The Comprehensive Arrhythmia Research and Management Center (CARMA) at the University of Utah Heart Center in Salt Lake City, UT will present a free seminar on atrial fibrillation treatments on May 19th at which Dr. Nassir Marrouche and Mellanie True Hills, CEO of StopAfib.org, will speak.
Learn more: Salt Lake City, UT Atrial Fibrillation Seminar — 5/19/10
The “AFib Educator” iPhone App and desktop and laptop widget was launched this morning by the AF Stat coalition. The purpose behind the tool is to help doctors communicate with atrial fibrillation patients, but patients can download it, too.
Find out more and download it at: AFib Educator Smartphone App and Desktop Widget Offers Patient Dialogue Tool for a Complex Cardiovascular Disease
Please come back and tell us what you think of it in the comments below. Would this facilitate communication between you and your doctor about afib? Why or why not? What enhancements would you suggest? Thanks.
New research from Dr. Andrea Natale and colleagues on gender disparities in atrial fibrillation points out that women with afib are less likely to have catheter ablation treatment than men. When they do have atrial fibrillation catheter ablations, they tend to be older and sicker, meaning that they are more likely to have persistent or long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation instead of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. In addition, they tend to have had more failed antiarrhythmic drugs and end up having more complications from catheter ablation than men.
There was an update today on the long-awaited FDA status of Atritech’s WATCHMAN® device. If approved, it would provide an alternative to taking Coumadin or warfarin to prevent strokes for those with atrial fibrillation.
Here are some quotes from the press release.
Minneapolis (March 18, 2010) — Atritech, Inc., an emerging medical device company, announced today that it has obtained clarity from the U.S. Food and Drug Agency (FDA) on the regulatory path towards full approval of its WATCHMAN® Left Atrial Appendage (LAA) Closure Technology in the United States.
In a recent letter received from the FDA, the agency requested that a confirmatory study be conducted to further substantiate the safety and effectiveness of the WATCHMAN® LAA Closure Technology in patients with atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke and eligible for anticoagulation therapy. Atritech will be working closely with the FDA to finalize the study design and is looking to start the confirmatory study later this year.
Also mentioned in the press release was the presentation this week at the American College of Cardiology meetings of data related to the WATCHMAN®.
Earlier this week, American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) President-Elect Dr. David Holmes, presented 1350 patient years of follow up data from the PROTECT AF clinical trial at the annual ACC meeting in Atlanta. Highlights of the data include a 31% risk reduction in all stroke, cardiovascular death and systemic thromboembolism [blood clots] in the WATCHMAN group as compared to patients on Warfarin. The results presented were comparable to those presented in the initial data published in The Lancet, August 2009.
It’s good to find out where this stands with the FDA as it has been nearly 11 months since the FDA Advisory Committee voted 7-5 in favor of recommending approval. The small study size and safety concerns were at issue, and this announcement clarifies what is still needed for FDA approval.
For more information and background about the FDA’s review of the WATCHMAN device, read: Watchman Device as Alternative to Warfarin or Coumadin – Updated 4/24/09
Genetic tests that show high or low sensitivity to blood thinner (anticoagulant) drugs like warfarin (Coumadin) not only improve dosing accuracy but also reduce hospitalization by 31%, according to a new study just presented at the American College of Cardiology scientific sessions. Coumadin is often prescribed for people who have afib to prevent blood clots that can cause strokes.
Read more: Gene Test Improves Use of Coumadin (warfarin) for Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation
A new study just presented at the American College of Cardiology scientific sessions found psoriasis to be a significant and independent risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF) and a stroke risk factor, too. Mild psoriasis increases afib risk by 22% while moderate-to-severe psoriasis raises afib risk by 51%. This chronic inflammatory condition also raises other cardiovascular risks.
Read more: Psoriasis Raises Risk of Atrial Fibrillation (AF)
Important new research from the STOP AF Study of people with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) shows a type of catheter ablation called cryoablation worked better than drugs to control arrhythmias. One year after treatment, 69.9% of people treated with cryoablation had no episodes of afib compared to 7.3% of those who were treated with anti-arrhythmic medications. Read more at:
Study Shows Cryoablation Beats Antiarrhythmic Drugs for Treating Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
The AFib Educator will provide healthcare professionals with an at-hand resource to help illustrate how AFib affects patients including risks and symptoms.The free app and desktop widget will feature detailed animations of the heart, EKG demos and x-ray images. It will also show patients how AFib impacts the flow of blood between the heart’s chambers as well as electrical impulses.
Updated 3-22-10: The AFib Educator is now available. Find out more about how to download it to your desktop, laptop, or smartphone device (iPhoneTM mobile digital format) at “AFib Educator” Smartphone App and Desktop Widget Offers Patient Dialogue Tool for a Complex Cardiovascular Disease
At Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium 2010, Dr. Andrea Russo talked about gender differences in atrial fibrillation treatment, including catheter ablation, as well as women and the risk of stroke from afib.
Watch the video:
Interview with Dr. Andrea Russo at Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium 2010
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