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
At Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium 2010, Dr. Vivek Reddy shared with us some of the new atrial fibrillation catheter ablation techniques and also talked about non-pharmacological approaches to afib stroke prevention.
See the video: Interview with Dr. Vivek Reddy at Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium 2010
Urgent coordinated action is needed to avoid the thousands of preventable strokes that leave many atrial fibrillation (AF) patients mentally and physically disabled or dead every year. A report, How Can We Avoid a Stroke Crisis?, was launched today in the European Parliament in Brussels by Action for Stroke Prevention, a group of health experts from across Europe.
It proposes measures to tackle stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (afib), the most common, sustained abnormal heart rhythm and a major cause of stroke. Their proposal, endorsed by 17 leading European medical professional and patient organizations, calls for EU policy makers and Member State governments to act before the increasing frequency of these strokes becomes a major public health crisis.
StopAfib.org is proud to be one of the 17 organizations involved in and endorsing this report.
To learn more, read: Action for Stroke Prevention Launches New Health Report Exposing Imminent Risk of a Stroke Crisis in Europe
This very important story may change how afib patients and their doctors decide if they should be on anticoagulant medications (blood thinners), such as Coumadin or warfarin.
The CHADS2 scoring system is how doctors now decide who should be on Coumadin or warfarin to avoid strokes, but a newly-published study adds new stroke risk factors that are not considered in CHADS2.
These new risk factors, including being female, having heart or vascular disease, and being age 65 or greater (CHADS2 uses 75 or greater), have been incorporated in a scoring system called the “2009 Birmingham Schema” (CHA2DS2-VASc). This new approach enhances the existing CHADS2 system, giving two points to definitive stroke risk factors and one point to combination stroke risk factors.
To learn more, read: New Stroke Risk Factors for Those with Atrial Fibrillation: Female Gender, Heart Disease, and Age
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has introduced a video to help those on anticoagulant drugs, such as Coumadin or warfarin, to use them safely. The video is designed to complement what patients learn from their doctors, pharmacies, or Coumadin clinics.
Anticoagulants reduce the risk of stroke in those with atrial fibrillation by avoiding the formation of blood clots, but they can also be difficult to use and are a major source of hospitalizations and emergency room visits. The video, Staying Active and Healthy with Blood Thinners, aims to make them easier to manage by introducing four steps for patients to follow. The video, which is available in both English and Spanish, is also accompanied by a booklet.
Find out more: Video Helps Those with Atrial Fibrillation to Safely Manage Anticoagulant Medications Coumadin and Warfarin
There is a lot of big news coming out of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) going on in Barcelona right now. Judging by attendance, this is probably the biggest cardiology event in the world.
The big announcement for atrial fibrillation sufferers is the progress towards a replacement for Coumadin (warfarin) coming out of the results of the Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagulant Therapy trial, known as the RE-LY trial.
Trial results showed that dabigatran, a potential Coumadin® replacement that is marketed under the brand name of Pradaxa outside the U.S., is more effective than warfarin at preventing strokes from clotting (ischemic stroke) and bleeding (hemorrhagic stroke).
This is great news for those with atrial fibrillation who are on warfarin as it is so difficult and time-consuming to manage that most who are on it are only in the therapeutic range (INR between 2.0 and 3.0) two-thirds of the time.
Also of interest is the new Stroke Prevention channel on You Tube that Boehringer Ingelheim, the manufacturer of dabigatran, launched in conjunction with the release of the study findings.
Read more and get the link to some stroke prevention videos at: Dabigatran Better than Warfarin for Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation
Recently we reported on the results of the Watchman device trial as an alternative to Coumadin or warfarin in the prevention of strokes among those with atrial fibrillation. We mentioned that it would be reviewed by the FDA Advisory Committee on April 23, 2009.
In advance of the review meeting on Thursday, the FDA has just released their documents and opinions. We’ve updated our story to include the FDA opinions (they may surprise you) and a link to all briefing documents from both the FDA and the sponsor, Atritech. You’ll find the Update at the bottom of this article:
Watchman Device as Alternative to Warfarin or Coumadin
Are you planning to attend the FDA Advisory Committee meeting on Thursday in Gaithersburg, MD, and would you be willing to tweet from it via Twitter? If so, please let us know and we’ll follow your tweets and retweet them to the afib community on Twitter.
There is a lot of news coming out of the American College of Cardiology annual meetings going on currently in Orlando. One such story, about the Watchman device trial, is particularly important to those with afib who are concerned about blood clots and stroke.
Read more at: Watchman Device as Alternative to Warfarin or Coumadin
World-renowned electrophysiologist, Eric N. Prystowsky, a member of the writing committee for the atrial fibrillation guidelines, shared with Mellanie True Hills and StopAfib.org what afib patients need to know about the atrial fibrillation guidelines.
Watch the video: Dr. Eric Prystowsky Talks About What Patients Need to Know About the Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines
If you’re on Coumadin or warfarin for your atrial fibrillation, you’re probably interested in the coming replacements for it. In part 2 of our Coumadin series, Dr. Manish Shah, Electrophysiologist at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC, talks about the clotting cascade and two drugs that are potential replacements for Coumadin.
See the video at: Dr. Shah on Coumadin Replacements in Trial - Dabigatran and Rivaroxaban
