Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, sold by Pfizer under the name Paxlovid, is commonly prescribed to treat COVID-19. When treating some heart patients, however, physicians may want to consider an alternative approach.

A team of specialists from Cleveland Clinic reviewed nearly 3,000 medications, writing that a common type 2 diabetes medication offered the most potential as an effective treatment for AFib. 

"By imposing a 35%-42% cut, [CMS] has essentially created a scenario where it is going to destroy electrophysiology as a field," explained Dhanunjaya "DJ" Lakkireddy, MD.

“Our ultimate goal is to prevent strokes," one Mayo Clinic electrophysiologist said. "I believe the current study has brought us one step closer.”

Could wearables help AFib patients take fewer blood-thinning medications and reduce their risk of stroke? The team behind a new seven-year analysis hopes to find out. 

Harold Litt, MD, division chief of cardiothoracic imaging and director of the Center for Advanced CT Imaging Sciences at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, explains the role of cardiac CT in EP procedures.

Patients who developed new-onset AFib tended to be sicker than those who did not.