Surgery Best Option For Treating Atrial Fibrillation

Boston (DbTechNo) - Results of a new study show that patients with atrial fibrillation fair better from surgery to correct their abnormal heart rhythm.

Commonly for patients diagnosed with the condition, drugs are prescribed to cure the procedure, but this new study shows that prescribing drugs may not be the way to go.

More than 2 million Americans live with atrial fibrillation a condition that is present in the upper chambers of the heart that can lead to heart failure and strokes if not treated.

Symptoms of the condition include heart palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath, and lightheadedness.

For the study, researchers analyzed more than 167 patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.

Patients were assigned to either drug therapy, or a surgical procedure called catheter ablation.

Only 16% of patients who received drugs to treat their condition were symptom free after a year, compared to 66% of those who received the surgery.

“Once a drug fails, catheter ablation is far better than continuing to pursue more drug trials,” said Dr. David Wilber of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago, whose study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.