News
Solider faints during the trooping of the colour
17 June 2013, Metro
The bandsman was taken off on a stretcher after collapsing at the event, which marks the Queen’s official birthday.
Standing for long periods of time can be common a trigger for syncopal episodes. If you have to stand still for long periods, then clench and unclench your calves or rock forward on the balls of your feet to encourage blood flow.
For further advice, see Dr Wieling’s film where he demonstrates useful counterpressure manoeuvres illustrating the direct effect they can have on blood pressure.
Sir David Attenborough back at work and feeling fine after urgent pacemaker operation
14 June 2013, Mirror,
Sir David, 87, was fitted with a pacemaker on June 4, leading him to call off his Australia tour.
He has now been passed fit to fly to Australia for rescheduled tour dates in July.
In-flight medical emergencies: syncope, respiratory, and gastrointestinal most common
6 June 2013, 2 Minute Medicine
Medical emergencies occur at a rate of approximately 16 emergencies per one million passengers; the most common of which are syncope, respiratory symptoms, or nausea/vomiting.
VETERAN broadcaster Sir David Attenborough has undergone surgery to insert a pacemaker.
5 June 2013, News.com.au
A spokesman for the 87-year-old naturalist, who was forced to cancel a sell-out speaking tour of Australia because of the "urgent" procedure, said doctors believed that the TV star was doing well.
Age, Syncope Predict Need for Pacemaker
5 June 2013, Medpage Today
Age, fainting, and asymptomatic bradycardia predict the need for a pacemaker in patients being monitored with an implantable loop recorder or a conventional ECG, researchers said.
Model, 22, faces a lifetime of sitting down after being struck by a rare condition which means she FAINTS every time she stands up
31 May 2013, Mail Online
The 22-year-old suffers from a condition known as Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS), which means that every time she stands up, her heart rate speeds up, causing her to pass out.
iPAD 2s Can Interfere with Life-Saving Cardiac Rhythm Devices
16 May 2013, Heart Rhythm Society
New study presented at Heart Rhythm 2013 by California high school freshman found iPad 2s cause electromagnetic interference in 30 percent of patients with cardiac rhythm devices.
CPD purchases defibrillator
15 May 2013, Chronicle Times
The Cherokee Police Department recently purchased an Automated External Defibrillator with monies granted to them by the Cherokee County Legacy Foundation.
Syncope is more common than you think
29 April 2013, Sioux City Journal
A Sioux City woman in her 60s was playing golf in Phoenix on a 60-degree winter day when she suddenly collapsed to the ground.
Fainting runs in families, new study says
16 April 2013, The NBC News
A study by Berkovic, published today in the journal Neurology, finds that fainting may be genetic, and for some families only one gene causes it.
Blood pressure medication may cause fainting when used for other ailments
8 April 2013, Sun News
A drug commonly used to treat hypertension can cause lightheadedness and possible fainting in some patients, an international study led by the University of British Columbia claims.
Hall's heart in right place at Wichita State
8 April 2013, Tampa Bay Times
Hall, the Wichita State forward, plays basketball as if he does not wish to waste a second of it. After all, it is a gift restored, a promise renewed. And so it is that Hall attacks the game as if, at any moment, the doctors might take it away again.
Study of postural vasovagal syncope and neuropathic postural tachycardia syndrome
5 April 2013, Recruitment of participants
The Center for Hypotension is recruiting participants aged 14-29 years old for a study of postural vasovagal syncope (VVS, postural faint) and neuropathic postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Exact mechanisms of illness have remained elusive although our past work shows that with upright posture blood is excessively relocated from the central pool to the splanchnic vasculature in both VVS and neuropathic POTS. This occurs because blood vessel contraction (vasoconstriction) is impaired when upright. We hypothesize that impairment occurs because of excessive production of nitric oxide (NO) which reduces the ability of the nerves to produce vasoconstriction.
If you choose to participate, we will perform a type of testing called lower body negative pressure (LBNP) during which we use a vacuum to redistribute blood to your legs while you remain supine. This simulates many findings of upright postural stress. We will perform simple noninvasive tests. On other days we will also use a technique called intradermal microdialysis in which several tiny tubes are placed in the uppermost layer of the skin, while we simultaneously measure blood flow. Two 3mm biopsy samples will be obtained from the skin of your calf. In addition, we will be administering several drugs - L-NMMA, Phenylephrine, and Sodium Nitroprusside through an IV placed in your arm and combine this with LBNP, along with microneurography that measures Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Activity (MSNA) using an acupuncture-like needle placed in a nerve behind your knee. Testing will take place over 5 days and you will be reimbursed $150 per day.
Dehydration can cause fainting, falls
2 April 2013, The Detroit News
Most of us are familiar with the advice to drink more water, but it should follow with "because if you don't, you will start fainting, particularly older people."
Electrode vest gives hope to heart rhythm patients
2 April 2013, BBC News
Doctors are using special vests to precisely diagnose abnormal heart rhythms, in the first UK tests of their kind.
Fainting first aid: These instructions could save a life
19 March 2013, NBC Latino
There is nothing more upsetting than someone fainting in front of you especially when that person is family or friend. While working in the hospital, there is nothing that gets my adrenaline flowing faster than when someone loses consciousness.
Why Fainting Can Result from Blood Pressure Drug Used in Conjunction With Other Disorders
13 March 2013, Science Daily
A new study led by a Canadian research team has identified the reason why prazosin, a drug commonly used to reduce high blood pressure, may cause lightheadedness and possible fainting upon standing in patients with normal blood pressure who take the drug for other reasons, such as the treatment of PTSD and anxiety.
Windsor Cat Receives Lifesaving Pacemaker
14 March 2013, The Windsor Star
Dan Beaudoin of Windsor, talks on Wednesday, March 13, 2013, about going to Michigan to have a lifesaving pacemaker implanted in his pet cat Tripod.
Will WiFi affect my pacemaker?
13 March 2013, The Telegraph
We have had a desktop computer for many years, but I have recently bought a laptop and at the moment am only using it to play games. I would like to connect it to the Internet while away from home by using Wi-Fi but I have a pacemaker and am wary at any side effects this may cause.
Mobile ECG Device for Heart Rhythm Monitoring Now Available by Prescription
11 March 2013, AliveCor
AliveCor announced today that its mobile Heart Monitor for iPhone is now available by prescription to enable patients to record their heart rhythm anytime, anywhere.
NHS senior diagnosed with rare POTS disorder
11 March 2013, The Valley News
A person’s senior year in high school is supposed to be a memorable occasion, however not in the same sense that Riley Scroggie of Farragut will forever remember his.
ECG monitoring? The lack thereof--that's what's alarming!
11th March 2013, The Heart.org
The answer is not fewer cardiac monitors. It's more monitor techs and better staffing. If hospital workers don't know the indications for a cardiac monitor, retrain. If they don't have time to keep up with all the alarms, the CEO should close the unit and send the patient somewhere else where they can be safe. Period. As healthcare providers, we must stave off the national trend to just get 'em in, get 'em out, and head 'em up, Our mission is to prevent, detect, and treat, not to just get them home safely and pray we can get them through the next 30 days.
Read more
Fall Prevention in the Elderly
11 March 2013, The Clinical Advisor
Each year, one in every three adults age 65 and older falls, according to the CDC. Falls can cause moderate to severe injuries, such as hip fractures and head injuries, and can increase the risk of early death.
Kelly Osbourne hospitalized after fainting
8 March 2013, abc NEWS
TV personality Kelly Osbourne was taken to the hospital today after fainting during a taping of E! Network’s “Fashion Police” in Los Angeles.
New Mayo Clinic protocol allows for MRI in select pacemaker patients
28th February 2013, Newswise
Newswise — PHOENIX — A new protocol at Mayo Clinic in Arizona allows select patients to have an MRI exam even though they have a pacemaker.
Vatican acknowledges that pope had pacemaker
12th February 2013, USA Today
Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said Benedict had the pacemaker installed "a long time" before he became pope in 2005. He called the latest medical procedure "routine."
Senior Focus: Treating fainting
1st February 2013, St Louis Post Despatch
Fainting occurs commonly in older adults and in people who are middle aged and have diabetes mellitus. While all fainting is cause for concern, some types are more alarming than others.
Alexandria councilman Silver recovering after pacemaker implanted
30 January 2013, thetowntalk.com
Harry B. Silver, an Alexandria City Council member and owner of Weiss and Goldring clothing store, was rushed to the hospital Saturday from his store after suffering a bout of low blood pressure, according to his son, Ted Silver.
RBR Basketball for a Good Cause
4th January 2013 - LittleSilver-OceanportPatch
Basketball fundraiser at R-FH this weekend supports a Fair Haven student who wants to raise awareness for POTS — a painful disorder.
Dog Gets New Lease on Life With Pacemaker
22nd December 2012 - Jamaica Plain Patch
A dog with an irregular heartbeat got a gift typically reserved for humans earlier this month.
A Syncope Review
19th December 2012 - Cardiac Rhythm Management
"The only difference between syncope and sudden death is that in one you wake up” - George Engel
Passing out, fainting, drop attacks, or simply syncope. Despite its many descriptions, this problem remains a tremendous burden on patients, practitioners and the health care system. Despite significant advancements in diagnostic testing, the diagnostic yield for patients remains paltry.
Hoops for Heart Health Foundation Saving Lives One School at a Time
19th December 2012 - Athletic Testing Solutions
Utah State basketball player Danny Berger was running drills at practice just like normal when he collapsed on the court. If the school, or team, had been less prepared, Berger may not have survived. But due to the quick action and thinking of assistant athletic trainer Mike Williams – who ordered 911 be called, performed CPR and then shocked Berger back to life with an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) – Berger may be able to play basketball again. Berger may not have known it, but his life was saved seven years before he collapsed due to SCA (Sudden Cardiac Arrest) at practice on the 5th of December.
Scientists build a biological pacemaker by injecting a modified virus into the heart
17th December 2012 - io9
Our heartbeats are triggered by a steady stream of electrical signals, which cause our heart muscles to contract with a regular rhythm. For some people, however, the ‘pacemaker cells' responsible for generating these pulses can fail, resulting in an erratic heartbeat. Normally, this problem is addressed by surgery and the insertion of an electric pacemaker device. But as a recent breakthrough at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute now shows, it may be possible to convert ordinary heart cells into genuine pacemaker cells — and it can be done with a known gene and a modified virus.
Tummy Trouble & Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS) Linked
15th December 2012 - ProHealth (by William H Seligman, et al)
Many people with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia experience symptoms of autonomic dysfunction, and often are diagnosed with the form called PoTS. The muscles of a well functioning GI tract produce paced, rhythmic contractions (peristalsis) to propel food smoothly down to the stomach, mix it up, empty the stomach, and propel the contents through the large & small intestines. The measures reported in this study of PoTS patients identified disruptions in this process.
Families and fainting questionnaire
December 17, 2012
Why do people faint? Well, there are lots of things that happen just before fainting: things like hot showers, standing at parades, seeing blood and so on. But ultimately, why do some people faint while others don’t?
For some people fainting runs in families, but we still lack so many details that we don’t really know why.
If you faint, and if you have a brother or sister who faints, we would like to hear about you. Would you mind completing the brief questionnaire at this web link? It will only take 2-3 minutes and it will help all of us understand why some people faint and others don’t.
Isanti woman battles life-changing syndrome
16th December 2012 - Isanti County News
When Deanna Fletcher wakes up every morning, she has to lie in bed and do simple exercises for half an hour before she can stand up, or she risks an excessive heart rate and blacking out.
Fainting may spell heart troubles
14th December 2012, Medical Daily
Danish researchers tracked one-time fainters over several years and found that fainters were 74 percent more likely to eventually be admitted to the hospital for heart attack or stroke and five times more likely to need a pacemaker of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator at some point in their lifetime.
13th December 2012 - YouTube
Manish Assar, MD, a physician on the medical staff at Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital, explains syncope.
Thornbury painter with rare heart condition sells her art for charity
12th December 2012 - South Cotswold Journal
PAINTING from the heart has taken on a whole new meaning for a Thornbury artist with a debilitating cardiac condition.
Residents learn techniques to assist cardiac arrest victims
11th December 2012 - Las Vegas Review-Journal
When it comes to sudden cardiac arrest, professionals have one message to the public: Do something, anything.
Gomes' Foundation Battling Sudden Cardiac Arrest
9th December 2012 - The Hartford Courant
Immediately after Utah State basketball player Danny Berger collapsed during practice Tuesday, assistant athletic trainer Mike Williams rushed to his side, ordered for 911 to be called, performed CPR and then shocked Berger's heart back into rhythm with an automated external defibrillator.
CFS Patients with POTS: Clinically Distinct Subgroup
6th December 2013 - ProHealth (source: Journal of Internal Medicine)
Article:
Clinical characteristics of a novel subgroup of chronic fatigue syndrome patients with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome
Hearts & Goals Campaign kicks off with donation of two defibrillators
6th December 2012 - North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Fabrice Muamba has distributed the first six Hearts & Goals defibrillators in Bolton today as part of the Hearts & Goals campaign aimed at placing 500 defibrillators in public places around the country.
What is Syncope?
5th December 2013 - HeartHelp
Syncope is a sudden temporary loss of consciousness with a spontaneous recovery that does not require any measure to restore consciousness. It is important to know that syncope is not a disease but rather a symptom.
Recent study shows pacemaker, MRI compatible
3rd December 2012 - North County Times
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing approximately one million Americans each year. The good news is that the death rate is in decline, in part due to the use of pacemakers and other implantable devices designed to aid an ailing heart.
5 questions about fainting
29th November 2012 - Pennlive.com
Q: How common is fainting among the general population? Is there any particular group that seems to be more affected by fainting spells?
POTS victim has hope despite limited activity
21st November 2012 - chestnuthilllocal.com
Claire Martin, 34, founder of Dysautonomia SOS: Searching Out Solutions, knows first-hand the obstacles and challenges of living with POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome).
Is it depression, anxiety or POTS? The first article of a two-part series
13th November 2012 - chesstnuthilllocal.com
John Point, of Chestnut Hill, was a typical kid who loved hanging out with his friends on the baske
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