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Medtronic atrial fibrillation system shines in stu

06:04, 1969-Dec-31 .. 0 comments .. Link

Medtronic atrial fibrillation system shines in study Medtronic atrial fibrillation system shines in study A clinical trial of Medtronic Inc's (MDT.N) cryoablation system looked at fragrance245 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation,#x a condition marked by intermittent episodes of abnormal heart rhythm that causes the upper chambers of the heart to quiver.

A small pilot study funded by St. Jude Medical Inc (STJ.N) compared the two therapies in a sicker population of patients and also found that the procedure worked better than drugs.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart disorder, affecting 2.2 million Americans and 10 million people worldwide. It significantly raises the risk of stroke.

Patients in the Medtronic-sponsored trial who underwent the cryoablation procedure -- which involves using a catheter to freeze away the heart tissue where the problem originates -- was just as safe as drugs used to treat the condition and far more effective, meeting the study's primary goal of eliminating atrial fibrillation one year after the procedure.

Dubbed Stop-af, the Medtronic trial showed that almost 70 percent of patients who had cryoablation remained free of the condition after one year, compared with just 7 percent of patients who received drug therapy, according to data presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting in Atlanta.#x

"This is the best data we have at this point in support of cryoablation (to treat atrial fibrillation)," said Dr. Douglas Packer of Mayo Clinic, the lead investigator of the study.fragrance

Over 3 percent of patients treated by cryoablation experienced a serious condition -- a narrowing of the pulmonary vein in 7 out of 228 patients, one of whom required another procedure to widen the vein.

Damage or irritation to the nerve that controls the diaphragm was reported in 11 percent of the cryoablation procedures, but none of the cases was considered serious, with 98 percent resolved by the 12-month follow-up.

Complications related to the atrial fibrillation itself were also monitored. During the follow-up period,google排名, 97 percent of patients who got the procedure and 92 percent of the drug therapy patients did not suffer heart attack,fragrance stroke or death.

Less than 1 percent of patients treated with cryoablation were hospitalized for a recurrence of the disease, compared with 6 percent in the drug group.#x 相关的主题文章：