Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium will be this week, so watch for great info about the latest in atrial fibrillation causes and risk factors, and afib treatments, including medication, catheter ablation, and surgery. If you're going, please let me know so we can meet. StopAfib will be tweeting again from Boston Afib (1/14/10-1/16/10), so please follow …
Read MoreCategory Archives: Surgery
If you have a problem getting Medicare, Medicare Advantage, or your health insurance plan to cover an atrial fibrillation treatment, such as an afib medication, catheter ablation, or mini maze surgery, you don’t have to take "no" for an answer. You can push back by requesting a "coverage determination" or submitting an appeal. To learn …
Read MoreResearch shows the sooner an atrial fibrillation surgical procedure is done, the less likely afib is to recur. People in permanent atrial fibrillation who underwent surgery for other heart diseases and had a left atrial ablation procedure for AF at the same time were more likely to be afib-free if the procedure was done within …
Read MoreYou’re Invited to Detroit and Lansing Atrial Fibrillation Patient Education Forums — 9/23/09–9/25/09
If you're in the Detroit or Lansing, MI areas, please come join us for complimentary afib patient education forums this week. To learn more about each event, see the links below: Detroit Atrial Fibrillation Treatment Education Events - 9/23/2009 & 9/24/2009 Lansing, Michigan Atrial Fibrillation Patient Education Forum - 9/25/2009
Read MorePat Robertson, Founder and Chairman of the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), recently had the Convergent Procedure for his atrial fibrillation, which in this case was accompanied by removal of his left atrial appendage. The Convergent Procedure for atrial fibrillation involves radio-frequency surgery followed by a radio-frequency catheter ablation, both of which are done in a …
Read MoreIn Part 2 of StopAfib.org's video interview with Dr. Michael Argenziano, of NY-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, he discusses a trial that they are participating in that involves implanting a heart rhythm monitor after an atrial fibrillation procedure to see what a patient's rhythm looks like five, ten, and even twenty years later. Video Interview with …
Read MoreIn Part 1 of StopAfib.org's video interview with Dr. Michael Argenziano, he discusses the atrial fibrillation surgery done at NY-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. He covers the kind of surgery that he prefers for those with recent-onset paroxysmal atrial fibrillation as well as for those with one or more failed catheter ablations, for whom he favors …
Read MoreThrough the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the US federal government has allocated $1.1 billion for research into the comparative effectiveness of different medical treatments. New reports just out prioritize atrial fibrillation treatment on this comparative effectiveness research agenda. Comparative effectiveness research has the potential to improve atrial fibrillation patient treatment and save …
Read MoreStopAfib.org now has more atrial fibrillation information, updated references, and some sections have even been expanded. There are updates throughout, but especially check out the following areas: What is Afib - Updated throughout, especially What Causes Afib Can Afib be Cured - Updated and expanded catheter ablation and maze procedure sections and an updated mini maze procedure section …
Read MoreEric Oddleifson, a member of the afib patient community, reported from a session at the Heart Rhythm 2009 AF Summit where Dr. James Edgerton presented findings and recommendations on post-procedure monitoring. After ablation, some doctors rely on patient self-reporting, which can be inaccurate 50% of the time due to silent afib. Through various analyses, Dr. …
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