Atrial Fibrillation News and Research

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Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia. An arrhythmia is a problem with the speed or rhythm of the heartbeat. A disorder in the heart’s electrical system causes AF and other types of arrhythmia. AF occurs when rapid, disorganized electrical signals in the heart’s two upper chambers, called the atria, cause them to contract very fast and irregularly (this is called fibrillation). As a result, blood pools in the atria and isn’t pumped completely into the heart’s two lower chambers, called the ventricles. When this happens, the heart’s upper and lower chambers don’t work together as they should. Often, people who have AF may not even feel symptoms. However, even when not noticed, AF can lead to an increased risk of stroke. In many patients, particularly when the rhythm is extremely rapid, AF can cause chest pain, heart attack, or heart failure. AF may occur rarely or every now and then, or it may become a persistent or permanent heart rhythm lasting for years.

UI Health first in the Midwest to offer improved minimally invasive treatment for atrial fibrillation

The University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System is the first hospital in the Midwest to offer an improved minimally invasive treatment for atrial fibrillation, also called AF or AFib.

11 May 2017

Inhealthcare and Roche Diagnostics partnership brings new innovation to self-testing market

Digital health specialist Inhealthcare has developed a pioneering mobile app to bring a new level of sophistication to the home monitoring of long-term conditions by Britain's NHS.

From Inhealthcare Limited 7 May 2017

Scientists identify differences in outcomes for women and men with AFF in emergency departments

Atrial fibrillation and flutter (also known as AFF) is associated with serious health problems and is a significant contributor to death rates.

4 May 2017

Survey shows nearly 90% of patients on warfarin would like to self-monitor

Roche Diagnostics UK and Ireland launches the next generation of INR patient self-monitoring meter for people on warfarin anticoagulant therapy.

3 May 2017

UAlberta study reveals sex-based differences in outcomes for atrial fibrillation

Yet more evidence can be added to the growing literature that shows women with cardiovascular disease may receive different health care and experience worse outcomes than men.

26 Apr 2017

AATS consensus statement offers guidance on surgical ablation for treatment of atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm that can cause an increased risk of stroke, affects approximately 2.2 million Americans each year. According to projections, that number is set to double in the next 25 years.

19 Apr 2017

AATS guidelines offer clear recommendations for treating ischemic mitral regurgitation

Mitral regurgitation can occur in up to 50% of patients with ischemic heart disease and even mild ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) has been linked to increased long-term mortality.

18 Apr 2017

US and UK health organizations recognize iRhythm's Zio as key diagnostic cardiac monitoring system

iRhythm Technologies, Inc., a leading digital health care solutions company focused on the advancement of cardiac care, announced the recent publication of two documents in support of extended continuous ambulatory monitoring for arrhythmia detection.

13 Apr 2017

Greater body surface area linked to increased risk of atrial fibrillation in women

Big women have a nearly threefold greater risk of atrial fibrillation than small women, according to research presented today at EuroPrevent 2017. The study included 1.5 million women who were followed-up for more than 30 years.

7 Apr 2017

Five simple tests provide more accurate assessment of heart-disease risk

Five simple medical tests together provide a broader and more accurate assessment of heart-disease risk than currently used methods, cardiologists at UT Southwestern Medical Center found.

31 Mar 2017

Study finds increased heart attack risk in patients taking direct acting oral anticoagulants

A new study has examined whether different blood thinning medications prescribed to prevent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation might increase the risk of heart attacks.

22 Mar 2017

Genotype-guided warfarin dosing linked to reduced risk of adverse events

Using genetic testing to help personalize doses of warfarin therapy given to patients undergoing elective orthopedic surgery appears to lower the risk of combined adverse events compared with clinically guided dosing, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 66th Annual Scientific Session.

21 Mar 2017

New markers linked to recurrence of erratic heartbeats in some patients after ablation therapy

Ablation procedures restore a regular heartbeat in patients who have a dangerous, abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation. But it doesn't always work. Now, a new study suggests that certain molecules are associated with the recurrence of erratic heartbeats in some patients after ablation therapy.

20 Mar 2017

Uninterrupted use of new anticoagulant reduces major bleeding events during atrial fibrillation ablation

Uninterrupted treatment with dabigatran, a non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOACs), before, during and after ablation to treat atrial fibrillation significantly reduced the incidence of major bleeding events compared with uninterrupted use of the more established anticoagulant warfarin, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 66th Annual Scientific Session.

20 Mar 2017

Closing left atrial appendage linked to reduction in stroke risk for AFib patients

For patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib), a common heart rhythm disorder, closing the area of the heart known as the left atrial appendage as an add-on procedure during cardiac surgery was associated with a 40 percent reduction in the risk of thromboembolism (a condition when a blood clot forms and blocks an artery, which can cause a stroke or other complications) according to an observational study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 66th Annual Scientific Session.

20 Mar 2017

Low-risk atrial fibrillation patients fare better without antithrombotic therapy, study finds

Findings from a large, community-based study show that antithrombotic therapy doesn't decrease low-risk atrial fibrillation patients' risk of suffering a stroke within five years. In fact, researchers found that low-risk patients fared better without any antithrombotic therapy.

17 Mar 2017

Low dose of alternative anticoagulant may help prevent stroke in hemodialysis patients

New research suggests that an alternative to warfarin, when given at a low dose to dialysis patients, can be maintained in the blood at safe levels for potentially preventing strokes.

17 Mar 2017

Zika virus may also cause serious cardiovascular complications, research shows

Zika also may have serious effects on the heart, new research shows in the first study to report cardiovascular complications related to this virus, according to data being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 66th Annual Scientific Session.

10 Mar 2017

Implantable cardiac monitors reveal abnormalities in healthy mountaineers at high altitudes

Climbing above 4,000m can provoke abnormal heart rhythms in otherwise healthy mountaineers, with the abnormalities increasing with altitude, new research has shown.

9 Mar 2017

Study finds 78% postoperative stroke reduction with ‘no-touch’ beating heart bypass surgery

A landmark study led by Prof. Michael P. Vallely, MBBS, PhD, FRACS, of Sydney Heart and Lung Surgeons and the University of Sydney will be published in the February 28, 2017 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

27 Feb 2017

Atrial Fibrillation News and Research

Further Reading

UI Health first in the Midwest to offer improved minimally invasive treatment for atrial fibrillation

Inhealthcare and Roche Diagnostics partnership brings new innovation to self-testing market

Scientists identify differences in outcomes for women and men with AFF in emergency departments

Survey shows nearly 90% of patients on warfarin would like to self-monitor

UAlberta study reveals sex-based differences in outcomes for atrial fibrillation

AATS consensus statement offers guidance on surgical ablation for treatment of atrial fibrillation

AATS guidelines offer clear recommendations for treating ischemic mitral regurgitation

US and UK health organizations recognize iRhythm's Zio as key diagnostic cardiac monitoring system

Greater body surface area linked to increased risk of atrial fibrillation in women

Five simple tests provide more accurate assessment of heart-disease risk

Study finds increased heart attack risk in patients taking direct acting oral anticoagulants

Genotype-guided warfarin dosing linked to reduced risk of adverse events

New markers linked to recurrence of erratic heartbeats in some patients after ablation therapy

Uninterrupted use of new anticoagulant reduces major bleeding events during atrial fibrillation ablation

Closing left atrial appendage linked to reduction in stroke risk for AFib patients

Low-risk atrial fibrillation patients fare better without antithrombotic therapy, study finds

Low dose of alternative anticoagulant may help prevent stroke in hemodialysis patients

Zika virus may also cause serious cardiovascular complications, research shows

Implantable cardiac monitors reveal abnormalities in healthy mountaineers at high altitudes

Study finds 78% postoperative stroke reduction with ‘no-touch’ beating heart bypass surgery

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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