A randomized study of more than 450 patients with persistent atrial fibrillation is now underway. All patients have been treated, and their outcomes will be tracked for 12 months. 

VT storm is associated with a heightened risk of death or significant complications. Early catheter ablation, it seems, is the most effective treatment option for this potentially fatal condition. 

However, researchers noted, there is still considerable room for improvement.

Jason Andrade, MD, director of electrophysiology, Vancouver General Hospital, and principal investigator of the PROGRESSIVE AF trial, explains how cryoablation can be used as a frontline treatment for atrial fibrillation (AFib) before drugs in this AHA late-breaker. 

“The evidence shows increasingly that it’s time to rethink how we approach the treatment of AFib,” one researcher said.

Atrial fibrillation and peripheral artery disease, for example, are both predictors of mortality among women, but not men. 

New research out of Mayo Clinic found that clinicians who listened to AI-based treatment recommendations were more successful at identifying patients with low ejection fraction. 

The American College of Cardiology and Heart Rhythm Society issued a joint statement soon after CMS published its final rule for the 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. The groups warned that the final rule could threaten patient access to high-quality care.