In this video interview, Emelia Benjamin, MD, professor of medicine and epidemiology at Boston University and senior investigator for the Framingham Heart Study, discusses atrial fibrillation risk factors and afib prevention, including the role of family history.

She talks about the Framingham Risk Prediction Tool for Atrial Fibrillation and discusses well-known risks, such as advancing age, gender (men tend to have more atrial fibrillation than women), high blood pressure, valvular heart disease, and heart failure. She also mentions lesser-known risks, such as longer PR-interval (a measurement seen on an EKG), C-reactive protein, and BNP.

Dr. Benjamin also talks about the contribution of family history to common everyday atrial fibrillation, and notes that it can result in a doubling of the risk, and in the case of lone atrial fibrillation (younger patients with no underlying heart disease), a tripling of the risk.

Watch the video and read the transcript at:

Interview with Dr. Emelia Benjamin on Framingham Risk Prediction Tool for Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is very common in those with obstructive sleep apnea, and up to half of those who have afib also have sleep apnea. However, few studies have looked at the impact of sleep apnea on the success of catheter ablation and whether sleep apnea treatment with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine makes a difference in arrhythmia recurrence.

A new study shows that severe obstructive sleep apnea is a powerful predictor of atrial fibrillation ablation failure and suggests the need for early diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea in those with atrial fibrillation.

Read more:  Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea Predicts Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Failure, New Study Says

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At Heart Rhythm 2010, there was an update on the results of the STOP AF (Sustained Treatment of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation) clinical trial that involved patients who received cryoablation using the Arctic Front® Cardiac CryoAblation Catheter System. At twelve months following these procedures, these younger, highly-symptomatic patients had better quality of life and dramatically decreased afib symptoms.

In the article linked below, Jeremy Ruskin, MD, chair of the STOP AF trial steering committee and Director of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Service at Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses those results along with some of the technical advantages of the cryoballoon catheter. We also report on data just released at Cardiostim 2010 regarding shorter procedure times with this catheter.

Read more:  STOP AF Cryoablation for Atrial Fibrillation — Quality of Life Results and Technical Considerations

AF patients are generally at a higher risk for stroke and thus may have to take anticoagulant medications, such as Coumadin or warfarin, to manage their afib-related stroke risk. With the FDA’s recent approval of AtriCure’s AtriClip device that is implanted during open heart surgery, afib patients and their doctors may now have another way to reduce stroke risk.

The AtriClip cuts off blood flow to the heart’s left atrial appendage (LAA), where an estimated 90% of afib-related blood clots form, thus decreasing stroke risk. AtriClip is the first left atrial appendage occlusion device to be approved in the U.S.

Other devices are in clinical trials, including Medtronic’s Cardioblate Closure LAA Occlusion device, AGA Medical’s Amplatzer Cardiac Plug, and Atritech’s Watchman.

Learn more at:

FDA Approves the AtriClip for Stroke Prevention in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

Catheter ablation in persistent and longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation patients has traditionally had low success rates since many of the triggers causing atrial fibrillation are dispersed throughout the left atrium. Thus isolation of the pulmonary veins, which works well for those with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, is often an incomplete solution for those with persistent forms of afib.

At Heart Rhythm Society 2010, Dr. Christopher Cole looked at differing pulmonary vein isolation ablation strategies for different kinds of patients and discussed an analysis into success rates with various ablation techniques for those with persistent and longstanding persistent afib, including complex fractionated arterial electrograms (CFAE).

Learn more about catheter ablation options and success rates for persistent and longstanding persistent afib here:

Can Catheter Ablation Successfully Treat Persistent Atrial Fibrillation

Findings presented at Heart Rhythm 2010 showed that stopping atrial fibrillation—whether through medication, surgery, or in the case of this study, catheter ablation— could potentially prevent the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and also reduce the risk of stroke and death.

Doctors John D. Day, MD, and T. Jared Bunch, MD, at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, showed that successfully treating atrial fibrillation by catheter ablation could significantly reduce Alzheimer’s disease and strokes. If this is proven out in other studies, this could potentially change the treatment practices for atrial fibrillation patients such that staying in sinus rhythm becomes the goal. Read more at:

Stopping Atrial Fibrillation Could Reduce the Risk of Stroke and Alzheimer’s Disease — 6-10-10

Atrial fibrillation took center stage in a feature story in Tuesday’s Washington Post. The article not only looked at treatment for atrial fibrillation, but also at what afib does to patients. The atrial fibrillation experiences of Mellanie True Hills, founder of StopAfib.org, were included in this story.

Read more at:

Washington Post Highlights Afib: Atrial fibrillation is easy to find, but evidence on how best to treat it isn’t

World Heart Rhythm Week Poster

StopAfib.org is joining with the Arrhythmia Alliance (A-A), ICPES (International Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology), and numerous other international organizations in celebrating World Heart Rhythm Week. This annual global event is focused on raising awareness of, and education about, heart rhythm disorders such as atrial fibrillation and other heart arrhythmias. StopAfib.org is proud to be a part of this campaign.

As part of World Heart Rhythm Week, the Know Your Pulse campaign is being kicked off globally to make people aware of the importance of checking their pulse to identify potential afib and other arrhythmias. To learn more about World Heart Rhythm Week, and see the “Know Your Pulse” video with Sir Roger Moore, see:

StopAfib.org Announces Participation in World Heart Rhythm Week 2010 and Global “Know Your Pulse” Campaign – 6/7/10

Download World Heart Rhythm Week 2010 Poster

Doctors are trying to identify the characteristics that predict which patients aren’t likely to be successful with a catheter ablation for their atrial fibrillation. At a session at the recent Heart Rhythm Society annual meeting, some of the factors discussed included left atrial size, left atrial volume, left ventricle dysfunction (improper functioning of the left ventricle), time spent in afib, and extensive atrial fibrosis.

Read more:  Predictors of Atrial Fibrillation Catheter Ablation Success — Presentations from Heart Rhythm Society — 6/4/10