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Article: Keeping the beat going; Developing the tools to treat the dangerous heart fluttering known as atrial fibrillation means a big payoff for med-tech firms.(BUSINESS INSIDER)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- September 7, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: JANET MOORE; STAFF WRITER
For about 10 years, Tom Berner felt "a kind of shaking" in his chest between heartbeats.
The 49-year-old Grantsburg, Wis., guidance counselor and football coach figured he was just getting older. But when he went in for a medical procedure last December, a heart monitor told a different story.
He was suffering from atrial fibrillation, a serious but still somewhat obscure heart condition that affects some 3.3 million Americans. Though it sounds like the name of a Bruce Willis action film, "AFib" has become the nation's most commonly diagnosed heart arrhythmia.
It has also become one of the most ...