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Examining long-term outcomes for people with atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common heart rhythm disorder, a new study found that 55% survived to 10 years. The researchers say AF needs to be treated as a chronic illness with serious long-term consequences. AF, or AFib, and its close medical cousin, atrial flutter, are associated with complications such as stroke, heart failure, and heart attack. While there’s an understandable focus on treating these conditions to prevent acute complications, less research has looked at what’s happening in the long term. Now, a study led by researchers from the University of Queensland’s (UQ) Faculty...

Looking at specific substances in the blood of people with atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat, could help identify who's at risk for a stroke despite taking blood-thinning medication to prevent one, research suggests. The researchers found biomarkers in the blood that reflect heart strain, inflammation and clotting raised stroke risk in people with AFib who are on blood thinners. AFib is a common type of arrhythmia in which the heart's two upper chambers quiver instead of fully contracting, interfering with their ability to pump blood to the heart's lower chambers. Blood left behind may pool and clot, raising...

People at risk should be tested for atrial fibrillation every time they attend a health appointment. Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder globally. The number of adults aged 55 years and older living with the condition in the European Union is expected to more than double from 8.8 million in 2010 to 17.9 million by 2060. People with atrial fibrillation are up to five times more likely to have a stroke than their healthy peers. The disorder often has no symptoms and remains undiagnosed until a stroke occurs. The consortium identified the ability of atrial fibrillation screening...

Patients who present with persistent atrial fibrillation at diagnosis are more likely to have certain risk factors as compared with patients with occasional atrial fibrillation (AFib). Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of arrhythmia. "Once somebody has persistent AFib, our ability to put them back into a normal rhythm with ablation and medications is lower," said Christine Albert, MD, MPH. This more recent study found that risk factors for new-onset, persistent AFib include being older, male, overweight, having a higher BMI (≥30 kg/m2), and, interestingly, having post-college education. Investigators theorized that the association between higher levels of education and...

We all know that a lousy night's sleep can leave us feeling drained the next day. Now a study has found another reason to catch more Z's: poor sleep is tied to significantly higher odds of experiencing atrial fibrillation (A-Fib)—irregular heartbeats that can lead to blood clots, heart failure, stroke and other heart-related problems—the following day. A bad night of sleep was associated with a 15% greater risk of having an A-Fib episode, and continued poor sleep was associated with longer episodes of A-Fib. The researchers noted that it is important to treat underlying disease that may be causing A-Fib,...

Jaguars offensive lineman Tyler Shatley had an incident of Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) a few days ago, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said before Saturday's stadium practice. AFib is "an irregular and often very rapid heart rhythm," according to the Mayo Clinic. Shatley was seen participating through all of Wednesday's practice but was not seen during the team's practice Thursday. The Jaguars were off Friday before returning to the field Saturday.

A score based on four readily available clinical and imaging parameters identifies heart failure patients who benefit most from atrial fibrillation ablation. Atrial fibrillation and heart failure often coexist. There is uncertainty about which heart failure patients should be referred for ablation. "The tools to determine who exactly these selected patients are are elusive and often subjective," said Dr. Marco Bergonti. "The Antwerp score was developed to predict the response to ablation in heart failure patients with impaired (below 50%) ejection fraction." The score is based on four parameters: QRS width above 120 milliseconds (2 points), known etiology (2 points),...

A novel software tool set to improve the management of elderly atrial fibrillation patients with multiple conditions is being designed by the EHRA-PATHS consortium. Professor Hein Heidbuchel said, "EHRA-PATHS is developing a standardized approach to ensure that patients with atrial fibrillation receive evidenced-based therapies for the comorbidities that underlie or complicate their heart rhythm disorder." Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder, affecting more than 40 million people worldwide. Patients with atrial fibrillation have an average of five co-existing conditions including high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, heart failure, obesity and chronic kidney disease. These comorbidities have a...

Daytime naps longer than a half-hour appear to nearly double a person's risk of developing an irregular heartbeat, a study reports. People who nap 30 minutes or more a day have a 90% higher risk of developing the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation (a-fib) than those who take shorter naps, according to research presented. "Our study indicates that snoozes during the day should be limited to less than 30 minutes," Dr. Jesus Diaz-Gutierrez said in a society news release. "People with disturbed night-time sleep should avoid relying on napping to make up the shortfall." A-fib causes the heart's upper chambers...

Periodontitis, a gum disease, can lead to a litany of dental issues from bad breath to bleeding and lost teeth. Now, researchers have found that it could be connected to even more severe problems elsewhere in the body—the heart. The team found a significant correlation between periodontitis and fibrosis (which is scarring to an appendage of the heart's left atrium that can lead to an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation) in a sample of 76 patients with cardiac disease. "Periodontitis is associated with a long-standing inflammation, and inflammation plays a key role in atrial fibrosis progression and atrial fibrillation pathogenesis,"...

High levels of uric acid in midlife may significantly raise the risk for a serious type of irregular heartbeat in the decades that follow, even in people without traditional risk factors, new research shows. The study suggests that uric acid may play an important role in the development of atrial fibrillation, or AFib, an irregular heartbeat that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart complications. "People with elevated uric acid levels may benefit from regular cardiovascular examinations to facilitate early diagnosis of new-onset AFib," said Mozhu Ding. Uric acid is a chemical produced when the body...

A study of persons with incident atrial fibrillation (AF) has found that AF after noncardiac surgery is common and comprises 13 percent of all new AF diagnoses. Postoperative AF is also associated with similar risk for stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) and death as AF unrelated to surgery. AF occurring after noncardiac surgery may be triggered by perioperative stress and systemic inflammation in patients with predisposing comorbidities. For those who develop AF within 30 days of surgery, AF often recurs during subsequent follow-up and carries increased risks for thromboembolism and death compared with patients who had surgery but did...

Results from one of the largest global studies of atrial fibrillation (AFib) procedures show that the simple approach is usually best when it comes to ablation, a procedure where physicians destroy or ablate cardiac tissue to correct irregular heart rhythms. Researchers found that using advanced image-guided technology to more aggressively target diseased areas of the heart that cause arrythmias didn't lead to better outcomes for patients. "Simplicity is key. Don't ablate too much, especially at advanced stages," said lead author Dr. Nassir Marrouche. "Too much ablation is not helping our patients today. It is putting them at higher risk. This...

Abstract Objectives: This study was undertaken to evaluate whether the surgeons' oxygen saturation of hemoglobin was affected by the surgical mask or not during major operations. Methods: Repeated measures, longitudinal and prospective observational study was performed on 53 surgeons using a pulse oximeter pre and postoperatively. Results: Our study revealed a decrease in the oxygen saturation of arterial pulsations (SpO2) and a slight increase in pulse rates compared to preoperative values in all surgeon groups. The decrease was more prominent in the surgeons aged over 35. Conclusions: Considering our findings, pulse rates of the surgeon's increase and SpO2 decrease after...

Cutting carbs has become a go-to strategy for runners and cyclists looking to cut weight. Now, research suggests it might be wise to cut that out, or at least approach cutting carbs with caution. That’s because people consuming a low proportion of their daily calories from carbohydrates like grains, fruits, and starchy vegetables appear to be significantly more likely to develop atrial fibrillation (AFib)—an irregular heart rhythm that can raise your risk of blood clots or stroke, according to preliminary research set to be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting. The study analyzed the health records and...

Eating chocolate has been linked with a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke, and now a new study from Denmark suggests that regular consumption of the treat may help to prevent the development of atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat. Researchers found that adults in the study who ate chocolate at least once a month — or more frequently than that — had rates of atrial fibrillation that were 10 to 20 percent lower than those who ate chocolate less than once a month, according to the findings published today (May 23) in the journal Heart

Has anyone had, or knows someone who has had, ablation treatment for Afib?

ORLANDO – People with an excessive blood level of vitamin D from overdosing with supplements had a 2.5-fold increased incidence of atrial fibrillation(A Fib), based on a study of 132,000 residents of Utah and southeastern Idaho. The finding "suggests the need for caution with vitamin D supplementation and the need for careful assessment of serum levels if high doses [of vitamin D] are used," Megan B. Smith said at the annual scientific sessions of the American Heart Association. The finding also suggests that patients identified with new-onset atrial fibrillation should be evaluated for a possible extremely high vitamin D level,...

I was diagnosed in May this year with A Fib. For those of you who do not know, that is a sometimes rapid and irregular heart beat.I'm on a beta blocker,and a blood thinner also to control my blood pressure.If you have it you know the symptoms. Lately I've been getting dizzy and a prickly feeling on my upper back if I get up too fast. (Yeah I know the joke line...get up slowly)My Doctor has just seen appropriate to up my meds slightly. Most of the time I feel great. But I've been having days like crap. I sometimes...

AP Medical Writer WASHINGTON -- At least 120,000 Americans a year suffer strokes because of a common irregular heartbeat -- one that's on the rise, hard to treat and can shoot deadly blood clots straight to the brain. Now doctors are experimenting with a new way to prevent those brain attacks: a tiny device that seals off a little section of the jiggling heart where the clots form. If it works -- and a major study is under way -- the Watchman device might provide long-needed protection for thousands of people with atrial fibrillation, whose main hope now is a...