Catheter ablation helps atrial fibrillation patients live longer

Date: Jul-31-2014 A new long-term study suggests that adult patients with atrial fibrillation

whose heart rhythm is successfully restored with a minimally invasive procedure called catheter

ablation, have a significantly reduced chance of early death from a heart attack or heart

failure.

"The study findings show the benefit of catheter ablation extends beyond improving quality of life for adults with atrial fibrillation," say the researchers.

The team, from the University of Michigan (U-M) at Ann Arbor, reports the findings in the

journal Heart Rhythm.

Atrial fibrillation is an age-related heart rhythm disorder caused by electrical "short-circuits" in the heart that impair its ability to pump blood efficiently and cause fluttering

sensations in the chest.

People with atrial fibrillation have a higher risk of stroke and heart attacks, and they also

suffer a considerably poorer quality of life.

According to the World Heart Federation, who

describe the condition as a "growing and urgent public health concern," atrial fibrillation is

the most common sustained abnormal heart rhythm condition worldwide.

In Europe and the US, there are currently estimated to be about 9 million people with atrial

fibrillation, and numbers are set to increase.

Catheter ablation led to 60% lower rate of deaths from cardiovascular events

Catheter ablation is a minimally invasive procedure where an electrophysiologist delivers

radiofrequency energy to the heart muscle through a specially designed catheter inserted into

the left atrium or chamber of the heart.

The intention is to disrupt the short-circuits that are causing the irregular heart

rhythm.

The catheter is inserted with a needle into a vein that runs up to the heart from the groin. A

three-dimensional mapping system on a computer helps the doctor guide the catheter precisely to

the correct location in the heart.

In this latest study, the U-M researchers showed that death from cardiovascular events dropped

by 60% among adults who had their normal heart rhythm successfully restored with catheter

ablation.

Lead author Dr. Hamid Ghanbari, an electrophysiologist at U-M's Frankel Cardiovascular

Center, says:

"The study findings show the benefit of catheter ablation extends beyond improving quality of

life for adults with atrial fibrillation. If successful, ablation improves life span."

Even older patients, and those with other conditions benefited

He and his colleagues found that even older patients gained the cardiovascular survival

benefits of the procedure, as did those with diabetes or a history of stroke, or who had sleep

apnea, or a condition known as low-ejection fraction - an early sign of heart failure where the

heart does not pump enough blood.

In an accompanying editorial, that characterizes catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation as

"a death-defying endeavor," the authors describe the study results as encouraging for those

involved in treating the debilitating heart condition.

For their investigation, Dr. Ghanbari and colleagues examined 10 years of follow-up medical

data on over 3,000 adults who had received catheter ablation as a treatment for paroxysmal atrial

fibrillation - where the condition comes and goes on its own. Most of the participants, whose

average age was 58 when they received the treatment, were men.

The study is thought to be the first and longest to examine the clinical outcomes of catheter

ablation.

Meanwhile, Medical News Today recently learned how another new study found light may treat atrial fibrillation

painlessly. Presenting at a conference in Spain, researchers explained how rather than

relying on painful electric shocks, they are studying a new "optogenetic" treatment that uses

light to achieve defibrillation in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

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Courtesy: Medical News Today Note: Any medical information available in this news section is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional.