If Catheter Ablation Reduces Alzheimer’s Disease and Stroke Risk Then Keeping Atrial Fibrillation Patients in Sinus Rhythm May Become the Goal

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