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Hani N. Sabbah, PhD, FACC, FCCP, FAHA, is a Professor of Medicine and the Director of Cardiovascular Research at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan. At this year’s Heart Rhythm Society meeting, I had a chance to sit down with him to find out more about the OPTIMIZER technology.

Lawrence J. Gessman, MD is the director of Electrophysiology at Cooper Heart Institute at Cooper University Hospital and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Camden, New Jersey. He also serves as a medical consultant for Raytel Cardiac Services, which specializes in remote implanted cardiac device monitoring. In this article, Dr. Gessman discusses how remote monitoring is a beneficial service for both the patient and the physician. Many ICD patients find the service safe and easy to use, while physicians prefer its “real-time” ICD checks, which results in greater physician productivity.

The authors present a case study questioning the use of the AAIR mode when programming an ICD. They also examine current clinical trial data to see how to best minimize ventricular pacing.

Imaging techniques are changing the ways physicians see their world, and a recent satellite symposium at this year’s Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) meeting addressed present and future perspectives in imaging in electrophysiology. Supported by a grant from Siemens Medical Solutions, the symposium brought together several key opinion leaders to share their experiences with imaging. At times, it was difficult to discern what was “present” and what was “future” in the world of advanced imaging technology, since the gap between available equipment and anticipated new technology is quickly filling in.

Baptist Health is the state’s most comprehensive healthcare system. With more than 120 facilities, Baptist Health is committed to delivering “All our Best” in healthcare to the people of Arkansas. The North Little Rock hospital is a 210-bed full service general acute care facility. It is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide quality patient care, quality health education, and to respond to the healthcare needs of the community.