An important session at Heart Rhythm Society 2010 was “Medical Issues After Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation and Flutter.” It dealt with what constitutes success following catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (afib) and atrial flutter, and which is more important, the medical definition or the patient’s definition.

Which definition is used can have implications for treatment following catheter ablation. This session explored those issues, including the blanking period, repeat ablations, monitoring for asymptomatic events, and anticoagulation to deal with stroke risk.

Read:  What is Catheter Ablation Success and What are the Implications

Tags: Anticoagulation, Catheter ablation, Cure, Medication, Risk, Stroke, Symptoms, Treatment by Mellanie
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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

Tags: Catheter ablation, Cure, Medication, Study, Treatment by Mellanie
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Research 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 two years and their left atrium size was normal.

Study participants had atrial fibrillation procedures concomitant (at the same time) with open-heart mitral valve, aortic valve, or coronary artery bypass surgery. The procedures were done using either microwave or radiofrequency energy.

The study found that afib recurrence was not influenced by age, gender, primary heart disease, history of blood clots, technology, or use of antiarrhythmic drugs.

Read more: Atrial Fibrillation Procedure Within Two Years Reduces Risk of Afib Recurrence

Tags: Cure, Risk, Study, Surgery, Treatment by Mellanie
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In this interview from Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium 2009, Dr. Ralph Damiano, cardiothoracic surgeon, talks about developing customized atrial fibrillation treatment procedures for individual afib patients, both by surgical maze procedure and catheter ablation.

Learn more and see the video:  Dr. Damiano on Customized Atrial Fibrillation Treatment

Tags: Audio/Video, Cure, Surgery, Treatment by Mellanie
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A newly-posted video from an evening presentation by Dr. James Edgerton at Boston Atrial Fibrillation Symposium 2009 provides a rare glimpse into the evolution of atrial fibrillation surgery, including the mini maze procedure, and gives a peek at its future as well. See video from actual afib surgeries.

Learn more and see the video:  Dr. James Edgerton on Atrial Fibrillation Maze Procedure Evolution

Tags: Audio/Video, Cure, Surgery, Treatment by Mellanie
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Watch a radiofrequency catheter ablation for treatment of atrial fibrillation in a live webcast on December 18, 2008.

For more information visit: http://www.stopafib.org/newsitem.cfm/NEWSID/131

Tags: Catheter ablation, Cure, Treatment by Mellanie
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The latest issue of Success magazine talks about Mellanie True Hills, founder of StopAfib.org, and her story of living with atrial fibrillation and having surgery to cure atrial fibrillation as well as launching StopAfib.org to save lives.

Read: Success magazine shares the story of StopAfib.org founder Mellanie True Hills and her atrial fibrillation surgery

Tags: Cure, Mellanie True Hills, Patient Stories, Surgery, Treatment by Mellanie
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In the past week I’ve been approached by several folks in their eighties who are interested in catheter ablation or surgery for atrial fibrillation. But eighty is often considered the upper limit for these procedures due to concerns about the health of the patient.

Perhaps not any more as a new study out of Canada found high success rates among those in their eighties who had open-heart surgery.

Read: Are Patients Over Eighty Candidates for Atrial Fibrillation Procedures?

Do you have thoughts or comments about this? Please add them here.

Tags: Catheter ablation, Cure, Surgery, Treatment by Mellanie
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USA Weekend HealthSmart edition features a story about Mellanie True Hills, founder of StopAfib.org, in which she talks about living with atrial fibrillation and communicating electronically with her surgeon before and after her mini-maze surgery.

Read:  USA Weekend Talks About Atrial Fibrillation and Mini-Maze Surgery…

What are your thoughts on the role that electronic communications should play in your communications with your doctors? Please share your comments here at the Atrial Fibrillation Blog.

Tags: Cure, General, Mellanie True Hills, Patient Stories, Surgery, Treatment by Mellanie
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If you are considering a procedure of any kind, especially an atrial fibrillation procedure, you’ll want to read this about the importance of time outs in the operating room…

Speak Up for Your Safety Before Your Procedure

Tags: Cure, Treatment by Mellanie
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