Westby Fisher

TUESDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) -- Patients prone to dangerously fast heart rhythms may get just as much help and have fewer complications with less-expensive implanted defibrillators that run one wire to the heart instead of two, a new study shows.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator...Full Article

THURSDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News) -- With summer approaching, researchers caution that swimming pools may pose a risk to patients with irregular heartbeats who've received implantable defibrillators.

The issue: a danger that electrical currents linked to standard pool utilities such as lig...Full Article

THURSDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News) -- Sprawled out on the couch, reading the news on your iPad, you'd never think you could be putting yourself at risk. But you might be, if you happen to have an implanted heart device.

Magnetic interference could alter the settings and even deactivate the ...Full Article

THURSDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists report positive results in early testing of a wireless pacemaker that's placed in the heart instead of being connected to it via wires from the upper chest.

There are still many questions regarding the pacemaker, produced by Nanostim Inc. It...Full Article

TUESDAY, May 7 (HealthDay News) -- By slowing down the programmed response rate on implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), doctors can reduce the number of shocks these devices deliver without causing a significant increase in the risk of fainting or death, new research suggests.

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 27 (HealthDay News) -- If your heart doesn't beat correctly, you can get an electronic pacemaker and live happily ever after -- or at least until it wears out and you need another one.

Now, the results of an animal study add to existing evidence that people may one day hav...Full Article

FRIDAY, Jan. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Implantable heart defibrillators aimed at preventing sudden cardiac death are as effective at ensuring patient survival during real-world use as they have proven to be in studies, researchers report.

The new finding goes some w...Full Article

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Women are more likely than men to experience complications and to die within six months of getting an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, according to new research that looked at nearly 39,000 patients.

"Women, when they come for treatment, are mu...Full Article

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- A simple change to the way doctors program implantable cardioverter defibrillators can help people with heart disease live longer and with greater quality of life, according to a new study.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are devices th...Full Article

SUNDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Implantable pacemakers have been around for more than 50 years, but they've always had one drawback: batteries that need to be replaced. Now, there are early signs that a device that gains power from the patient's own heartbeat might change all that.

Th...Full Article