At the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2011, Dr. John Mandrola presented a poster on gender-specific results of atrial fibrillation ablation in a private practice setting. In this video interview with him about the poster, he mentioned that in his experience women appear to be more challenging to treat with atrial fibrillation ablation and do …
Read More
An FDA advisory panel voted that the overall benefits outweighed the risks in afib ablations using the AtriCure Synergy bipolar radiofrequency clamp. This was based on the results of the ABLATE clinical trial for ablation of persistent or longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation during other heart surgery. The panel recommended that the FDA approve it, setting …
Read More
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Xarelto (rivaroxaban) to reduce stroke risk in those with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (afib unrelated to heart valve problems). Xarelto is now the second oral alternative to warfarin (Coumadin) and offers an option for those unable to take warfarin or dabigatran. Xarelto is the first once-a-day alternative to …
Read More
In this important video interview at Venice Arrhythmias, Professor Gregory Lip discusses the importance of the CHA2DS2-VASc scoring tool for predicting atrial fibrillation stroke risk and why aspirin is not appropriate for preventing strokes. Watch the video at: Professor Gregory Lip Discusses CHA2DS2-VASc Tool for Predicting Stroke Risk in Atrial Fibrillation — Video
Read More
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Advisory Committee just voted 9-2, with 1 abstaining, to recommend that the FDA approve rivaroxaban (Xarelto) for prevention of atrial fibrillation strokes. See our full story, now up at: FDA Panel Votes for Rivaroxaban: Atrial Fibrillation Patients May Soon Have Two Alternatives to Warfarin for Stroke Prevention
Read More
Just ahead of the FDA Advisory Committee hearing on rivaroxaban for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation, we report in more depth on the ROCKET-AF trial results published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine. Rivaroxaban was shown to be as effective as warfarin (Coumadin) for stroke prevention in a high-risk afib population. To learn …
Read More
The US FDA has just announced that on September 8, 2011, the FDA Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee will meet to review whether to recommend approval of rivaroxaban (brand name Xarelto), an alternative to warfarin, for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation. In this recent video interview, Dr. Elaine Hylek, a leading anticoagulant authority, discussed …
Read More
While catheter ablation has been proven more effective at stopping atrial fibrillation than antiarrhythmic drugs, pulmonary veins may reconnect and atrial fibrillation may return, causing the catheter ablation to fail. At the recent Heart Rhythm Society meeting, Dr. Vivek Reddy, Director of Cardiac Arrhythmia Services at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City, presented clinical …
Read More
Data presented at the recent 2011 Heart Rhythm Society meeting in San Francisco regarding the effectiveness of catheter ablation for treatment of persistent atrial fibrillation suggests that multiple procedures may be needed. Dr. Thomas Rostock presented data on 395 patients (261 with persistent atrial fibrillation and 134 with longstanding persistent afib) who had stepwise ablation …
Read More
A study presented at the recent American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions by Dr. Matthew Reynolds of the Harvard Clinical Research Institute showed that having a radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation could reduce the risk of stroke by 40% compared to those who did not have an ablation. To learn more, see: Radiofrequency …
Read More