This archive report was first published on 26 July 2021.
Published on July 26, 2021, a study revealed that atrial fibrillation (A-fib) is a common heart problem that can be effectively treated with medication or ablation, a procedure that destroys the cells causing the irregular heartbeat.
Long-term treatment with medication, usually beta blockers and calcium blockers, can help sustain a normal heart rhythm. Patients are also given an anticoagulant to prevent blood clots. Anticoagulants like Xarelto (rivaroxaban) have persistent anti-clotting effects, even if patients miss a dose or two, which may help prevent a stroke.
However, some patients may experience a recurrence of A-fib, as seen in the case of Mr. Hallick, who was doing well on medication for seven years until May, when a routine checkup revealed that his A-fib had recurred and his heart was beating 165 times a minute.
Mr. Hallick underwent a procedure called ablation, which involves snaking a catheter through a vein into the heart's left atrium and either burning or freezing the cells that misfire. Ablation has been shown to be significantly more effective in correcting A-fib than drug therapy, with controlled trials demonstrating that it can successfully prevent A-fib in about 75 percent of patients a year later.
Dr. Stevenson of Vanderbilt noted that some patients with persistent A-fib prefer to undergo ablation rather than continually taking medications, which can cause bleeding problems or other side effects. However, the benefit of ablation may be delayed, with about half of patients experiencing abnormal heart rhythms and requiring a cardiac shock or drug treatment until the heart fully recovers from the procedure.
