CardioExchange Archive

February 24th, 2014

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: February 24th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include radiofrequency ablation vs. antiarrhythmic drugs as first-line treatment of paroxysmal AF, Symplicity HTN-1 and Symplicity HTN-3, and more.

---

April 24th, 2013

Quinidine In Ireland: Rarely Needed, Hard To Find

Gerard J Fahy, MD, Niamh O'Hanlon, BPharm MSc Grad Dip Risk Mgmt Cert Pharm Prac and John Ryan, MD

Recently in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology Viskin et al published the results of a survey  looking at the worldwide availability of quinidine. They found that the drug — the only effective oral antiarrhythmic in Brugada syndrome and idiopathic ventricular fibrillation — is readily available in only 19 countries and is unavailable or […]

---

October 30th, 2012

Ablation for Treatment-Naive A-Fib Patients?

CardioExchange Editors, Staff

Younger, healthier treatment-naive patients with a-fib can be offered initial ablation therapy, although drug therapy remains the default, according to the authors of this recent study in the NEJM.

---

October 24th, 2012

Atrial Fibrillation: Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation and Antiarrhythmic Drug Therapy Compared

Larry Husten, PHD

A trial comparing radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFA) to antiarrhythmic drug therapy (AAD) as initial therapy for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) found no difference in the overall burden of AF between the groups. But the trial also turned up evidence supporting the use of RFA as an initial treatment strategy in some patients. In a paper published in […]

---

July 1st, 2011

AF Update: Flecainide Misinformation

John Mandrola, MD, FACC

John Mandrola is a cardiac electrophysiologist and blogger on matters medical and general. Here is a recent post from his blog, Dr John M. I have said that the best tool for treating atrial fibrillation (AF) is education. I still strongly believe that, perhaps more than ever. AF presents itself to people in so many different ways – from […]

---