At Heart Rhythm 2010, there was an update on the results of the STOP AF (Sustained Treatment of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation) clinical trial that involved patients who received cryoablation using the Arctic Front® Cardiac CryoAblation Catheter System. At twelve months following these procedures, these younger, highly-symptomatic patients had better quality of life and dramatically decreased …
Read More
AF patients are generally at a higher risk for stroke and thus may have to take anticoagulant medications, such as Coumadin or warfarin, to manage their afib-related stroke risk. With the FDA's recent approval of AtriCure's AtriClip device that is implanted during open heart surgery, afib patients and their doctors may now have another way …
Read More
Catheter ablation in persistent and longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation patients has traditionally had low success rates since many of the triggers causing atrial fibrillation are dispersed throughout the left atrium. Thus isolation of the pulmonary veins, which works well for those with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, is often an incomplete solution for those with persistent forms …
Read More
Findings presented at Heart Rhythm 2010 showed that stopping atrial fibrillation—whether through medication, surgery, or in the case of this study, catheter ablation— could potentially prevent the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and also reduce the risk of stroke and death. Doctors John D. Day, MD, and T. Jared Bunch, MD, at …
Read More
Atrial fibrillation took center stage in a feature story in Tuesday's Washington Post. The article not only looked at treatment for atrial fibrillation, but also at what afib does to patients. The atrial fibrillation experiences of Mellanie True Hills, founder of StopAfib.org, were included in this story. Read more at: Washington Post Highlights Afib: Atrial …
Read More
StopAfib.org is joining with the Arrhythmia Alliance (A-A), ICPES (International Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology), and numerous other international organizations in celebrating World Heart Rhythm Week. This annual global event is focused on raising awareness of, and education about, heart rhythm disorders such as atrial fibrillation and other heart arrhythmias. StopAfib.org is proud to be a …
Read More
Doctors are trying to identify the characteristics that predict which patients aren’t likely to be successful with a catheter ablation for their atrial fibrillation. At a session at the recent Heart Rhythm Society annual meeting, some of the factors discussed included left atrial size, left atrial volume, left ventricle dysfunction (improper functioning of the left …
Read More
An important session at Heart Rhythm Society 2010 was "Medical Issues After Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation and Flutter." It dealt with what constitutes success following catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (afib) and atrial flutter, and which is more important, the medical definition or the patient's definition. Which definition is used can have implications for treatment …
Read More
In this video interview, Dr. Nassir Marrouche, Executive Director of the Comprehensive Arrhythmia Research and Management (CARMA) Center at the University of Utah Health System, discusses the findings he recently presented at the Heart Rhythm Society annual meeting in Denver. He discussed the intriguing way they are using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), to personalize atrial …
Read More
In this video interview, Dr. Nassir Marrouche talked about the exciting research he and his team presented at Heart Rhythm 2010 that allows them to personalize atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment. They do catheter ablations and manage stroke prevention based on the amount of atrial fibrosis and atrial remodeling detected by …
Read More