My Adventures with Heart Failure

Possible cause found for deadly rapid heartbeats
Nov 30 (HealthCentersOnline) - A recent study may help researchers to better understand the mechanism involved in a certain type of heart failure.
Heart failure is a chronic condition in which at least one chamber of the heart is not pumping well enough to meet the body's needs. This leads to congestion in the lungs or pulmonary blood vessels and may cause fluid backup or swelling in the lungs, legs and ankles.

Ventricular tachyarrhythmia is a type of tachycardia, or abnormally rapid heart rate, that originates in the lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart. Ventricular tachyarrhythmia can lead to ventricular fibrillation and/or heart failure.

Researchers from Germany may have found an explanation for why ventricular tachyarrhythmia occurs in some instances. Using mice and heart muscle cells from rabbits, the researchers were able to find a possible molecular reason for the abnormal heartbeats.

The study showed that a substance known as an "effector" for a protein called calmodulin may be improperly regulating the influx of sodium ions into the muscle of the heart. Previous research has shown that genetic problems with the regulation of the sodium ion influx puts a person at increased risk for ventricular tachyarrhythmia.

The researchers suspect that the disruption observed during the study may be a contributing factor to the onset of dangerous ventricular tachyarrhythmias that are associated with heart failure.

The results of the report were published online on November 22 in advance of its print publication in the December issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

# posted by Kelly : 1:40 PM