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Catheter Ablation in Combination With Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Atrial Fibrillation
28:13

Catheter Ablation in Combination With Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Atrial Fibrillation

Published on: February 26, 2013

A multidisciplinary atrial fibrillation clinic

Huyentran N Tran1, Javad Tafreshi, Elvin A Hernandez

  • 1Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy, 11262 Campus Street, West Hall, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA.

Current Cardiology Reviews
|October 25, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Managing atrial fibrillation (AF) patients in specialty clinics significantly reduces hospitalizations and stroke. This approach improves outcomes for individuals with this common cardiac arrhythmia.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Clinical Medicine

Background:

  • Specialty clinics improve outcomes for chronic disorders.
  • Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a prevalent cardiac arrhythmia affecting millions.
  • Limited outcome data exists for AF patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Evaluate the effectiveness of a dedicated AF specialty clinic.
  • Assess the impact of specialized management on patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • A multidisciplinary team (electrophysiologists, pharmacists) developed a patient management plan.
  • The plan included individualized treatment, patient education, medication management, and follow-up.
  • Outcomes of 71 patients from November 2011 to March 2012 were reviewed.

Main Results:

  • 17 out of 71 patients (23.9%) were hospitalized.
  • Two hospitalized patients experienced ischemic stroke events.

Conclusions:

  • Specialty clinic management for AF patients is associated with reduced hospitalizations.
  • This model of care also lowers the incidence of stroke in AF patients compared to literature data.
Abstract

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