Articles tagged ‘atrial fibrillation’

Dr Ben Glover, Consultant Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist, reports from the Heart Rhythm Congress 2011, held recently in San Francisco. He highlights some of the advances in cardiac devices, a novel computational mapping system for AF ablation, as well as the role of genetic testing in inherited conditions.

While care for patients with stroke has improved over the past 12 years, key areas of concern remain, according to the final report of a national audit published recently by the Royal College of Physicians.¹

Risk of death in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and type 2 diabetes can be substantially reduced by hypertension treatment with perindopril/indapamide, according to findings announced recently by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).¹

A study which aims to describe adverse events associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) and the drugs used to treat it, has been published in the British Journal of Cardiology (BJC).¹

Dabigatran etexilate has recently been recommended for approval in EU member states by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in adult patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF).

Pericardial fat is associated with the presence of atrial fibrillation (AF), its severity, and poorer outcomes after ablation, independently of more systemic measures of adiposity, according to a study published recently in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology¹.

The risks and benefits of anticoagulation therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and severe renal impairment are poorly understood and require further study, according to a report published recently in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2010.12.013).

Simvastatin exerts a direct antiarrhythmic effect, suppressing triggers responsible for the generation of atrial fibrillation (AF), according to a study published recently in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2010.08.649).

New techniques could help cardiologists understand and target cardiac arrhythmia triggers with unprecedented accuracy, according to recent research from researchers at the University of Leicester (Available from:
http://cinc.mit.edu/current/preprints/198.pdf).

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure are two major conditions which commonly co-exist and which are increasing within the ageing populations of developed countries. The challenges of treating these patients to improve outcomes was the topic reviewed by, Professor Dirk van Veldhuisen from University Medical Centre Groningen, The Netherlands, during the Cardiology and Diabetes at the limits 2011 annual scientific symposium, held recently at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.