October 19, 2011 – A new study proves the importance of electrocardiographic (ECG) screenings to identify heart abnormalities in young adults, including both athletes and non-athletes. The study, published in the October edition of HeartRhythm, the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society, demonstrates the success of a high-volume ECG screening program designed to identify potential life-threatening heart arrhythmias in high school students. Of the more than 32,000 students screened, ECG abnormalities that may be associated with the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) were identified in more than 800 students.

October 18, 2011 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a proposed rule and draft special controls guidance lowering the risk classification for external pacemaker pulse generators from Class III (high-risk) to Class II (moderate-risk).

October 18, 2011 — A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) committee will discuss and make recommendations to expand Medtronic’s indication for its cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) in Class II heart failure patients. The committee will also review a pre-market approval (PMA) application for CardioMEMS’ Heart Failure Pressure Measurement System (HF system).

October 18, 2011 – New research published in the October issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine shows hospitals accredited by The Joint Commission (JC) outperformed non-accredited hospitals on a number of nationally standardized quality measures. The measures included acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure, and pneumonia. The research also shows the performance gap between JC accredited and non-accredited hospitals increased over the years of the study.

October 17, 2011 — New research adds to the mounting evidence that consuming chocolate seems to lower the risk of stroke; and now it appears to be more protective against certain types of stroke. Moreover, women who ate the most chocolate — 66.5 grams each week, which amounts to roughly two chocolate bars — had a 20 percent lower risk of having a stroke. The conclusions are according to a research correspondence report in the Oct. 18 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).