Consultant Cardiologist/Electrophysiologist, @GalwayClinic @BonLimerick & Beacon. via NUIG | RCPI | Cleveland Clinic EP | Maine Medical Center. tweets=personal
In this sham-controlled trial of 60 patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation, pulsed field ablation (PFA) was superior to sham in reducing arrhythmia recurrence & burden and improving QOL. https://t.co/iZqzeZILK7
Honoring the Giants Who Shaped Modern Cardiac Electrophysiology
Today, I want to pay tribute to two extraordinary pioneers whose groundbreaking work laid the foundation for our understanding of the heart’s electrical system:
Dr. Brian F. Hoffman — A true legend in basic cardiac electrophysiology. Through his pioneering experiments on canine hearts, Dr. Hoffman mapped the anatomical origins of the EKG’s P-R interval and advanced our knowledge of specialized conduction tissues. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest electrophysiological scientists of our time and a key pioneer in invasive heart technologies.
Dr. Anthony N. Damato — Who took foundational basic science and translated it into clinical practice.
Dr. Damato made critical contributions by refining our understanding of the PR interval and developing techniques that enabled the recording of His bundle electrograms in humans — a milestone that essentially launched the field of clinical cardiac electrophysiology.
If the third industrial revolution had happened in the 1960s, Dr. Brian F. Hoffman would most likely have been the inventor of the new ECG.
Their combined legacy continues to influence every ECG we read today. We stand on the shoulders of these remarkable scientists. Their work reminds us that true innovation is built on deep scientific understanding and continuous advancement. Progress in cardiology is only possible because of the visionaries who came before us.
#Cardiology #Electrophysiology #ECG
A new Cleveland Clinic-led study shows ablation can be more effective than medication as a first treatment for people with persistent atrial fibrillation (AFib). #HRS2026
Learn more: https://t.co/HlQVv3cMrF
Presented at #HRS2026:
In patients with persistent atrial fibrillation, first-line treatment with pulsed field ablation reduced the recurrence of atrial arrhythmias at 12 months as compared with antiarrhythmic drugs. Full AVANT GUARD trial results: https://t.co/milHy26ojJ
@HRSonline
The protests in Ireland are not about just fuel! They are about the distance between Ireland on this graph and every other modern and developed economy. Ireland is second wealthiest but gets waaaaay less than any other country for that wealth. By a golden mile.
That visual gap in this graph? That’s what people are protesting. It’s a lack of infrastructure and the everyday enshittification of services, the economy, and the additional difficulty of trying to live, relative to peers in any other country. It also highlights why people don’t get uniformly listened to! - because there is no government architecture to engage meaningfully across this huge gap.
That gap is a three hour drive to work in traffic, a 14 month wait for an MRI, buses that don’t arrive, trains that don’t exist, schools that have no places for your kids, houses that are unaffordable, pubs that close before midnight, €12 sandwiches, expensive fuel.
People feel this gap, even if they can’t explain it precisely. And that builds into resentment, and ultimately protest. Fuel just happened to be the next thing that could be pointed to, today.
1/8 🚨 BREAKING STUDY:
Is Right Ventricular Pacing (RVP) obsolete for Atrioventricular Block (AVB)?
The groundbreaking MELOS RELOADED study just dropped, comparing LBBAP vs RVP in 3,382 patients.
The results will change how we pace! 🫀👇
Cool use of digital twins: First we have seen for patients having successful catheter ablation of their heart arrhythmia (VT) by first working on their twin 3D replica before the patient.
@NEJM today https://t.co/5stazvJY3V
CHAMPION-AF #ACC26
💟N = 3000 patients
💟LAAC (Watchman FLX) vs NOACs in patients eligible for anticoagulation—not just those who can’t tolerate it.
💟 LAAC was non-inferior to NOACs for CV death, stroke, and systemic embolism.
💟Non-procedural bleeding⬇️ ~11% (LAAC) vs ~19% (NOAC)
💟Ischemic stroke was numerically higher with LAAC.
Trade-off, not a free win.
💟NOAC adherence in trial = ~87% (better than general population)
Closure AF - Older Patients, Higher CHADS2VASC score, Higher Risk Population compared to CHAMPION AF patients
First cardiac ablation in the city of Limerick today. EP has finally arrived in the Midwest region of Ireland. Thanks to the team at Bon Secours Limerick for making it happen.
First cardiac ablation in the city of Limerick today. EP has finally arrived in the Midwest region of Ireland. Thanks to the team at Bon Secours Limerick for making it happen.
📣Media release @hrs_journal
🧵1/5
*⃣Three recent Heart Rhythm publications examine esophageal effects of PFA from three complementary angles: clinical endoscopy, luminal temperature monitoring, and preclinical histopathology.
❓Is PFA really 'absolutely' safe for the esophagus
❓Do we need to be careful in specific situations
#EPeeps #cardiotwitter @EPeeps_Bot@jskoruth@abhishekmaan_md@VivekReddyMD@HeartRhythmTV@HeartRhythmAdvo@drjohnm@narrowQRS
Guidelines recommend that anticoagulation be continued indefinitely after atrial fibrillation ablation in patients at risk for stroke. The risks and benefits of this practice are unclear. Research findings from the OCEAN trial are summarized in a new Quick Take video. https://t.co/3Gw5ovTuZN