A force-sensing ablation treatment for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) helped to improve outcomes in the SMART-AF study, according to results published Aug. 19 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. But an accompanying editorial raised questions.

Can atrial fibrillation (AF) or flutter during surgery predict stroke? Research published in the Aug. 13 issue of JAMA appears to confirm that it does.

Digoxin, for its wide use and history, may not be as safe for use in atrial fibrillation patients as it is assumed to be. Or is it? A study published Aug. 19 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology attempted to answer this question.

Meet retired electrophysiologist David Mann, MD, not to be confused with all the other doctors with the same name. Except unfortunately for him, he was, and in the one of the thorniest places imaginable—the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Open Payments System. 

The ablation market is expected to top $10 billion by 2020, according to Transparency Market Research, with radiofrequency ablation leading the charge.

A programming strategy for implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) reduced hospitalizations, length of stay and costs compared with standard care, according to a research letter published in the Aug. 6 issue of JAMA.

With surgery and introduction of a foreign object into a patient always comes some risk of infection. However, according to a study published online July 31 in Circulation, reducing that risk may involve more than just a clean site.

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced CE Mark approval and first use of the FlexAbility Ablation Catheter, a novel ablation technology used by electrophysiologists for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Designed with feedback from physician thought-leaders around the world, the FlexAbility catheter combines a unique, irrigated flexible catheter tip with a state-of-the-art handle and catheter design. The next-generation flexible tip technology was designed to reduce complications associated with ablation procedures through its ability to bend and conform to the cardiac anatomy, decreasing the amount of pressure distributed to a patient’s heart wall while simultaneously increasing the stability of therapy delivery.