -- Health)
Experimental Antiarrhythmic Drug Reduces Death Rate In Patients With Atrial Fibrillation, Study Suggests Feb 26, 2009
The ACC/AHA/ESC guidelines for the management of patients with atrial fibrillation have described dronedarone as a derivative of amiodarone (a well established and recommended treatment for atrial fibrillation) under development as an ion-channel blocking drug. Speaking on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology, Professor Christophe Leclercq from the CHU in Rennes, France, said: The ATHENA trial shows that dronedarone, a new antiarryhtmic drug similar to amiodarone but with different... (Science Daily)
New Drug Shows Promise Against Heartbeat Abnormality Feb 13, 2009
Dronedarone is a chemical relative of amiodarone, a drug that has severe side effects but still is widely used in atrial fibrillation. Amiodarone includes iodine, which can cause thyroid problems, and "it takes a while to have an effect," Page said. (U.S. News & World Report)
Study supports Sanofi-Aventis drug for heart condition Feb 12, 2009
More powerful medications, like a drug called amiodarone, are used in efforts to restore the heart to normal rhythm, sometimes in conjunction with an electrical-shock procedure known as cardioversion, as well as to prevent recurrence of the arrhythmia. But amiodarone, which was a Sanofi drug before it went off patent and became generic in 2002, can have serious side effects, including risks to the liver and lungs ... "This drug was intended to be amiodarone-like in benefits, but without the dark... (International Herald Tribune -- Business)
Lung Disease Tied to Increased Risk for Cardiac Events Feb 7, 2009
The researchers also found that IPF patients were more than twice as likely to have been prescribed amiodarone, a medication used to treat irregular heartbeats. The drug has been implicated as a cause of fibrotic lung disease, the researchers said. (MEDLINEplus)
