November 17th 2024
Oussama Wazni, MD, discusses the results of the OPTION trial examining LAAC in atrial fibrillation as well as its reception as AHA 2024.
Black Patients with AFib 25% Less Likely to Receive Oral Anticoagulant Therapy at Discharge
April 29th 2022A study from HRS 2022 suggests Black patients with AFib were 25% less likely to be on oral anticoagulants at hospital discharge compared to their White counterparts those discharged 18% less likely to receive DOACs than their White counterparts.
VITAL-AF: Universal Screening for AFib in Primary Care Could Prove Useful in Older Adults
March 4th 2022Data from the VITAL-AF trial indicate universal screening with single-lead ECGs among patients 65 years and older in primary care settings did not significantly increase in new atrial fibrillation diagnoses, but was more effective in patients aged 85 years or older.
Assisted Reproductive Technologies Could Increase Risk of Arrhythmia, Kidney Injury
February 22nd 2022An analysis of data from the National Inpatient Sample suggests pregnancies conceived by assisted reproductive technology carried a 1.7- and 2.5-fold increase in risk for arrhythmia and acute kidney injury compared to those conceived without ART.
Symptoms of Atrial Fibrillation More Likely to Go Unreported, Unrecognized in Diabetes
November 23rd 2021A recent analysis found patients with diabetes were about 26% less likely to notice symptoms of atrial fibrillation and more likely to experience more comorbidities than their counterparts without diabetes.
Fitbit Heart Study Provides Further Backing for Wearables in Detecting AFib
November 15th 2021Data from the Fitbit Heart study presented at AHA 2021 suggest a novel algorithm for detecting irregular heart rhythms had a positive predictive value of 98% for detecting atrial fibrillation in patients with undiagnosed atrial fibrillation.
Timing of Atrial Fibrillation Can Help Predict Stroke Risk
October 4th 2021Data from more than 800 patients with 120 days of continuous heart monitoring data and ischemic stroke provide insight into the timing of arrhythmic episodes and how it can help predict the risk of stroke in patients with CIEDs and atrial fibrillation.
Amplatzer Amulet Outperforms Watchman Device for LAA Occlusion in Head-to-Head Trial
August 30th 2021The Amulet IDE Trial is the first trial to offer a head-to-head comparison of the Amplatzer Amulet occluder from Abbot against the Watchman device from Boston Scientific for left atrial appendage occlusion.
In High-Risk Patients, Most DOACs Reduce Stroke Risk Without Increasing Bleeding Risk vs Warfarin
August 16th 2021Using propensity score-matching, a new study is providing insight into the risk reduction and bleeding risk associated with various DOACs versus warfarin and one another in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and an increased gastrointestinal bleeding risk.
No Evidence Coffee Consumption Increases Risk of Arrhythmias, UCSF Study Finds
July 20th 2021Analysis of data from the UK Biobank cohort suggests consumption of coffee was not linked to an increased risk of arrhythmias, with some evidence indicating habitual use was linked to a decrease in incidence of atrial fibrillation or flutter and supraventricular tachycardia.
Pair of Trials Demonstrate Reveal LINQ's Ability to Improve Detection of Atrial Fibrillation
June 3rd 2021Simultaneously published in JAMA, the PER DIEM and STROKE-AF trials demonstrate the ability of Medtronic's insertable cardiac monitor, Reveal LlNQ, to improve detection of atrial fibrillation in patients with a history of stroke.
Meta-Analysis Details CVD Risk After Thyroidectomy in Patients with Thyroid Cancer
June 3rd 2021Data from AACE 2021 suggests the risk of cardiovascular disease was 15% greater among patients with thyroid cancer who underwent thyroidectomy than the general population, but found no significant difference in risk of cardiac mortality and atrial fibrillation.
LAAOS III: Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Cuts Stroke Risk in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation
May 15th 2021Results of the LAAOS III trial provide evidence suggesting left atrial appendage occlusion could reduce risk of ischemic events by nearly a third and also reduce risk of stroke by more than 40% in patients with atrial fibrillation.
Aspirin Without an Indication Comes with More Risk than Reward in Patients on DOACs
April 20th 2021Data from a group of anticoagulant clinics in Michigan suggests aspirin use without an indication in patients with atrial fibrillation or VTE using DOACs was associated with an increased risk of bleeding and hospitalizations.
DOACs May be More Effective than Warfarin for Valvular AFib
March 30th 2021An analysis of claims data by investigators at University of Pennsylvania indicates DOACs were associated with a 36% lower risk of stroke or systemic embolism and was also associated with a reduction in risk of major bleeding.
Large-Scale Genetic Analysis Indicates Increased Blood Pressure Causes Atrial Fibrillation
February 11th 2021An analysis of data from the International Consortium of Blood Pressure-Genome Wide Association Studies suggests every 1 mmHg increase in blood pressure was linked to a 1.4-2.6% increase in risk of atrial fibrillation.
Intravenous Alcohol Has Immediate Effect on Cardiac Electrophysiology, Trial Finds
January 29th 2021Results of the How Alcohol Induces Atrial Tachyarrhythmias (HOLIDAY) trial offer insight into the effects of alcohol on cardiac electrophysiology from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
One Drink Per Day Increases Risk of AFib 16% in Healthy Patients
January 14th 2021An analysis of more than 100k people from five community-based cohorts indicates consuming one alcoholic drink per day could increase risk of atrial fibrillation by 16%, while consuming four per day increased risk by 47%.