ZAP Links
Updated: May 17, 1999
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- These are links to other sites which may interest you. Please
tell us if you know of
others... we'd love to add them to the list. Also, since these links are not
checked regularly, if you find one that has expired... please let us know by
EMail. Thanks.
ADAM'S MedWeb
- Better than a Search Engine for a LONG & WIDE variety of health
and medical issues on the internet in alphabetical order.
American Heart
Association
Logo removed on demand by AHA
- This site is continuously updated, with two excellent databases of
news material from Reuters: one for consumer level information and one for
health professionals. This site is VERY interactive and covers nearly all
cardiac issues imagineable.
- The AHA has a good page to study, when it comes to understanding why
decisions are made to implant an ICD, in the article, ACC/AHA Guidelines for Implantation of Cardiac Pacemakers and
Antiarrhythmia Devices.
- Also see Timely topics in Medicine associate site.
- As stipulated by E-Mail from the association: "The appearance of
this link to the AHA neither constitutes support nor endorsement of The
ZAPPER and its life saving mission."
Artificial Heart
Fund .gif)
- Interesting site which chronicles the efforts of Dr. Stephen Westaby
and his team to implant the Thermo Cardio Systems and Jarvik 2000 artificial
hearts in England.
- The site includes reporting on fund raising efforts, clinical trials,
news coverage, and links to relevant sites.
Atlanta Cardiology Group
- One of the better models for a support group for ICD patients in
Georgia. Site originated by Sonny Black.
BioMedNet
- "The Internet Community for Biological and Medical
Researchers." It's one of the best online resources for web sites dealing
with just about every kind of biological or medical research and treatment. The
editors selected The
ZAPPER as a 3-Star site! Use the handy device below to search
the BIOMEDNET files.
- Also check out the BioMedNet magazine:
HMS Beagle which named
The
ZAPPER its "Webpick of the Day" on July 7th!
Cardima
Corporation 
- While most of our readers depend on a defibrillator to save us when
we get potentially lethal epsiodes of arrhythmia, many others are getting
permanent relief with a procedure called ablation. Cardima is a company which
builds the instruments used in such procedures. Their website offers insight
into this type of option.
Cardiology News
Group
- Internet (USENET) news group where all kinds of cardiac
patients (some who - lucky for them - just THINK they are,) medical and health
professionals and semi-professionals discuss everthing under the sun.
- Scrutinize material posted here... always consider the source of
each posting. NEVER use material posted here to diagnose or treat
without consulting a professional!
Cardiosource
- The BEST site found so far for professional level cardiology
information. Layout is VERY user friendly and easy to navigate. Sign-up
required, but free at the present time. The site also includes an excellent
links
datatbase.
Cardiovascular
Institute of the South
- Excellent files on line about various ARRHYTHMIA related issues, plus
many internal sites to other cardiac disorders.
The Children's Health
Information Network
Congenital Heart Disease
Information and Resources
- The goal of this fairly new site is to provide information and
resources to families of children with congenital and acquired heart disease,
adults with CHD, and the professionals who work with them.
Cleveland
Clinic/Cardiology Department
- These series of pages are among the best we've found with a focus on
a myriad of heart and cardiovascular issues.
CNN
Interactive - Food and Health News
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- THE place to check *daily* on health procedures, research, warnings,
alerts, etc. The vast resources of Cable News Network updates this great site.
ANY minute of the day, when something - anything - new breaks.
- Also, retrieve The
Zapper's CNN CUSTOM:NEWS for today's latest reports on
cardiology, insurance, treatment, etc., including financial/stock data of the
ICD/pacemaker and drug companies.
IF YOU HAVE USED CUSTOM:NEWS BEFORE...
YOU'LL NEED TO SWITCH USER (LEFT SIDE OF CNN SITE) TO:
Login name=TheZapper
Password=zapper
CPI/Guidant
Corporation 
- Primary web sites for parent company of:
CPI,
Pacemakers & AICDs. Detailed history of the Guidant's research,
development, finances, etc. are here.
News
Release archive is also available. But for ICD recipients, the following is
probably the most helpful:
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AICD
Patient Handbook |
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- The site also has a unique Glossary of Cardiac Terminology at
www.guidant.com/glossary.htm
CPR Home Page
- No joke... There's actually a complete web page for this life saving
technique. Cardio-Pulminary Rescusitation page maintained by the University of
Minnesota. It has a nifty survey - to test the CPR skills of you, your family,
friends, etc.
Defib Network
Membership Organization
- The beginning of an online support group, a labor of love of
ZAPPER reader, Dudley Wynkoop.
Studio
Delos
- This is a really neat site dealing with arrhythmia and
defibrillators. The site is designed & maintained by a frequent
Zapper visitor, a Field Clinical Engineer for a major
cardiac rhythm management company. It features the best listing of
ICD/AICD
support groups I have ever seen! This site also has a superb (Barnes &
Noble) associate
bookstore.
- Note: Please do not email me asking if I'm
crazy to promote competition for
The
ZAPPER bookstore. I want you to get the best help you can... If
Delos can get
you a title I can't (or cheaper than I can offer,) I am thrilled for you -
honest. My loyalty is to my readers... not amazon.com.
DietWatch
- DietWatch is the world's first diet program that integrates the power
of a web community with a personal nutrition and exercise diary. Enrollment in
the program is free.
Dr. Koop's
Community
- The former U.S. Surgeon General now shares his wisdom with the
world... directly via the internet. There is so much to offer, you owe it to
yourself to go snoop Koop('s Community).
- The site does require free registration, but allows you to send
questions to Dr. K!
E2Card/National
Electronic Archive .gif)
- Do you try to fit your medical history, latest blood test results,
and EKG in your billfold? With an ICD, chances are all that does not fit in a
shoebox. Now there's a company that maintains those records for you. All you
need to do is carry a card that can access all your vital documents in an
electronic archive via a 24-hour FAX on demand service.
Ela
Medical Products
- A pacemaker and defibrillatoir company challenging the more well
known ICD makers for their share of the implantable business. A visit to the
site is worthwhile to see the research Ela is conducting to reduce
inappropriate shocks.
The
Franklin Institute
- This is a unique interactive online museum. Take a fun
"E-ticket" ride through the heart, and visit a comprehensive
FAQ file.
Futura Publishing
Company, Inc.
- This company produces a wide variety of publications for health
professionals, including eight different cardiology journals. Among those...
- Both are official journals of the North American Society of Pacing
and Electrophysiology (NASPE) and the International Cardiac Pacing and
Electrophysiology Society (ICPES.)
- The site also permits ordering many highly technical texts, CD-ROM,
and other media. One such title is
Clinical Aspects of
Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Therapy a booklet for physicians
entering the field of electrophysiology. It is part of a larger work called
Clinical
Approaches to Tachyarrhythmias Series, Volume 9 which is NOT for
anyone who does not understand the highly technical elements inside our magic
boxes.
P\S\L
Consulting Group Inc.
- A multi-layered site. This page connects web users to a brief archive
of recent medical news.
Haifa ICD Group
- The original ICD support group in Israel where many of the new
devices are first tested & implanted. Fantastic Medtronic support files
& links. Dr. Zvi Har'El (not a cardiologist - a patient) has really
made this a labor of love.
Health
Central
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- One of the best sites for consumer level health news. It is more
interactive and user friendly than Dr. Koop plus the scope is broader -
not coincidentally because it mirrors the content presented on TV and radio by
the very credible, Doctor Dean Edell.
- (Free) Registration required. Doing so will allow you to respond to
an extensive questionnaire which will build a remarkable, wide ranging, health
profile for yourself.
- Listen to
Program
- For arrhythmia patients, two specific pages are worth visiting: An
easy to understand discussion of
V-Tach and a well written article that eases the fears of an
EPS.
Health Gate
- HealthGate bridges the information gap between patients, doctors,
researchers and other communities within the health industry. Excellent site
for health care professionals wanting to
search technical documents for specific topics.
- This is a great site for accessing the latest news and research
results. Not the place to go if you don't understand a lot of medical jargon,
but super for physicians, nurses, technicians, and health professionals. If you
can handle a lot of scientific terminology, you will find a wealth of academic
and research papers using the following:
Health Now
- Dr. Mathias Rath's (alternative medicine) web site. The focus: A
program for the reversal of heart disease without surgery. While many are
devoted to these concepts, many oppose parts of the regimine because it
eliminates some types of tratment options.
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Healthy
Heart Market
- Going into a grocery store and reading labels (especially in the
prepared soup aisles) can be enough of a shock to start a V-tach epsiode. Now,
you are as close as a mouse click to shopping for items notloaded with
sodium and other elements which can harm you.
Heart Information
Network
- An extensive site which categorizes and reviews all kinds of
cardiology related resources: Clinics, physicians, diet, and internet sites.
The site also solicits and displays personal stories from heart patients in a
wide variety of categories. It also has a nice display of the most recent
cardiac related news.
Heart Web
- A www-site similar to The ZAPPER except it is
directed more toward the health care professional and researcher with links to
many related sites.
- One of the most useful HeartWeb elements is a great search engine
connected to a very extensive database of EP research and treatment.
implantable.com
- This index dedicated to implantable pacing and defibrillation
technology is targeted more to health professionals.
- Low graphic intensive, it loads fast with more than a dozen
departments of user friendly access to scores of databases. Currently building
an E-Mail directory on site.
Implanted
Defibrillator
- A page of basic information for healthcare providers published
by Inland Cardiology Associates of Spokane, Washington. The page was last
updated in latet 1996, but links to a site promoting a
cruise for ICD
recipients in 1999. The excursion for people aboard a ship (renamed the USS
Arrhythmia) with implantable defibrillators, their families and friends....
with the security of having EP specialists aboard.
Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator
- A similar page of basic information for heart patients who
have been advised they are a candidate for an ICD. This site by the
American Academy of Family
Physicians. Using easy to understand language, the site answers the
questions we all have asked: What is an ICD? Why do I need it? How does it work
and what does it feel like and how will it change my life?
Indiana Heart
Institute
Institute of Heart Math Research
- This research on the effects of thought and emotion on the heart is
facinating. Plus, if numbers can't lie, this data shows how we think and what
we think about CAN determine whether we get a shocking dose of
"therapy" &/or rush to the hospital.
Internet Medical
Education, Inc. Home Page
Invasive Procedures - ICD
- A page in the fairly extensive
Advocate Health Care
site. Several links off this page offer good nuts & bolts information for
patients who do not speak Medicalese. The site is provided for clients of the
huge Chicago area health care provider to get supplemental information
after being told they are getting their own built-in EMS crew.
Ivanhoe Broadcast
News 
- IBN is the producer of MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS and a leading
syndicator of (medical) TV news reports, probably airing in your
hometown. Their product has the highest level of editorial
integrity, while using quality production values.
- Watch their
latest reports on RealPlayer format. It's smart to subscribe to Ivanhoe's
free weekly (emailed) newsletter,
First-to-Know
Bulletin. I don't know how they do it, but they manage to routinely
"scoop" the media giants with advances in medical research and
treatments.
Jon's Place
- A very extensive site with its primary focus on CHF. I'd call this
the premier site by another heart patient (also named Jon) sharing his insights
with others on the same road. Here are a few of the helpful pages:
Mayo
Clinic/Health Oasis
- On online medical encyclopædia from one of the world's most
famous medical centers. Here are a couple pages our readers like:
- What
do Blood Test Numbers Mean? Your lipid levels can tell your doctor whether
you're a candidate for cardiovascular disease. As you compare your numbers with
these, remember: Numbers alone don't tell the whole story. Rely on your
physician to interpret your test results.
- Life After Sudden Death A multi-part series of first person
accounts by a young docotr who has gone through what many of us have
experienced, and survived after the heart stopped beating.
Med Help International
- The Virtual Medical Center for Patients
- This site attempts to offer advice on a wide variety of maladies,
including heart problems. Bear in mind when visiting this site: EVERY body is
different.. and any treatment regimine should be discussed with your
doctor before using it!
MedicineNet
- Arrhythmia section of an extensive database of medical information on
diseases, treatments, procedures, drugs, and news.
Medical
Bloopers
from EP Publishing
- Yes, our road can be traumatic. But who has not also laughed out loud
getting to where you are? For a break from shocks... click here to have your
funny bone tickled by the folks who work to improve our health. The site may
also accept anectdotes from patients too!
Medscape - Medical
Tribune 
- With this super site on the web - DON'T waste time at a magazine
rack! This link will keep you up to date on the latest of new treatment
procedures and research. Some material's pretty specific covering everthing
from AIDS to Zocor... Primarily targeted to health professionals, but much of
it is understandable by the general public. This extensive site answers more
FAQ's (beyond cardiology) than you can imagine!
- Excellent professional level coverage of the
American Heart Association 71st Scientific Sessions:
November 8-11, 1998; Dallas, Texas.
Medtronic
Incorporated
- Primary web site for one of three big Pacemaker/ICD manufacturers.
After a BIG map transfer, connect to many other interesting pages, such as
Medtronic NEWS
RELEASES. Comprehensive history of Medtronic's research and development
programs beyond cardiology.
- Recent additions:
Medtronic Y2K
Compliance and Medtronic Foundation provides information on the company's
grant program.
Rhythms of
Life
- Medtronic's monthly EZine featuringp personal stories and educational
information for pacemaker and defibrillator patients, families and friends.
- Fainting
and Syncope Online Source - Medtronic Reveal®
MSNBC - Health Page
- Much improved site for consumer level health information, with expert
terminology translated into humanese.
- Excellent consumer level coverage from theAmerican
Heart Association 71st Scientific Sessions: November 8-11, 1998;
Dallas, Texas.
Nando
Times 
- Similar to the CNN site. The story selection appears to be updated
frequently and is more user friendly with a better design for an online
service.
Newshub --
Health News by time
- Similar to the NewsEdge/Newspage service we use for the BREAKING NEWS
section of our website.
NitPicker Central The
Defibrillator File
- Does it bug you to see TV use the paddles incorrectly? It drives the
author of this site crazy, so he is documenting theatrical abuse of creative
license.
- A greatly improved site for the organization of physicians,
scientists, and allied professionals dedicated to the study and management of
cardiac arrhythmias. Among the elements available: A nice news release
collection of items of interest to patients and physicians, database for
finding a specialist, reports on current clinical trials, and a very enjoyable
read... Feature Stories.
ON HEALTH
- An online health and medicine encyclopedia. Good basic information in
easy to understand language.
Cardiac Defibrillator
Heart Arrhythmias
Electrophysiology Study
Radiofrequency Ablation
Online Journal of
Cardiology 
- This site is the work of Dr. Micheal Rosengarten of the McGill
Cardiology Program at Montreal General Hospital. It's an excellent site serving
to shrink the distance between cardiac patients and caregivers with
translations from medicalese into humanese. There's also a nice collection of
heart FAQ and ECG tracings in the teaching section.
- EKG recordings: Rhythm Disorders is another interesting
page on this site. Just don't try to memorize everything to compare it in your
mind... when/if you find yourself in the ER or the CICU.(G)
Pacemaker/AICD/ICD Guide
- Includes most companies making the life sustaining devices. This is
fairly inclusive with pictures and other resources if you're comparing or have
the luxury to "shop."
Physio-Control
- Before you got your ICD, it's quite possible you were introduced to
the world of electrophysiology under the paddles of machines made by this
company. PhysioControl, now part of MEDTRONIC, makes the LIFEPAK® and FIRST
MEDIC®, external defibrillators used in a majority of ambulances and
emergency rooms.
Reuters Health
Information Service
- By far and away, the BEST source available on the internet for
health-specific information - the one used most often by CNN, HeartInfo Org,
American Heart Association, Dr. Koop, etc. The PROFESSIONAL service requires
subscription but the CONSUMER level reporting is free.
Saint Jude Medical
- The third of the major pacemaker/ICD makers with merger of Ventritex
in April of 1997. Company is also a major artificial heart valve maker. One
unique facet of their new pacing system addresses treatment of congestive heart
failure. Company maintains an extensive online
NEWS
RELEASE ARCHIVE.
University of California, Irvine
- This is another nice site maintained by a major university's medical
college. Among many online documents: A comprehensive (AHA) file on
arrhythmias.
University of Chicago/Cardiology
- One final site from a university cardiology section, this one from
Duffey's old stomping grounds is pretty extensive with many clearly defined
sub-directories. The EPS site gives a superb idea of what kind of research is
underway in the academic world.
USA Today - Healthline
- The Gannett version of Turner's system above is much improved from
our last look: Now updated more often with a broader scope of material.
ZapList
- Our companion EMail (listserve) service. In structure, it's similar
to our BBS.
- Disclaimer: While many of the above links may offer help or a
solution for you, ALWAYS check with your personal physician, cardiologist, or
electrophysiologist before changing ANY current medication schedule or
treatment program. The publisher of
The ZAPPER neither endorses nor guarantees the the
accuracy of materials provided by these links.
Copyright © 1999 by The CK Trust Fund
Duplication/distribution encouraged -
with attribution.
