StopAfib.org has joined the Fair Access to Cardiac Technology (FACT) Alliance to raise awareness of the importance of access to this medical technology for the detection of atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias. The FACT Alliance has started a petition to ensure that everyone has access to this potentially life-saving Mobile Cardiac Telemetry (MCT) technology. Learn …
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At Heart Rhythm 2012, Dr. James Reiffel gave us an update on new medications for treating atrial fibrillation, including the combination of low doses of ranolazine (Ranexa) and dronedarone (Multaq). He also talked about rate control vs. rhythm control for afib, and how the decision can vary by age and level of symptoms. Watch the …
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Although the total number of stroke deaths declined by more than 50 percent between 1978 and 2006, racial disparities in stroke deaths have remained and efforts to eliminate health disparities have been unsuccessful. Between ages 45 and 65, blacks are 2 to 3 times more likely to die from stroke than whites, but we haven’t …
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The wildly beating heart, fatigue and other debilitating symptoms are well known to the many millions of people impacted by atrial fibrillation. Some of those who have afib may have no outward symptoms, but are still at risk of serious and long-term damage to the heart. Symptoms or not, rate control is the common treatment …
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Our January EP Lab Digest Patient Perspective column, Stuck in the Middle: Afib Patients on Rate Control, focuses on how rate control treatment (such as beta blockers) alone impacts the quality of life of those living with atrial fibrillation. The column also explores things doctors and patients may wish to consider in determining an appropriate …
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In her first regular Patient Perspective column, which appears in the August issue of EP Lab Digest, StopAfib.org founder Mellanie True Hills explores a concern in the atrial fibrillation patient community that staying in afib long term could be a "death sentence." In addition, she talks about the upcoming National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month, which …
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Mellanie True Hills, founder of StopAfib.org, recently spoke at the Fourth Annual Western Atrial Fibrillation Symposium. Many of her remarks to this medical conference are summarized in an article just published in EP Lab Digest. You may wish to share it with family and friends who need to understand what it's like to live with …
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Medtronic Arctic Front® Cardiac CryoAblation Catheter system for the treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. This is the first cryo (freezing) catheter ablation system to receive approval in the US. Approval was based on the results of the STOP AF (Sustained Treatment of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation) …
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Here's a good article on the connection between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and atrial fibrillation. If you have COPD, here's where you can Get Started Learning About Atrial Fibrillation.
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New medical guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) incorporating the latest afib research put Europe ahead of the U.S. when it comes to standardized treatment of atrial fibrillation. Stroke prevention and symptom relief are at the heart of the new ESC guidelines, which also make it clear that the risk of stroke for …
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