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According to the latest research published today at the American Heart Association’s 2021 scientific meeting, patients with atrial fibrillation who undergo personalized testing to find triggers for arrhythmia report a lower frequency of irregular episodes. The conference is completely virtual. From Saturday, November 13 to Monday, November 15, 2021, it is the world's premier exchange platform for the latest scientific advances, research and evidence-based clinical practice updates in the global cardiovascular sciences field to promote global healthcare .
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is an irregular or trembling heartbeat that can cause blood clots, stroke, heart failure, and other heart-related complications. At least 2.7 million Americans suffer from this condition, in which the upper chamber of the heart (atria) beats irregularly (fibrillation), which can lead to the formation of blood clots. Without treatment, AFib doubles the risk of heart-related death and increases the risk of stroke by 5 times. People with AFib report that certain behaviors seem to increase the likelihood of an AFib attack. In the I-STOP-AF trial "Individualized Study of Atrial Fibrillation Triggers: A Randomized Controlled Trial", researchers set out to determine whether monitoring potential triggers can reduce AFib episodes.
There is little research on whether the perceptual triggers of AFib actually cause the onset of AFib. Our research team aims to determine whether perceived triggers are equivalent to actual triggers—and whether tracking AFib triggers leads to fewer attacks. "
Gregory Marcus, MD, MAS, lead author of the study, professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine and associate director of cardiology research at the University of California San Francisco Health Center
The researchers initially recruited 446 participants in the trial, and 320 of them completed the study. They conducted a remote trial based on a mobile app, and patients were randomly assigned to either monitor their AFib episodes without tracking their presumed triggers, or test whether a specific "trigger" affected or caused atrial fibrillation episodes. The comparison was conducted within 10 weeks, and both groups of patients used specific equipment to monitor or track AFib triggers.
Participants testing specific AFib triggers can choose from the trigger menu-or write a personalized trigger at the beginning of the study. Then, the test group was instructed to either expose themselves within a given week or avoid specific triggers (alcohol, caffeine, lack of sleep, etc.). This process was carried out randomly over a six-week period, and all participants reported any episodes of atrial fibrillation every day.
At the end of the first six weeks of the trial, participants received results about whether their inferred triggers affected the probability of experiencing an AFib attack. All participants can then choose to continue testing potential AFib triggers. Those who have been tracking AFib episodes can now also test specific triggers for personalized studies. At the end of the 10th week of the trial, both groups completed a questionnaire about the severity of their atrial fibrillation.
Research results include:
Marcus said: "Since this is the first study to solve this idea, we have learned many lessons, and future research can learn from it." "We also have a unique opportunity to work closely with patients with atrial fibrillation, including several People with atrial fibrillation who are now co-authors of the study. As healthcare professionals, it is important for us to focus on patient-centered results."
Marcus said these findings indicate the need for more real-time evaluations, such as those available to study participants who have access to daily text-based surveys. The research team also believes that the assessment of possible AFib triggers can enhance patients' abilities by reminding patients of the behaviors they can change in their daily lives.
The study has several limitations. First, all study participants did not complete all assessments, especially the daily ECG monitoring based on smartphones. The study relied on self-reported responses to determine compliance with AFib-triggered test tasks. In addition, because the study relied on participants using their own smartphones, the results of the study may not be generalized to patients who cannot use these devices.
Published in: Medical Research News | Medical Condition News
Tags: alcohol, atrial fibrillation, blood, caffeine, cardiology, education, healthcare, health insurance, heart, heart failure, heart surgery, medicine, pH, research, sleep, stroke, surgery
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