SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Patients who have a common heart condition
called atrial fibrillation do better with early, aggressive
intervention, according to a new study from researchers at the
Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute. “Historically,
patients with atrial fibrillation have been treated using less
aggressive and less invasive methods, such as medicines or
non--‐surgical procedures at the beginning of the disease
process,” said researcher Jared Bunch, MD, cardiac
electrophysiologist at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart
Institute. “We found that we can achieve better outcomes for our
patients if we perform an ablation procedure earlier in the
treatment process. ” Atrial fibrillation affects more than 2.7
million Americans and is the most common serious heart rhythm
abnormality in people over the age of 65. It occurs when the
upper chambers of the heart (the atria) beat irregularly instead
of beating effectively to move blood into the ventricles. During
the ablation procedure a physician inserts