Heart rhythm disorders may have a genetic link. Researchers have identified a gene mutation that appears to interfere with the cardiac conduction system, contributing to lethal heart arrhythmias.

Endurance athletes that participate in long-term exercise such as marathons, triathlons and alpine cycling could be at risk of developing permanent damage to the heart's right ventricle.

Patients with severe heart arrhythmias are at risk of dying within months without the aid of a pacemaker. In India many heart patients are unable to afford the device. Reusing devices from deceased Americans has been found to be a safe and efficient option.

Patients with a common heart arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation typically take blood thinners to reduce the risk of blood clots. This medication is usually tough to dose and requires frequent blood testing.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials are taking a second look at blood thinning drug Pradaxa ( dabigatran etexilate mesylate ) after reports of serious, potentially fatal, bleeding.

Patients that develop a common heart arrhythmia may benefit from an unexpected drug. A medication used to treat gout appears to reduce the incidence of atrial fibrillation following heart surgery.

A drug that aids patients with intermittent atrial fibrillation, a common heart arrhythmia, increased the risk of death among patients with permanent atrial fibrillation. As a result the study was halted early.

An experimental drug designed to aid severely ill patients after hospitalization is not more effective than standard treatments for reducing the risk of blood clots, a study has confirmed.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials have given the green light to anti-clotting drug Xarelto (rivaroxaban) to reduce the risk of stroke in patients with a common heart arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation.