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WHAT'S NEW
If you've visited A-Fib.com before, this section will list any changes or additions to A-Fib.com by date, the most recent topic first. If you wish to read a particular topic, hit that topic.
April 9, 2008 (Good news for A-Fib patients with Chronic [constant] A-Fib.) The first clinical trials focusing on ablation of Chronic A-Fib have begun in the US.
April 5, 2008 New story in the PersonalExperiences section of A-Fib.com: WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO HAVE A PVI AT THE UN. OF PENNSYLVANIA
March 11, 2008 New story in the PersonalExperiences section of A-Fib.com: SUCCESSFUL PVA(I) BUT STILL ON MEDS
February 27, 2008 Summary of Dr. Vivek Reddy's presentation at the 2008 Boston A-Fib Symposium: Novel Catheter Approaches to Thrombo-Prophylaxis
February 27, 2008 Summary of Dr. Albert Waldo's presentation at the 2008 Boston A-Fib Symposium: Novel Approaches to Thrombo-Prophylaxis
February 27, 2008 Summary of Dr. John Camm's presentation at the 2008 Boston A-Fib Symposium: Oral Anticoagulation: A Review of the Data
February 26, 2008 Additional Overview-Highlights of the 2008 Boston A-Fib Symposium. Danger of "Silent" A-Fib Strokes and Aspirin may not be Effective in Preventing A-Fib Stroke
February 13, 2008 Overview-Highlights of the 2008 Boston A-Fib Symposium
December 2, 2007 New question answered in the FAQs section: "Is the "Pill-In-The-Pocket" treatment a cure for A-Fib? When should it be used?"
November 27, 2007 New question answered in the FAQs section: "I take atenolol, a beta-blocker. Will it stop my A-Fib."
November 20, 2007 The Pill-In-The-Pocket treatment. How some people use high doses of an antiarrhythmic med to shorten the duration of an A-Fib attack.
October 31, 2007 New story in the PersonalExperiences section: FROM NEPAL TO BORDEAUX---TREATMENT OF CHRONIC A-FIB
October 19, 2007 The A-Fib community is shocked to learn that the Cleveland Clinic did not renew Dr. Andrea Natale's contract. There is no word yet where Dr. Natale will work, or where A-Fib patients can be treated by him. For more information see http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/119131405528890.xml&coll=2 . You can leave messages for Dr. Natale at his E-mail address andreanatalemd(at)gmail(dot) com.
September 2, 2007 Report on Dr. Warren Jackman's presentation on how areas of Autonomic Ganglionated Plexi may affect A-Fib "The Facilitation of A-Fib by Communication Between Autonomic Ganglionated Plexi."
August 19, 2007FDA APPROVES GENETIC TESTING LABELING FOR COUMADIN
August 18, 2007 New story in the PersonalExperiences section: ABLATION AT NEW DELHI, INDIA FOR $5,200.
August 14, 2007 A somewhat controversial study gives actual odds for getting an A-Fib stroke depending on overall heart health and whether one is taking aspirin or warfarin.
August 2, 2007 New story in the PersonalExperiences section: CRYO BALLOON CATHETER ABLATION AT MASS. GENERAL
July 31, 2007 New question answered in the FAQs section: "I've had a successful Pulmonary Vein Ablation (Isolation) procedure a year ago. I'm in normal sinus rhythm and have been A-Fib symptom free. Will my A-Fib eventually return over time, or am I permanently cured?"
July 27, 2007 Bordeaux 5-Step Ablation Treatment for Chronic A-Fib
July 20, 2007 Report on Dr. Morady's presentation at the 2007 Boston A-Fib Symposium, "The Interpretation of the ECG Morphology During PACs, Atrial Tachycardia & Atrial Flutter."
July 18, 2007
A WORD OF CAUTION REGARDING WEB
SITES WITH A-FIB INFORMATION:
Some web sites for A-Fib patients may be biased toward a
particular technique or approach, often because of financial, political, or
other ties to medical devices manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies,
hospitals, doctors, or other organizations. The author recommends, when
searching the Internet for info on A-Fib, you ask yourself, "Who is paying for
this web site, and what is their agenda?"
(The author of A-Fib.com strives to offer unbiased info on
all A-Fib treatments, but admits to enthusiasm for the catheter ablation
procedure (PVA[I]). He was cured of his A-Fib in 1998 by at PVA(I) procedure in
Bordeaux, France. However, he has no financial ties, receives no remuneration or
grants, and has no affiliation with anyone or any organization.)
July 15, 2007 Report on Dr. Damiano's presentation at the 2007 Boston A-Fib Symposium: "Future Directions in A-Fib Surgery: Can We Make the Atria Fibrillation-Proof?"
June 30, 2007 Report on Dr. Kress' presentation at the 2007 Boston A-Fib Symposium: Surgical Therapy for A-Fib: Selected Cases and Techniques
June 22, 2007 A new question answered in the FAQs section: "I’ve heard of ablation catheters that use Cryo (freezing). Are they any good or better than the RF (Radio Frequency) catheters in use today for PVA(I) ablations?"
June 20, 2007
An interesting article from the Houston Independent Media Center suggests that
President George Bush may have Chronic A-Fib
http://houston.indymedia.org/news/2004/12/35839_comment.php#45166.
June 16, 2007 New question answered in the FAQs section: "I have a lot of extra beats and palpitations (PVCs and/or PACs) which are very disturbing and frightful. They seem to proceed an A-Fib attack. What can or should I do about them?"
June 16, 2007 Report on Dr. Marchlinski's talk at the 2007 Boston A-Fib Symposium "Third and Fourth PV Isolation/Ablation Procedures: Outcomes and Insights."
June 8, 2007 In the Cures section, the various types or conditions of A-Fib are listed with possible options for a cure "Which the best A-Fib treatment option for me?"
June 1, 2007 Warfarin bests aspirin for stroke prevention in elderly A-Fib patients
May 25, 2007
LOCAL
A-FIB SUPPORT GROUPS FORMING
For further info contact Joyce at jarintime(at)yahoo.com (the
@ is written as "at" to prevent access by spam mailing lists).
May 25, 2007
A-FIB
DECREASES MENTAL ABILITIES
In a research study
men with
A-Fib had lower levels of cognitive performance compared with men in normal
sinus rhythm.
May 24, 2007 New question answered in the FAQs section: "I have chronic A-Fib. In case of an emergency, should I carry a wallet card or a medical bracelet? What information should I put on it?"
May 14, 2007 New story in the PersonalExperiences section CYCLIST/TRIATHLETE WITH PERSISTENT A-FIB
May 13, 2007 Cox maze operation for patients with Chronic A-Fib.
May 6 2007 Dr. Shephal Doshi of St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, CA performed what may be the first visually guided catheter ablation for A-Fib, using the investigational "Visually Guided Endoscopic Ablation System."
April 22, 2007 New story in the Personal Experiences section WIFE AND HUSBAND BOTH WITH CHRONIC A-FIB---THE SECOND ABLATION WORKS
April 13, 2007 New story in the Personal Experiences section 25 YEARS IN A-FIB.
March 13, 2007 Under the Cures section a new heading for "NATURAL" REMEDIES.
March 5, 2007 New question answered in the FAQs section: "Around 11:00 pm I was getting ready to go to sleep when my heart started going crazy, like it was trying to jump out of my chest. I panicked and drove to an Emergency room. But by the time I got there, my heart was normal again. What happened to me? My doctor says I may have had an episode of Atrial Fibrillation. How much trouble am I in?"
March 3, 2007 New question answered in the FAQs section: "I have a lot of stress at work. Does this stress cause or trigger my A-Fib?"
March 3, 2007 New story for the PersonalExperiences section of A-Fib.com: THE SALTMAN MICROWAVE MINIMAZE OPERATION FOR A-FIB
February 3, 2007 Update/summary of the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium by Drs. David Keane, Vivek Reddy and Jeremy Ruskin. (This update is written by doctors for doctors and may be somewhat difficult for patients to read. However, it is an excellent summary not only of the main points of the 2006 Symposium but of all the issues of concern to A-Fib patients today.)
January 27, 2007 Overview #4 of the 2007 Boston A-Fib Symposium. Doctors discuss their most difficult and/or least successful cases, and two ablation cases were presented live via satellite.
January 26, 2007 Overview #3 of the 2007 Boston A-Fib Symposium. Insurance not adequately compensating for complicated A-Fib ablations, and the new atrial-selective medication Ranolazine.
January 25, 2007 Overview #2 of the 2007 Boston A-Fib Symposium. New Research and Medical Developments in A-Fib: The Possible Importance of Ganglionated Plexi Sites in A-Fib, Randomized Clinical Trials of the CryoAblation Balloon Catheter, The Importance of the 95% Success Rate of Curing Persistent A-Fib reported by the French Bordeaux Group.
January 23, 2007
Overview of
the 2007 Boston A-Fib Symposium. The overall mood was one of confidence in a
maturing field. Steps currently being taken to prevent Atrio-Esophageal Fistula.
Silent A-Fib episodes after successful catheter ablations and their importance.
January 19, 2007
Cryo Balloon
Catheter Ablation Trials to begin.
November 1, 2006 Stereotaxis Announces Initial U.S. Clinical Usages of Cardiac Ablation Catheter with Company's Niobe(R) System. The Niobe system utilizes a computer-controlled magnetic field to remotely steer a magnetic ablation catheter that applies a consistent, "soft-touch" contact with the heart which may reduce the risk of perforation during ablation procedures.94
October 21, 2006 A study comparing the Pappone Circumferential Anatomical PV Isolation procedure with an integrated approach using both the Pappone method followed by a Segmental ablation (with electrophysiological confirmation of PV disconnection) was found to be more effective than the Pappone method alone. "Electrophysiological confirmation of PV disconnection could be a useful marker of successful RF treatment of A-Fib."93 (Thanks to Dick Inglis for this info.)
October 14, 2006 In a major medical breakthrough the French Bordeaux group reported a 95% success rate in curing Persistent/Chronic A-Fib.92 See Jaïs Chronic A-Fib. (Thanks to Dick Inglis for this info.)
October 10, 2006 New questions answered in the FAQs section: "Is there anything I can do to get out of an A-Fib episode? Is there any way to predict when I'm going to have an A-Fib attack?"
September 18, 2006 New history for the PersonalExperiences section of A-Fib.com International Traveler/Scuba Diver Dizzy and Fainting from A-Fib
August 5, 2006
New link added:
http://patients.uptodate.com/topic.asp?file=hrt_dis/4882 Review of
over 350 journals to update new research findings on A-Fib. Very comprehensive
and up-to-date.
August 5, 2006
New link added:
http://www.af-ideas.com/Choosing%20treatment%20for%20atrial%20fibrillation.htm
Good analysis of the surgical options to cure A-Fib, and what doctors and/or
centers perform them.
August 5, 2006 According to a Wall Street journal article by David Armstrong, four patients are known to have died after having the ArtiCure (Wolf) Mini-Maze surgical operation to cure A-Fib.91
August 5, 2006 According to a Wall Street Journal article by David Armstrong, surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic may have or may have had extensive financial ties to manufacturers of medical equipment these surgeons use to treat A-Fib patients.91
August 4, 2006 Sleep apnea may be a trigger or cause of A-Fib, and may be cured in some patients by treating the sleep apnea.90
June 29, 2006 A new Personal Experiences story Cured at the Cleveland Clinic.
June 11, 2006 How We Approach Catheter Ablation for A-Fib Today. Summary of panel discussion at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
June 11, 2006 Dr. Andrea Natale and the Cleveland Clinic now call their catheter ablation procedure to cure A-Fib "Pulmonary Vein Antrum Isolation (PVAI)." This procedure still involves making circumferential lesions around the outside of the PV openings.
June 11, 2006 Low-dose steroids have been reported to prevent recurrence of A-Fib, possibly because they suppress systemic inflammation.85
June 10, 2006"The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery has admonished a Un. of Cincinnati surgeon (Dr. Randall K. Wolf who developed the Wolf Mini Maze operation for A-Fib) for failing to disclose financial ties to AtriCure, the West Chester, (Ohio) maker of heart-surgery equipment he and other researchers evaluated in a published study."81
June 6, 2006Patients having an A-Fib attack can use a pill-in-the-pocket approach to self administer the antiarrhythmic drugs flecainide or propafenone to stop the attack.
June 5, 2006 Debate---Should Catheter Ablation Be First Line Therapy in Selected Patients with A-Fib? Summary of a debate between Drs. Andrea Natale and Eric N. Prystowsky at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
June 1, 2006 A detailed explanation of the French Bordeaux group's catheter ablation procedures, risks, costs, etc.
May 31, 2006 2006 ACC/AHA/ESC Guidelines for the Treatment of A-Fib - Update and Critique: Impact of A-Fib Guidelines on Clinical Practice. Summary of Dr. Waldo's presentation at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
May 28, 2006 Advances in the Genetics of A-Fib. Summary of Dr. Patrick Ellinor's presentation at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
May 27, 2006 Obesity (BMI over 30) and Smoking, but not Age, affect reoccurrence rates of A-Fib after ablation.
May 27, 2006 The Relationship Between High-Frequency Fractionated Electrograms and Reentrant A-Fib Drivers in the Posterior Left Atrium. Summary of Dr. Jose Jalife's presentation at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
May 25, 2006 Pacing to Prevent A-Fib and CHF---the Role of Lead Position and Pacing Algorithms. Summary of Dr. Michael R. Gold's presentation at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
May 24, 2006 The long-term use of warfarin appears to increase the risk of bone fractures in men (not women).
May 22, 2006 Atypical Atrial Flutter During and After A-Fib Ablation: Incidence, Physiology, and Management. Summary of Dr. Marcus Wharton's presentation at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
May 21, 2006 Three Dimensional Left Atrial Anatomy: Implications for Catheter Ablation. Summary of Dr. Moussa Mansour's presentation at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
May 20, 2006 The Use of Remote Robotic Navigation in Catheter Ablation for A-Fib. Summary of Dr. Vivek Reddy's presentation at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
May 12, 2006 The Use of Remote Magnetic Navigation in Catheter Ablation for A-Fib. Summary of Dr. Carlo Pappone's presentation at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
May 10, 2006 Surgical & Catheter-Based Strategies for Stroke Prevention in A-Fib. Summary of Dr. Douglas Packer's presentation at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
May 8, 2006 Left Atrial Function & Remodeling Before and After Catheter Ablation or Surgery for A-Fib. Summary of Dr. David Wilber's presentation at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
May 6, 2006 Non-PV Triggers for A-Fib: Provocation, Recognition, Location, and Relationship to Chronicity of A-Fib. Summary of Dr. Francis Marchlinski's presentation at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
May 5, 2006 Relationship Between Locations of Autonomic Ganglionated Plexi and Sites of Complex Fractionated Atrial Electrograms and/or High Frequency Electrograms During A-Fib. Summary of Dr. Warren Jackman's presentation at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
May 2, 2006 Detection of Complex Fractionated Atrial Electrograms (CFAEs). Summary of Dr. Koonlawee Nademanee's presentation at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
April 26, 2006 A moving story about a father's death Toxic Effects of Amiodarone in the Personal Experiences section.
April 25, 2006 Advances in Surgical Therapy for A-Fib. Summary of Dr. David Kress's presentation at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
April 22, 2006 An Individualized Approach to Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation. Summary of Dr. Fred Morady's presentation at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
April 19, 2006 The Role of Esophageal Monitoring During A-Fib Ablation. Summary of Dr. Andre d'Avila's presentation at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
April 16, 2006
Future Directions in Antiarrhythmic Drug Therapy for A-Fib. Summary of Dr. Peter Kowey's presentation at the 2006
Boston A-Fib Symposium.
April 15, 2006
The
Cleveland Clinic E-Clinic Consult program.
February 20, 2006
New link added:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/A-fibcures/ Forum on the Maze and
Mini-Maze operations.
January 28, 2006
Defining Successful A-Fib Ablation. Summary of Dr. Hugh Calkins' presentation at
the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
January 23, 2006
Silent A-Fib After Catheter Ablation. Summary of Dr. Hans Kottkamp's presentation
at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
January 17, 2006
Ablation
of Long-Lasting A-Fib. Summary of Dr. Pierre Jaïs'
presentation at the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
January 16, 2006
Overview of the 2006 Boston A-Fib Symposium.
January 2, 2005
New question answered in the FAQs section:
"I have a defective
Mitral Valve? Is it causing my A-Fib? Should I have my Mitral Valve fixed first
before I have a PVA?"
December 31, 2005 New
question answered in the FAQs section:
"How can I tell when I'm in A-Fib or just having something like
indigestion?"
December 1,
2005 Resolution Research wants to interview people who have
had A-Fib for at least eight months and who have declined or discontinued the
use of Coumadin. The interview will last from 45-60 minutes, and you will
receive $50 as a thank you. The purpose of the interview is to develop info for
a new anticoagulant drug.
Contact Wendy Maynard at 800-800-0905 or by E-mail wendy (at)
re-search.com.
November 30,
2005 New
question answered in the FAQs section:
My husband's A-Fib is
getting worse. When should I call Emergency and/or take him to the hospital? I'm
petrified with fear for him. Our doctors say don't worry unless he shows signs
of a heart attack or stroke.
November 16, 2005. Maintaining proper warfarin levels.
November 8, 2005. In a report from England Eggs and Poultry Meat may be a cause or trigger of A-Fib.
November 3, 2005. Explanation of Tedy Bruschi's stroke.
November 1, 2005. Deaths Reported Due to PVA Procedures Causing Holes in the Esophagus.