Hoping to improve the care of patients with cardiac arrhythmias
Cardiac arrhythmias are common, can substantially impair quality of life, and may even prove fatal. Frieder Braunschweig is dedicated to improving the care for these patients, with a particular focus on remote home follow-up solutions. Meet one of the new professors of Karolinska Institutet who will participate in this year's installation ceremony at Aula Medica on 9 October.
Text: Karin Tideström, for KI’s installation ceremony booklet 2025
What are you researching?
“My research group wants to improve the care of patients with cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure. Our work spans a broad spectrum of topics, from catheter ablation of arrhythmias to the prevention of sudden cardiac death and cardiovascular screening of athletes. One of our particular focal areas is home monitoring using both implantable and non-implantable technology.
Why is this important?
“Cardiac arrhythmias are common and sometimes life-threatening conditions. Using new technical solutions, we can intervene more effectively, increase the patients’ participation in their own care and improve both wellbeing and survival.”
How are you going about this?
“We’re doing both clinical trials and registry studies, often in large national and international collaborations. Our work is multidisciplinary and involves many different professions, from psychologists to nurses, doctors and IT experts. With one of Europe’s largest electrophysiology services at Karolinska University Hospital, we have a strong platform for research and development.
What are your main findings to date?
“We’ve helped to improve arrhythmia therapy for patients with heart failure using such interventions as ablation, cardiac resynchronisation therapy and implantable defibrillators. We’ve also developed an internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy for patients with atrial fibrillation, and added to the understanding of how high-intensity exercise affects the heart.
How do you hope the results will be used?
“Thanks to the close collaboration between our research and Karolinska University Hospital’s department of cardiology, our results can be quickly put to clinical use. Our aim is to improve treatment, quality of life and survival through new methods of catheter ablation, pacemaker treatment, remote monitoring and psychological support.”
About Frieder Braunschweig
Professor of Cardiology with a focus on Arrhythmology at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge
Frieder Braunschweig was born in 1965 in Schleswig, Germany. He graduated in medicine from Heidelberg University, where he also took his doctorate. In 1998, he joined Karolinska University Hospital to specialise in internal medicine and cardiology with a focus on arrhythmia and invasive electrophysiology. In 2002, he completed a PhD at Karolinska Institutet with a thesis on implantable devices in heart failure. In 2016 he was made director of the department of cardiology at Karolinska University Hospital and adjunct professor at Karolinska Institutet. Frieder Braunschweig was appointed Professor at Karolinska Institutet on 1 November 2024.