A newly published study shows obesity is a major risk factor for left atrial enlargement (LAE), a condition in which the left upper chamber of the heart is oversized. That's important to people who are concerned about atrial fibrillation (AF) because LAE is a risk factor for afib, stroke and death. Read more: Obesity Raises …
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This very important story may change how afib patients and their doctors decide if they should be on anticoagulant medications (blood thinners), such as Coumadin or warfarin. The CHADS2 scoring system is how doctors now decide who should be on Coumadin or warfarin to avoid strokes, but a newly-published study adds new stroke risk factors …
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RECORD AF registry findings were presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions. This registry looked at how newly-diagnosed afib patients were being managed in the real world. These results differed from previously-reported research, such as the AFFIRM (Atrial Fibrillation Follow-up Investigation of Rhythm Management) trial. In the real world, more cardiologists chose rhythm drugs …
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Sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that disrupts breathing during sleep, is believed to be linked to atrial fibrillation (AF) but until now, we didn’t know if apnea could actually trigger arrhythmias like afib. Now a new study shows the odds of having an abnormal heartbeat are 18 times higher immediately after an apnea episode, compared …
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In a newly-published study, diabetes was found to be an independent risk factor for atrial fibrillation in women, increasing their risk of afib by 26%. The connection was not as strong for men, who were more at risk of obesity and high blood pressure from diabetes. Read more: Diabetes Increases a Woman's Risk of Atrial …
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We know that more men than women have atrial fibrillation, but that women have a higher rate of strokes and death. In fact, women account for about 61% of stroke deaths. Recent research at Rush University Medical Center identified nine specific gender differences between women and men who have atrial fibrillation. Those included that women …
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Dr. Manish Shah talks about Dabigatran and Rivaroxaban, new drugs in clinicals trials to replace the blood thinner Coumadin® (warfarin), an anticoagulant frequently used to avoid strokes by those with atrial fibrillation. He talks about the two categories of these new drugs, thrombin inhibitors and Factor Xa (10a) inhibitors. Dr. …
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In this video from Boston Afib Symposium 2009, Dr. Warren (Sonny) Jackman, venerable electrophysiologist and ablation pioneer, shares new information about how treating atrial fibrillation may help obstructive sleep apnea. The transcript is available at stopafib.org . Dr. Jackman retired from clinical practice at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences …
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Dr. Eric Prystowsky, a member of the atrial fibrillation guidelines writing committee, talks about what afib patients need to know about the guidelines and what they should ask their doctors. View the transcript at stopafib.org . Dr. Prystowsky is the director of the clinical electrophysiology laboratory at St. Vincent Hospital …
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Dr. David Wilber talks about the findings of a large multicenter trial of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation that was reported on at the Heart Rhythm Society 2009 annual meeting. He also discusses the window of opportunity for treating afib for those with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Dr. Wilber is the …
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