Department of Internal Medicine

Cardiovascular Medicine Faculty

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Brian Olshansky, M.D.
Professor

Dr. Olshansky's research is in cardiac electrophysiology. Current projects include study of the mechanism of tachycardias, autonomic control of arrhythmias and novel pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to arrhythmias.

Clinical projects include:

1. New lead technology and new technology for pacemakers and implantable defibrillators
2. Device therapy for congestive heart failure
3. New mapping technologies to assess arrhythmia mechanisms.
4. Etiologies and treatment of syncope.
5. Rate control approaches to atrial fibrillation
6. Approaches to cost effective arrhythmia management
7. Clinical studies in atrial arrhythmias: mechanisms, methods of termination, influence of drugs, need for anticoagulation, benefit of pacing, defibrillation, ablation
8. Investigations of new implantable defibrillator systems
9. Omega-3 fatty acids in patients with coronary disease
10. Arrhythmias in the athlete
11. Complementary and alternative medicine in cardiology

Honors, Awards, and Organizations

• Member, American Heart Association
• Member of Central Society for Clinical Research
• Fellow of the American College of Cardiology
• Fellow of the American College of Medicine
• Member of NASPE and the Education Committee
• Who's Who in America-National Registry
• Member of Editorial Board-Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 1996-2000
• Member of Editorial Board for American Heart Journal, 1996-
• Member of Editorial Board for Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, 1999-
• Member of Editorial Board of The American Journal of Medicine & Sports, 1999-
• Member of Editorial Board of PACE-Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology, 1999-
• Managing Editor, eMedicine.com for Cardiac Arrhythmias, 2000-
• Guest Editor, Disease Management and Clinical Outcomes special issue about Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2002
• NIH Study Section: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Small Business for 4 years
• Manuscript Reviewer-American Journal of Cardiology, American Journal of Medicine, American Journal of Medical Sciences, Journal of Invasive Cardiac Electrophysiology, American Journal of Physiology, Circulation, American Heart Journal, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Chest, PACE, Circulation Research, Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, Journal of Electrophysiology, Journal of Electrocardiology, Archives of Internal Medicine, Journal of Cardiovascular Research, New England Journal of Medicine, 1981-present
• Fellowship Training Director, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
• Best Doctors in America, 2002 and 2003
• Above & Beyond The Call of Duty Award, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, 2002
• Physician Recognition Award, American Medical Association, 2003
• Member of Editorial Board, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 7/1/2003 - 6/30/2005.
• Section Editor, Current Cardiology Reports: Antiarrhythmic Drugs Vols. 4, 5, 6, 2003.
• NASPE Education Committee member, WEB Content Subcommittee member, 2003-2004
• Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Geriatric Cardiology Beijing, 2004.

Recent Publications

1. Olshansky B, Rosenfeld L, Warner A, Solomon A, O'Neill G, Sharma A, Platia E, Feld G, Akiyama T, Brodsky M, Greene HL and AFFIRM Investigators: The AFFIRM Study: Approaches to Control Rate in Atrial Fibrillation. J Am Coll Cardiol 43:1201-1208, 2004.
2. Nerheim P, Birger-Botkin S, Piracha L, Olshansky B: Heart Failure and Sudden Death in Patients with Tachycardia-induced Cardiomyopathy and Recurrent Tachycardia. Circulation 110:247-252, 2004.
3. Guo H, Nerheim P, Olshansky B: Irregular Atrial Activation During Atrioventricular Nodal Reentrant Tachycardia: Evidence of an Upper Common Pathway. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 14:309-313, 2003.
4. Goldschlager N, Epstein AE, Grubb BP, Olshansky B, Roberts WC, Scheinman MM: Practice Guidelines Subcommittee of NASPE: Etiologic Considerations in the Patient with Syncope and an Apparently Normal Heart. Archives Int Med 163(2):151-162, 2003.
5. Olshansky B, Dossey L: Retroactive Prayer: A Preposterous Hypothesis? Brit Med J 327:1465-1468, 2003.
6. Olshansky B, Rubin A, Kostis J, Dalquist J, Greene L, Sami M, Shorofsky S, Owens S: Does Amiodarone Place Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and Pulmonary Disease at Excess Risk? Results from the AFFIRM Study. Am J Cardiol (In press, 2004).
7. Olshansky B: Combining Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation with Atrial Flutter: Are We There Yet? J Am Coll Cardiol 43 (11):2063-2065, 2004.
8. Olshansky B. Advances in atrial flutter mapping: what goes around comes around. [Editorial] J Cardiovasc Electrophys 15(4):415-7, 2004.
9. Guo H, Shaheen W, Kerber R, Olshansky B: Cardioversion of Atrial Tachyarrhythmias: Anticoagulation to Reduce Thromboembolic Complications. Prog in Cardiovasc Dis 46:487-505, 2004.
10. Birger-Botkin S, Dhanekula LS, Olshansky B: Outpatient Cardioversion of Atrial Flutter and Atrial Fibrillation: Efficacy, Safety, and Costs. Am Heart J 145 (2) 2003.
11. Steinberg JS, Sadaniantz A, Kron J, Krahn A, Denny DM, Daubert J, Campbell WB, Havranek E, Murray K, Olshansky B, O'Neil G, Sami M, Schmidt S, Storm R, Zabalgoitia M, Miller J, Chandler M, Nasco EM, Greene HL, and NHLBI AFFIRM Investigators: Analysis of Cause-Specific Mortality in the Atrial Fibrillation Follow Up Investigation of Rhythm Management (AFFIRM) Trial. Circ 109:1973-1980, 2004.
12. Telfer A, Mecca A, Martini M, Olshansky B: Implantable Defibrillator use for De Novo Ventricular Tachyarrhythmias Encountered after Cardiac Surgery. PACE 25(6):951-6, 2002.
13. Loutrianakis E, Olshansky B: Early vs. Late Atrial Fibrillation after Atrial Flutter Ablation. J Inv Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 6(2):173-80 2002.
14. Christenson S, Olshansky B, Shivkumar K: An Unusual Response to Atrial Extrastimulus Testing. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 13(2):200, 2002.
15. Zimetbaum P, Kalon K, Hadjis T, Olshansky B, Lemery R, Friedman P, Cannom D, Chen X, Josephson M: Variation in the Utilization of Antiarrhythmic Medications in Patients with New Onset Atrial Fibrillation: Results from a Registry of New Onset Atrial Fibrillation. Am J Cardiol 91:81-83, 2003.
16. Grubb B, Olshansky B (Eds.): Syncope: Mechanisms and Management,  2nd edition (In press).
17. Guo HM, Olshansky B: "Atrial Fibrillation: Practical Approaches" in Cardiology for the Primary Care Physician, 4 th Edition, (2004).
18. Olshansky B, Nerheim P, Kerber R: "Antiarrhythmic Drugs and Cardiac Resuscitation. Defibrillation" in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. Ornato JP, Perdy MA (Eds). Humana Press, Totowa, NJ, 2004. pp 349-375.
19. Olshansky B: The DAVID Trial and Its Implications: Where Do We Go From Here? Current Cardiol Reports 5:377-379, 2003.
20. Olshansky B. Hope for a better world.  Cardiology in Review. 11(6):306-8, 2003
21. Olshansky B. Complementary and alternative medicine: the need for data. [Editorial] Card in Review 11(2):53-5, 2003 Mar-Apr.
22. Berenji K, Nerheim P, Olshansky B: Inadvertent Positioning of Pacemaker Leads in the Pericardium. PACE 26:2039-2041, 2003.
23. Olshansky B: The Visible Athlete: Views from a Treating Physician. Am J Med & Sports 4:347-349, Sept/Oct 2002.
24. Olshansky B. High intensity anticoagulation for cardioversion of atrial arrhythmias? The shocking truth.[comment]. J Am Coll Cardiol 40(8):1543, 2002.
25. AFFIRM Investigators (Olshansky a contributor): A Comparison of Rate Control and Rhythm Control in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation. New Engl J Med 347:1825-1833, 2002.
26. The AFFIRM Investigators. Baseline Characteristics of Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: the AFFIRM Study. Am Heart J 143:991-1001, 2002 (Olshansky listed as investigator).
27. Wilkoff B, Cook J, Epstein A, Greene HL, Hallstrom A P, Hsia H, Kutalek S P, Sharma A. Dual-Chamber Pacing or Ventricular Backup Pacing In Patients With an Implantable Defibrillator: The Dual Chamber And VVI Implantable Defibrillator (DAVID) Trial. JAMA 288:3115-23, 2002 (cited as an investigator).
28. Friedman, PA, Ip JH, Jazayeri, M, Lobban JH, Olshansky B, Zhou D, Knowles T, Euler DE, for the RID-AF Investigators: The Impact of Atrial Prevention and Termination Therapies on Atrial Tachyarrhythmia Burden in Patients Receiving a Dual-Chamber Defibrillator for Ventricular Arrhythmias. J Intervent Card Electrophysiol 10:103-110, 2004.
29. Cesario D, Valderrabano M, Cai J, Ji S, Shannon KM, Weiss JN, Wiener I, Chen PS, Olshansky B and Shivkumar K. Electrophysiological Characterization of Cardiac Veins in Humans. J Intervent Card Electrophysiol 2004 (in-press).
30. Vats HS, Richardson SK, Pulukurthy S, Olshansky B: Pericarditis in Myasthenia Gravis (Case Report). Cardiology in Review 12:134-137, 2004.
31. Nerheim P. Krishnan SC. Olshansky B. Shivkumar K. Apoptosis in the genesis of cardiac rhythm disorders. [Review] [30 refs] [Journal Article. Review. Cardiology Clinics. 19(1):155-63, 2001.
32. Estes NA 3rd. Link MS. Cannom D. Naccarelli GV. Prystowsky EN. Maron BJ. Olshansky B. Expert Consensus Conference on Arrhythmias in the Athlete of the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiololgy. Report of the NASPE policy conference on arrhythmias and the athlete. Guideline. Journal Article. Practice Guideline J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 12(10):1208-19, 2001.
33. Olshansky B. For whom does the bell toll? [Editorial] J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 12(9):1002-3, 2001.
34. Olshansky B. Syncope evaluation at a crossroad: for which patients?  [Editorial] Circulation. 104(1):7-8, 2001.
35. Olshansky B. Shivkumar K. Patient--heal thyself? Electrophysiology meets alternative medicine. [Editorial] Pacing & Clin Electrophysiol 24(4 Pt 1):403-5, 2001.
36. Guo H. Hecker S. Levy S. Olshansky B. Ventricular tachycardia with QRS configuration similar to that in sinus rhythm and a myocardial origin: differential diagnosis with bundle branch reentry. Europace. 3(2):115-23, 2001.
37. Goldschlager N. Epstein A. Friedman P. Gang E. Krol R. Olshansky B. North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology (NASPE) Practice Guideline Committee. Environmental and drug effects on patients with pacemakers and implantable cardioverter/defibrillators: a practical guide to patient treatment. [Review]. Arch of Int Med 161(5):649-55, 2001.
38. Quintos RF. Barakat T. Mecca A. Olshansky B. Apparent bidirectional conduction block following radiofrequency catheter ablation of typical atrial flutter. J Interven Card Electrophysiol 5(1):109-18, 2001.
39. Olshansky B. Loots D. McGrory-Usset M. Implantable cardioverter defibrillator practices and costs at an academic medical center. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 12(2):162-6, 2001.
40. Goldschlager N. Epstein AE. Naccarelli G. Olshansky B. Singh B. Practical guidelines for clinicians who treat patients with amiodarone. Practice Guidelines Subcommittee, North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology. Arch of Int Med 160(12):1741-8, 2000.
41. Olshansky B. Telfer EA. Curtis AB. Bigger JT Jr. Predictive value of preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction and functional class for mortality and morbidity after high-risk coronary artery bypass grafting. Amer J Card. 85(12):1489-91; A7, 2000.
42. Olshansky B. The death of my father. Pacing & Clin Electrophysiol 23(4 Pt 1):525-6, 2000.

Links of Interest

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