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. Riccardo Cappato talked about the impact of atrial fibrillation on competitive and professional athletes and how catheter ablation for afib has allowed many to return to training and competition. Watch the video, or read the transcript:
Dr. Riccardo Cappato Part 2: Discussion of Athletes and Atrial Fibrillation
At Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium 2010, Dr. Riccardo Cappato talked about the results of the Second Worldwide Survey on AF Ablation and how catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation has become safer and more effective. Watch the video, or read the transcript:
Dr. Riccardo Cappato: Discussion of Second Worldwide Survey on AF Ablation
In his session at the Boston Atrial Symposium 2010, Dr. Andrea Natale discussed the current status of robotic technology for atrial fibrillation catheter ablations by sharing results from recent studies using the Hansen Robotic System.
Read: Robotic Technology is Changing the Paradigm for Catheter Ablation Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation
At the recent Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium, Dr. Douglas Packer (Mayo Clinic) talked about new 4-D and 5-D imaging for catheter ablation. Read about his remarks at:
Sophisticated New 4-D and 5-D Imaging May Soon Guide Catheter Ablations
Earlier this week, Dr. Nancy Snyderman, of the NBC Today Show, took viewers inside an Electrophysiology Lab to show a live catheter ablation by Dr. Mauricio Arruda.
The atrial fibrillation patient community was excited to see coverage of something related to atrial fibrillation on national TV. However, there was considerable angst in the professional community over showing a procedure that could potentially result in death because such has happened in medical conference live cases.
While that may be a very valid concern at a medical conference, which might inherently be riskier because live cases encompassing newer or more innovative medical techniques are valued, that might be far less of an issue in a fairly-routine catheter ablation. Because the electrophysiologist wasn’t performing a procedure for his peers, he was less likely to choose a risky case.
In fact, these concerns seem overblown considering that no real catheter ablation actually occurred on TV. All we really saw was the mapping to determine where the catheter should be applied when the procedure actually started. Thus, there was no real risk, and I suspect that all of this was thought through thoroughly so as not to incur any risk on TV.
Even if the catheter ablation had actually been shown, considering that catheter ablation is becoming somewhat routine, and the doctor doing the procedure is a highly-experienced practitioner, the odds of a problem would seem relatively small. After all, the overall mortality (death) rate reported by Cappato in the recent Second Worldwide Multicenter Catheter Ablation Survey was approximately 1 in 1,000. That number was a composite from the results of lower- and higher-volume centers as well as less- and more-experienced electrophysiologists. So for a center and a doctor with lots of experience, the odds of death were somewhat small.
There was also much angst over the mindlessness of the reporting, but who was the intended audience? This wasn’t being shown for the benefit of trained medical professionals, especially not EPs, as most were probably busy doing their own procedures by that time. This was an overview for a consumer audience, and it simplified and communicated what that audience might need to know. My hope is that those who look down on the way this was reported won’t also look down on the intended audience for it.
The Real Problem
My biggest concern with the piece, however, was that it was completely positive. Even when asked specifically about the risks, they didn’t answer the question.
Patients considering the procedure need to know that there are risks, too. While the adverse events reported in the second worldwide survey were less than those in the earlier survey, there are still real risks, because any procedure carries risk. Even the manufacturers will tell you that there are risks.
So treating any catheter ablation as totally risk-free—though not overtly stated, it was implied—was the real disservice of this TV segment. However, if it made patients more aware of options for atrial fibrillation treatment, then it succeeded in educating them. Hopefully they will research and learn more about catheter ablation procedures before discussing this with their doctors.
Read the critiques and controversies, which are valid perspectives for EPs and others who treat afib, at:
Disclaimer (2-5-10): StopAfib.org and the Atrial Fibrillation Blog have no financial relationships with the companies related to this TV segment, though we have met people from these companies at various atrial fibrillation-related medical conferences and have spent time asking questions in their exhibitor booths.
At the recent Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium, catheter ablation was presented as possibly a better atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment option for serious and professional athletes than antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs). According to Dr. Riccardo Cappato (Institute Policlinics San Donato, Milan, Italy), antiarrhythmic drug therapy has not been popular with this patient population.”Even when effective, AADs significantly affect an athlete’s physical performance and inhibit eligibility at pre-qualification screenings,” said Dr. Cappato. “Catheter ablation offers an unprecedented opportunity for these athletes to come back to their sport, especially when healthy [pre-participation screening] certificates are required to compete in countries such as mine.”
During the same session, Dr. Stanley Nattel (Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, Canada) presented a small animal study with rats that suggested that strenuous exercise may have contributed to their development of atrial fibrillation.
To learn more, read: Catheter Ablation May be Better Atrial Fibrillation Treatment than Drugs for Serious and Professional Athletes
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
At Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium 2010, Dr. Andrea Natale shared with us some of the new directions in atrial fibrillation treatment, including the newer hybrid procedures combining catheter ablation and surgery for chronic or persistent atrial fibrillation, and contact force sensing.
See the video: Interview with Dr. Andrea Natale at Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium 2010
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.
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