Cardiac Problems and Related Disorders

Earth healthcare benefits are already being realized from work done by the Cardiovascular Alterations Team.

In April 1999, the T-wave alternans test, developed and studied through NASA and NSBRI, received FDA clearance for use in identifying individuals at risk of sudden death from heart rhythm disturbances.

Performed in conjunction with a typical stress test, it detects subtle beat-to-beat variations in the heart's electrical activity that go undetected by electrocardiograms used during stress tests. Research has shown these fluctuations, called T-wave alternans, may relate specifically to risk for sudden cardiac arrest.

This simple test can identify at-risk patients who may be protected by receiving implantable defibrillators that are able to terminate ventricular arrhythmias. The technology may help reduce sudden cardiac death, which ultimately strikes one in every seven Americans.

Cardiovascular Alterations Research Team