With a long history of groundbreaking medical developments including the first transvenous cardiac pacemaker, developed and inserted by Seymour Furman in 1958, and the development of transtelephone pacemaker monitoring in the 1970s, Montefiore Einstein physician-scientists continue to develop and evaluate innovative methods to improve treatment methods and devices to regulate cardiac arrythmias.
Current Investigations
- ablation and role of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) in treating ventricular arrythmias
- noninvasive testing methods (T-wave alternans, Tilt-table testing, signal-averaged EKGs, Holter monitoring)
- complications related to device extraction
- supraventricular tachycardia and atrial fibrillation ablation
- atrial fibrillation mapping systems
Ongoing Research Activity
- Clinical trials to evaluate new arrhythmia treatment devices and new uses for existing devices
- NIH-sponsored multicenter research trials
- Investigator-initiated research studies, developed in conjunction with electrophysiology fellows and residents, and conducted in collaboration with surgeons
- Investigator-initiated studies performed on canines and sheep examine new methods of performing atrial fibrillation ablation with the goal of developing clinical improvements in the ablation process
Databases
The importance of electronic databases to promote patient care and research has been recognized since the 1970s, when Dr. Seymour Furman initiated a computerized database for pacemakers.
