Heart Study at Mercy Hospital St. Louis to Help Prevent Sudden Cardiac Deaths

    Dr. Khaled Awad is investigating the role of the sympathetic nervous system related to a particular form of arrhythmia in the lower chambers of the heart. Abnormal heartbeats that come from the bottom of the heart are life-threatening, resulting in sudden cardiac deaths. Dr. Awad is a cardiac electrophysiologist at Mercy Hospital St. Louis conducting a pilot study. He’s using a nuclear imaging technique for better understanding of the role of nerve fibers. If the imaging agent helps Awad and his team predict targets for therapeutics, a much larger study would be planned before therapeutic intervention is available using the technique.