According to data from a recent study conducted by researchers from UCLA, UC San Diego and Indiana University, the flutters from AF are caused by small electrical sources that are inside the heart — electrical spinning tops known as “rotors.”
The best thing about this study, according to the researchers, is that they have also discovered a way to detect and shut down the electrical sources in a matter of only minutes. The researchers state that doing so will have long-lasting results for the AF patients who are plagued by the irregular heartbeats. The team that did the research was composed of cardiologists, physicists and bioengineers. This study’s results have been published in the July 19 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology as part of the CONFIRM trial.
“We are very excited by this trial, which for the first time shows that atrial fibrillation is maintained by small electrical hotspots, where brief FIRM guided ablation can shut down the arrhythmia and bring the heart back to a normal rhythm after only minutes of ablation,” said lead author Dr. Sanjiv Narayan, a professor of medicine at UC San Diego, visiting professor at the UCLA Cardiac Arrhythmia Center and director of electrophysiology at the San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
“The results of this trial, with an 80 percent ablation success rate after a single procedure, are very gratifying,” said study author Dr. Kalyanam Shivkumar, director of the UCLA Cardiac Arrhythmia Center and a professor of medicine and radiological sciences at UCLA. “This is the dawn of a new phase of managing this common arrhythmia that is mechanism-based.”
Should this study prove to be correct, AF patients may be able to look forward to getting a long-lasting treatment that will take way the need for medications like Multaq in preventing episodes. Multaq is an anticoagulant that is used to treat AF and has been linked to serious side effects. Multaq is made by Sanofi-Aventis and has been linked to liver failure and a worsening of the heart condition.
If you or a loved one has suffered from liver failure or a worsening heart condition after being treated with Multaq, contact the attorneys at Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting Multaq lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your injuries.