I had to be sitting down to read this one. This is a HUGE development in the field of AFIB, probably the most important one of 2019! Basically, by looking at sinus (normal) rhythm ECGs, artificial intelligence algorithms were able to predict future occurrence of AFIB with sensitivity, specificity and overall accuracy of 79%. This…
There is a strong correlation between AFIB and dementia. Prevalence of AFIB and dementia are both increasing with aging population. There have been several meta-analyses looking dementia in patients with AFIB. Study by Kwok in Neurology – 46.637 patients – twice the risk of dementia in patients with AFIB. Study by Santangeli in Heart Rhythm…
This quote is not meant to be funny. This is the truth of atrial fibrillation for most symptomatic patients. Early in the course of atrial fibrillation, most patients are anxious. I tell them “the paradox of AFIB is that the more you have it, the less it bothers you (most people)”. Anxiety increases risk of…
MODERATION Endurance exercise is a risk factor for atrial fibrillation. I have observed this effect since I started practice in Boulder 15 y ago. I have spent hours with my patients, discussing the role of moderation in exercise. Here is data to support this recommendation. Meden Agan The temple of Apollo at Delphi bore the inscription Meden Agan (μηδὲν…
Yale is doing a survey on athletes with AFIB Yale survey Watch this space for more data on AFIB in endurance athletes
Credible Meds has a great website and app on which you can check drugs that cause QT prolongation. It is important to do this, especially if you are already on drugs that prolong QT interval since combination of 2 drugs that do this can cause lethal arrhythmias. Grapefruit juice causes QT prolongation related to blocking…
Here is another substudy of the ARIC study published last week. 13,385 patients were followed for 22.4 years. An increase of 9.4% in carbohydrate intake (corresponding to 1 standard deviation) was associated with an 18% lower rate of incident AF.
If you don’t want to watch the whole video, the following quotes in the video summarize it: “Americans need to be challenged to think about what they eat.” “Health is not the absence of illness, it is the presence of well-being.” “Goal is to live until you die, not to start a slow process of…
There have been several anecdotal examples of atrial fibrillation associated with chronic pain. The REGARDS study followed 30,239 patients over 4 years. The prevalence of AF was higher in opioid users than nonusers (12.5% vs 7.6%). The postulated mechanism is : Endogenous opioid peptides open mitochondrial potassium ATP channels, making mitochondria resistant to oxidative stress….
Half the patients with AFIB also have sleep apnea. Patients with sleep apnea have 4 times the risk of developing atrial fibrillation. How does sleep apnea contribute to AFIB? Potential mechanisms: Changes in intrathoracic pressure during apneic episodes leads to left atrial stretch. Intermittent periods of hypoxemia (low oxygen) and hypercapnia (high carbon dioxide) related…