New Technology Treats Atrial Fibrillation Without Drugs

My mom was hospitalized a few years ago with atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is a condition where the right side of the heart beats erratically. This erratic heartbeat can cause clots to form which may circulate to the brain and cause a stroke. The condition is usually treated with a combination of beta blockers and drugs to control high blood pressure and thin the blood.

The beta blockers slow down the heart rate and the blood thinners work to keep clots from forming in the right side of the heart. In my mom's case, she was hospitalized for pain and for some reason they stopped giving her the blood thinners. Three days later, she had a stroke that ultimately led to her death.

For some patients, even giving them the medications listed above doesn't keep clots from forming. In those cases, a pacemaker is sometimes placed in the chest that gives the heart a slight shock and maintains the normal rhythm of the heart. Now there is a new treatment for this problem with the atrial section of the heart. In involves the use of a catheter. According to Medical News Today:

"The FDA has approved Medtronic's Arctic Front Cardiac CryoAblation Catheter system for the treatment of PAF (drug refractory paroxysmal atrial fibrillation) - a type of atrial fibrillation in patients who do not respond to medication."

Irregular heart rhythms in the upper chambers of the heart can start and stop without notice and can last for hours or days at a time. This new catheter actually cause lesions at the pulmonary vein, the area of the heart where the irregular heartbeats begin.

The catheter also delivers a coolant that stops the fibrillation. Just like when a heart stint is placed, the catheter is threaded to the heart through a vein in the patient's groin. The cooling technology allows the catheter to stay in place as it does its job.

After a one year study, it was shown that almost 70% of the patients that were treated with the new therapy had no atrial fibrillation compared to 7% that were just treated with the drug therapy. And there were no noticeable side effects from the placement of the catheter.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder in the United States today. It is also very under treated. About three million people are thought to have atrial fibrillation, but about 40% of them have no symptoms and don't get treatment.

To bad this technology wasn't around when my mom suffered from atrial fibrillation. Maybe then she wouldn't have needed the drugs and would still be alive.

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/211998.php