Eliquis more effective at preventing strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation

The experimental anticlotting pill Eliquis beat out the standard drug, warfarin, at preventing strokes in people with a heart condition that puts them at high risk of blood clots and stroke, researchers report. The new drug, also known as apixaban, cut the risk of stroke by 21% compared with warfarin in people with atrial fibrillation (AF). It lowered the risk of dying by 11%. The side effect of serious internal bleeding, the key safety concern of anticlotting medication, was reduced by 31% with Eliquis compared to warfarin - WebMD

Health Canada reviewing heart-related safety of Multaq

Health Canada is reviewing the heart-related safety of the prescription drug Multaq (the brand name for dronedarone). Multaq is used to reduce the risk of hospitalisation due to "atrial fibrillation," which is an abnormal heart rhythm

New procedure treats atrial fibrillation (USA)

Doctors at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are performing a new procedure to treat atrial fibrillation, a common irregular heartbeat. Available at only a handful of U.S. medical centers, this "hybrid" procedure combines minimally invasive surgical techniques with the latest advances in catheter ablation, a technique that applies scars to the heart's inner surface to block signals causing the heart to misfire. The two-pronged approach gives doctors access to both the inside and outside of the heart at the same time, helping to more completely block the erratic electrical signals that cause atrial fibrillation

Heart beat problem 'largely avoidable'

"Over half of all cases of the most common type of heart rhythm disturbance could be avoided by "clean living", such as avoiding smoking and eating more healthily, say scientists. If individuals were to maintain a healthy weight and normal blood pressure and abstain from tobacco 57% of cases of atrial fibrillation (AF) could be averted, the US experts say. The study in Circulation journal is based on nearly 15,000 patients. AF is a major cause of stroke. Yet many people are unaware that they have this heart condition because often it causes very few symptoms. Experts believe up to 500,000 people in the UK have AF. The condition can be treated with medication to slow the irregular heartbeat and blood-thinning drugs to reduce stroke risk, but the latest research shows how much illness could be avoided by simple lifestyle measures"

Drugs for heartbeat problem may cut dementia risk (UK)

Treating stroke survivors for a heartbeat problem called atrial fibrillation might prevent many patients from going on to develop dementia, UK experts believe. Research into nearly 50,000 patients' records found that AF after a stroke more than doubles the risk of dementia. Doctors say we should now investigate whether more vigorous treatment with drugs to control AF might delay or even prevent dementia. The work appears in Neurology journal. Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disturbance and affects up to 500,000 people in the UK. Although not usually life-threatening in itself, it does increase the risk of stroke. Blood-thinning drugs and medication to slow the irregular heartbeat are often prescribed to reduce stroke risk

New guidelines OK Pradaxa blood thinner as option for irregular heartbeat (USA)

For patients with the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation, a new anti-clotting drug called Pradaxa (dabigatran) can be used as an alternative to warfarin, according to updated guidelines. About 2 million Americans have atrial fibrillation, in which the heart's two upper chambers beat erratically, causing uneven and inefficient pumping of blood. As a result, blood can pool and clot in the chambers, raising the risk of stroke or heart attack. Since the 1950s, such patients have been prescribed warfarin, but the drug requires regular testing and dosage adjustments. The updated guidelines, issued by the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association and the Heart Rhythm Society, say that Pradaxa can be used to prevent blood clots and stroke in patients with either recurrent episodes of atrial fibrillation that stop after seven days (called "paroxysmal") or ongoing ("permanent") atrial fibrillation, and with risk factors for blood clotting and stroke, provided that they don't have a prosthetic heart valve, significant heart valve disease, severe kidney failure or advanced liver disease. The updated guidelines are published in the journals Circulation, HeartRhythm and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Last December, the groups released an updated guideline that said a combination of aspirin and the drug Plavix (clopidogrel) could be used to prevent blood clots and stroke in atrial fibrillation patients who are poor candidates for warfarin - HealthDay

New hope for atrial fibrillation patients (Canada)

"Canadian doctors are testing a simple "plug" to help treat atrial fibrillation, a condition that affects about 250,000 patients in this country and often can't be cured with medication. Atrial fibrillation can be a frightening condition as the heart doesn't beat normally, causing fainting and chest pain. The irregular heartbeat causes blood to pool and thicken in a chamber around the heart, seriously boosting the chance of clots and a stroke. Atrial fibrillation is responsible for about 15 per cent of all eschemic strokes"

St. Vincent's tweets live AFIB procedure (Florida, USA)

"On Thursday, February 11, heart experts at St. Vincent's AFIB Institute, Florida, performed a procedure to stop the wild rhythms beating in one Georgia man's heart. The 62 year old patient consented to let them "tweet" his catheter ablation, which will give him a steady heart beat and decrease his risk of stroke, congestive heart failure and death associated with atrial fibrillation. The patient recognized symptoms of AFIB after hearing of the Institute and spoke to his physician about testing. A transcript of the procedure can be found at http://www.twitter.com/jaxhealth or by searching the hashtag #AFIBjax in Twitter, the online social network"

UVA researchers develop innovative procedure to safely treat common heart disorder without x-ray exposure (USA)

A growing body of research continues to warn of the potential long-term effects of radiation exposure for patients and medical providers during such imaging procedures as x-rays and computed tomography (CT) scans, both of which are traditionally used with certain heart procedures. Now researchers at the University of Virginia Health System have developed a promising x-ray free technique to treat a common heart disorder called atrial fibrillation - a breakthrough that could all but eliminate radiation exposure to patients and their medical providers. "One of the most exciting things about our research is the direct impact on patient care and safety," says John D. Ferguson, MD, associate professor of cardiology in the UVA School of Medicine. The study, led by Ferguson, appears in the December 2009 issue of Circulation. "Cardiac interventions continue to evolve toward lower risk procedures, and this study is another huge step in that direction." More than two million Americans suffer from atrial fibrillation (AF), a condition characterized by an irregular heart rate that can lead to weakness, blood clotting and even stroke.

Mount Sinai first with new technique to prevent a major cause for heart-related stroke (USA)

"Physicians at The Mount Sinai Medical Center were the first in the USA to perform a non-surgical procedure using sutures to tie off a left atrial appendage, which is the source of blood clots leading to stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. AFib is the most common sustained heart-rhythm disorder in the United States. The procedure was performed Wednesday by Vivek Y. Reddy, MD, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Service at Mount Sinai Heart, and his colleague, Srinivas R. Dukkipati, MD, Director of Mount Sinai's Experimental Electrophysiology Laboratory. With the patient under general anesthesia, the physicians guided two catheters into the patient's heart to seal the LAA with a pre-tied suture loop. The technique is a safe alternative to drug therapies such as the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin) that can have serious side effects, as well as open-heart surgery, and more invasive implant surgery" - EurekAlert

Researchers link Alzheimer's to heart disorder

U.S. researchers have released a study linking a common heart disorder with an elevated risk of Alzheimer's disease. The study, based on clinical data from more than 37,000 patients, revealed that patients under the age of 70 were at 130 percent greater risk of developing Alzheimer's if they also suffered from the heart dysfunction known as atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is the most common form of cardiac arrhythmia and occurs when the heart's natural pace-making node is overrun by dozens of other electrical impulses, causing the heart to beat erratically. In the past, several research projects had connected the heart disorder to a 187 percent increase in all types of dementia, but never directly with Alzheimer's. The results of the study were presented in full to the Heart Rhythm Society in Boston last week - redOrbit

Irregular hearts need attention

Results from a large, international, randomised, controlled trial have shown that there is a strong link between diabetics who have an abnormal heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation) and an increased risk of other heart-related problems and death. The findings were published in Europe's leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal on 12 March 2009. - ScienceAlert

StopAfib.org

"StopAfib.org focuses on spreading the word about atrial fibrillation and provides resources for atrial fibrillation patients so they can learn more about controlling and managing their condition. StopAfib.org allows patients to share with other patients. We hope that you will find it valuable. It's not just for women - it's for anyone suffering with atrial fibrillation and for their families and caregivers"

Cigarette smoking and risk of atrial fibrillation: The Rotterdam Study

Offering yet another reason to never start smoking, a new study finds that both current and former smokers run an elevated risk of the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation. The condition is one of the most widespread heart conditions. During an episode of AF, abnormal electrical activity in the heart causes its upper two chambers to beat in a rapid, uncoordinated rhythm; the arrhythmia itself is not life-threatening, but over time AF can contribute to stroke or heart failure in some people. While smoking is a well-known risk factor for heart disease, it has not been clear whether the habit boosts the risk of AF specifically. The new findings, reported in the American Heart Journal, suggest that it does - even after a smoker quits. Researchers found that of nearly 5 700 Dutch adults age 55 and older, current smokers and former smokers were about 50 percent more likely to develop AF over 7 years

New cause of heart arrhythmia found

"Scientists have long believed that atrial fibrillation, the most common form of sustained heart arrhythmia, is an electrical problem of the heart. However, a new study has uncovered a surprising genetic cause for the rare and particularly severe form of heart disease. A team of researchers at the Cleveland Clinic has found that defects in a gene known as NUP155, a key component of the nuclear pore complex that is involved in shuttling molecules in and out of the cell nucleus, also leads to arrhythmia in patients with two abnormal copies of the gene. 'It's unexpected,' the Cleveland Clinic's Qing Kenneth Wang was quoted as saying. 'We never thought a gene like this could lead to atrial fibrillation.'" - redOrbit

Heart rhythm risk seen in women's alcohol drinking

"Women who consume more than two alcoholic drinks a day have a higher risk of getting the most common type of heart rhythm disturbance, which can raise the chances of having a stroke, researchers said on Tuesday. Previous research had shown that men who drink three or more alcoholic beverages daily have an elevated risk for atrial fibrillation, but the risk for women had not been clear. Researchers in the United States and Switzerland tracked 34,715 middle-aged American women for more than 12 years who did not have atrial fibrillation at the outset of the study. There was no increased risk for the vast majority who drank either no alcohol or up to two drinks daily. But those who drank more had a 60 percent increased risk for atrial fibrillation" - Reuters