A large body of scientific research into the mechanisms and therapies of arrhythmias has been accumulated over the past two decades. Ongoing studies are:

• Attempting to more accurately identify patients at high risk for life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias and defining which populations would benefit the most from a particular therapy (e.g., drugs, ICD). This includes the development of advanced new diagnostics. One new technique involves using a CT scan and 3-D electro-anatomical maps to create a very realistic picture of where the faulty electrical signal is originating from and affecting.
  
  
• Attempting to better understand which forms of arrhythmia indicate higher risk for potentially life-threatening events. For instance, researchers have learned that abnormal heart rhythms affecting the ventricles (ventricular arrhythmias) indicate a higher risk of heart attack or sudden cardiac death. Ventricular arrhythmias that occur during the recovery phase of exercise have been found to be a strong indicator of risk.
  
  
• Attempting to better understand the genetic disorders that can predispose to arrhythmias in order to better understand how to treat these disorders with conventional medications, as well as with the hope of using gene-based therapies in the future. For instance, researchers have recently identified an inherited cardiac arrhythmia syndrome that occurs because of a mutation in a gene called ankyrin-B. Such discoveries may eventually lead to genetic testing in patients with a family history of arrhythmias. This, in turn, could aid in the early diagnosis, treatment or prevention of potentially life-threatening conditions.
  
  
• Attempting to better understand the role of lifestyle factors (e.g., diet, exercise, stress management) in arrhythmia prevention and treatment. For instance, researchers have found that people who regularly eat fish have slower heart rates and therefore a reduced risk of sudden cardiac death.
  Working to improve catheter ablation technology so that arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia can be successfully cured with a catheter-based procedure. Researchers are working on technology that will help them better guide catheter ablation devices to the site of very specific arrhythmias.
  
  
• Working to improve the reliability and diagnostic capabilities of pacemakers, and using pacemakers in the successful treatment of fainting, heart failure and atrial fibrillation (e.g., biventricular pacemakers). Biatrial pacing, for example, is a newer strategy to reduce the number of episodes of atrial fibrillation. This involves delivering electrical impulses to the right atrium and to the coronary sinus (the area of the heart that receives the cardiac veins and opens into the right atrium).
  
  
• Developing new medications that can reduce the risk of coronary events (e.g., heart attack, sudden cardiac death) in patients with arrhythmias. Such medications (e.g., the experimental JTV519) works by preventing molecular defects in the heart from resulting in an abnormal rhythm. These “molecular-based” therapies may eventually be beneficial for patients at high risk of developing potentially fatal arrhythmias, such as those with heart failure.
  
  
• Determining the potential of medications typically used in the management of other heart-related conditions in the treatment or prevention of arrhythmias. For example, researchers have found that atrial fibrillation patients taking statins, a cholesterol-reducing drug, after cardioversion had a decreased risk of their arrhythmias returning. Whether statins directly influence heart rhythm or provide benefit for some other reason is not yet known. In other research, taking potassium supplements may help some patients with long QT syndrome.
  
  
• Developing new technology for detecting abnormal heart rhythms in high-risk patients. For instance, researchers have developed sensors to detect arrhythmias that can be sewn into bras or shorts. The sensors then clip into a module to monitor signals and then either trigger an alarm or link with a mobile phone should an abnormal heart rhythm occur. While such devices are not likely to be widely available for some time, they may become a part of the treatment landscape in the future.