David Benditt

Professor of Medicine

Co-Director, Cardiac Arrhythmia and Syncope Center

Specialties

Cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology

Medical School

University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Residency

University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Fellowship 

Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina

Clinical Interests

Evaluation and care of patients with syncope and heart-rhythm disturbances. For more than 15 years, I have directed an annual CME course addressing these issues for both physicians and nurses.

Research Interests

Syncope and cardiac rhythm management 

Professional Organizations

American Heart Association, established investigator
American Heart Association (Minnesota Affiliate), past president
Heart Rhythm Society (previously known as the North American Society for Pacing and Electrophysiology or NASPE), past president
Council of Presidents, Heart Rhythm Society
American College of Cardiology, Fellow
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Fellow

Journal Editorial Boards

Journal of Interventional Electrophysiology (Associate Editor)
Europace
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
American Journal of Cardiology  

Recent Publications

2009

van Dijk JG, Thijs RD, Benditt DG, Wieling W. A guide to disorders causing transient loss of consciousness: Focus on syncope. Nat Rev Neurol 2009;July 14 (e-pub ahead of print)

Wieling W, Thijs RD, van Dijk N, Wilde AA, Benditt DG, van Dijk JG. Symptoms and signs of syncope: A review of the link between physiology and clinical clues. Brain 2009;July 8 (e-pub ahead of print)

Benditt DG, Goldstein M, Belalcazar A. The leadless ultrasonic pacemaker: A sound idea? Heart Rhythm 2009;6:749-751.

Benditt DG, Nguyen JT. Syncope: Therapeutic approaches. J Am Coll Cardiol 2009;53:1741-151.

Ermis C, Benditt DG. Recurrent falls: Pace now, or wait for another fall? Heart 2009;95:350-352.

Can I, Liao K, Benditt DG. Residual recipient right-atrial tissue responsive to atropine 10 years following 'bi-caval' orthotopic heart-lung transplantation. Europace 2009;11:264-265. 

Venugopal D, Patterson R, Jhanjee R, McKnite S, Lurie KG, Belalcazar A, Benditt DG. Subcutaneous bioimpedance recording: Assessment of a method for hemodynamic monitoring by implanted devices. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2009;20:76-81. 
 

2008

Moya A, Brignole M, Sutton R, Menozzi C, Garcia-Civera R, Wieling W, Andresen D, Benditt DG, Garcia-Sacristán JF, Beiras X, Grovale N, Vardas P; International Study on Syncope of Uncertain Etiology 2 (ISSUE 2) Group. Reproducibility of electrocardiographic findings in patients with suspected reflex neurally-mediated
syncope. Am J Cardiol 2008;102:1518-1523.

Chow T, Kereiakes DJ, Onufer J, Woelfel A, Gursoy S, Peterson BJ, Brown ML, Pu W, Benditt DG; MASTER Trial Investigators. Does microvolt T-wave alternans testing predict ventricular tachyarrhythmias in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and prophylactic defibrillators? The MASTER (Microvolt T-Wave Alternans Testing for Risk Stratification of Post-Myocardial Infarction Patients) trial. J Am Coll Cardiol 2008;52:1607-1615.

Chen LY, Benditt DG, Shen WK. Management of syncope in adults: An update. Mayo Clin Proc 2008;83:1280-1293.

Nguyen JT, Benditt DG. Atrial fibrillation susceptibility in metabolic syndrome: Simply the sum of its parts? Circulation 2008;117:1249-1251.

2007

Yannopoulos D, Lurie KG, Sakaguchi S, Milstein S, Ermis C, VanHeel L, Benditt DG. Reduced atrial tachyarrhythmia susceptibility after upgrade of conventional implanted pulse generator to cardiac resynchronization therapy in patients with heart failure. J Am Coll Cardiol 2007;50:1246-1251

Anderson SE, Skadsberg ND, Laske TG, Benditt DG, Iaizzo PA. Variation in pacing impedance: Impact of implant site and measurement method. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2007;30:1076-1082

Brignole M, Sutton R, Wieling W, Lu SN, Erickson MK, Markowitz T, Grovale N, Ammirati F, Benditt DG. Analysis of rhythm variation during spontaneous cardioinhibitory neurally-mediated syncope: Implications for RDR pacing optimization (An ISSUE 2 substudy). Europace 2007;9:305-311

Ermis C, Zhu AX, Vanheel L, Sakaguchi RN, Lurie KG, Lu F, Benditt DG. Comparison of ventricular-arrhythmia burden, therapeutic interventions, and survival in patients <75 and patients >or= 75 years of age treated with implantable cardioverter defibrillators. Europace 2007;9:270-274

Lü F, Iaizzo PA, Benditt DG, Mehra R, Warman EN, McHenry BT. Isolated atrial-segment pacing: An alternative to His bundle pacing after atrioventricular-junctional ablation. J Am Coll Cardiol 2007;49:1443-1449.

Ermis C, Benditt DG. Stent stabilization of left-ventricular pacing leads for cardiac resynchronization therapy: A promising concept? J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2007;18:308-309.

Melby DP, Lu F, Sakaguchi S, Zook M, Benditt DG. Increased impedance to inspiration ameliorates hemodynamic changes associated with movement to upright posture in orthostatic hypotension: A randomized, blinded pilot study. Heart Rhythm 2007;4:128-135.

Venugopal D, Jhanjee R, Benditt DG. Current management of syncope: Focus on drug therapy. Am J Cardiovasc Drugs 2007;7:399-411. 

2006   

Benditt DG, Olshansky B, Wieling W; Ad Hoc Syncope Consortium. The ACCF/AHA scientific statement on syncope needs rethinking. J Am Coll Cardiol 2006;48:2598-2599

Benditt DG; Ad Hoc Syncope Consortium. The ACCF/AHA scientific statement on syncope: A document in need of thoughtful revision. Europace 2006;8:1017-1021.

Jhanjee R, van Dijk JG, Sakaguchi S, Benditt DG. Syncope in adults: Terminology, classification, and diagnostic strategy. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2006;29:1160-1169.

Lin JC, Goldstein M, Benditt DG. UKPACE: To die, or not to die. . .is that the question? Europace 2006;8:852-854.

Yannopoulos D, Metzger A, McKnite S, Nadkarni V, Aufderheide TP, Idris A, Dries D, Benditt DG, Lurie KG. Intrathoracic pressure regulation improves vital organ perfusion pressures in normovolemic and hypovolemic pigs. Resuscitation 2006;70:445-453.

Brignole M, Sutton R, Menozzi C, Garcia-Civera R, Moya A, Wieling W, Andresen D, Benditt DG, Grovale N, De Santo T, Vardas P; International Study on Syncope of Uncertain Etiology 2 (ISSUE 2) Group. Lack of correlation between the responses to tilt testing and adenosine triphosphate test and the mechanism of spontaneous neurally-mediated syncope. Eur Heart J 2006;27:2232-2239.

Ermis C, Benditt DG. Cardiac resynchronization pacing without defibrillator capability: Is this a viable option? Europace 2006;8:499-501.

Benditt DG, Lu F. Atriofascicular pathways: Fuzzy nomenclature or merely wishful thinking? J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2006;17:261-265.

Brignole M, Sutton R, Menozzi C, Garcia-Civera R, Moya A, Wieling W, Andresen D, Benditt DG, Vardas P; International Study on Syncope of Uncertain Etiology 2 (ISSUE 2) Group. Early application of an implantable loop recorder allows effective specific therapy in patients with recurrent suspected neurally-mediated syncope. Eur Heart J 2006;27:1085-1092.

Srinivasan V, Nadkarni VM, Yannopoulos D, Marino BS, Sigurdsson G, McKnite SH, Zook M, Benditt DG, Lurie KG. Spontaneous gasping decreases intracranial pressure and improves cerebral perfusion in a pig model of ventricular fibrillation. Resuscitation 2006;69:329-334.

Srinivasan V, Nadkarni VM, Yannopoulos D, Marino BS, Sigurdsson G, McKnite SH, Zook M, Benditt DG, Lurie KG. Rapid induction of cerebral hypothermia is enhanced with active compression-decompression plus inspiratory impedance threshold device cardiopulmonary resusitation in a porcine model of cardiac arrest. J Am Coll Cardiol 2006;47:835-841.

Sigurdsson G, Yannopoulos D, McKnite SH, Sondeen JL, Benditt DG, Lurie KG. Effects of an inspiratory-impedance threshold device on blood pressure and short-term survival in spontaneously-breathing hypovolemic pigs. Resuscitation 2006;68:399-404.

Benditt DG. Syncope-management guidelines at work: First steps towards assessing clinical utility. Eur Heart J 2006;27:7-9. 

2005

Flammang D, Pelleg A, Benditt DG. The adenosine triphospate (ATP) test for evaluation of syncope of unknown origin. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2005;16:1388-1389.

Ermis C, Seutter R, Zhu AX, Benditt LC, VanHeel L, Sakaguchi S, Lurie KG, Lu F, Benditt DG. Impact of upgrade to cardiac resynchronization therapy on ventricular-arrhythmia frequency in patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators. J Am Coll Cardiol 2005;46:2258-2263.

Han X, Benditt DG. Preservation of sinus-node function by angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2005;16:1215-1217.

Yannopoulos D, Nadkarni VM, McKnite SH, Rao A, Kruger K, Metzger A, Benditt DG, Lurie KG. Intrathoracic pressure regulator during continuous-chest-compression advanced cardiac resuscitation improves vital-organ perfusion pressures in a porcine model of cardiac arrest. Circulation 2005;112:803-811.

Benditt DG, Samniah N, Pham S, Sakaguchi S, Lu F, Lurie KG, Ermis C. Effect of cough on heart rate and blood pressure in patients with "cough syncope.” Heart Rhythm 2005;2:807-813.

Ermis C, Zhu AX, Vanheel L, Lemke MJ, Sakaguchi S, Lurie KG, Lu F, Lin J, Benditt DG. Comparison of ventricular-arrhythmia frequency in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy vs. non-ischemic cardiomyopathy treated with implantable cardioverter defibrillators. Am J Cardiol 2005;96:233-238.

Benditt DG, Sutton R. Tilt-table testing in the evaluation of syncope. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2005;16:356-358.

Joshi AK, Kowey PR, Prystowsky EN, Benditt DG, Cannom DS, Pratt CM, McNamara A, Sangrigoli RM. First experience with a Mobile Cardiac Outpatient Telemetry (MCOT) system for the diagnosis and management of cardiac arrhythmia. Am J Cardiol 2005;95:878-881.

Ermis C, Boz A, Tholakanahalli V, Yalcinkaya S, Semiz E, Sancaktar O, Benditt DG, Deger N. Assessment of percutaneous coronary intervention on regional and global left-ventricular function in patients with chronic total occlusions. Can J Cardiol 2005;21:275-280.

Thijs RD, Benditt DG, Mathias CJ, Schondorf R, Sutton R, Wieling W, van Dijk JG. Unconscious confusion: A literature search for definitions of syncope and related disorders. Clin Auton Res 2005;15:35-39.