Atrial Fibrillation - Resources for Patients

Atrial Fibrillation
RESOURCES FOR PATIENTS

A-Fib.com Search---In the box below type the topic you are interested in and hit the "Search" button.

Have you been told that you (or a relative or friend of Graphic of Man and Heart

yours) have Atrial Fibrillation? This Web site is designed to give you the information you need, and to help you find the right doctor and medical center to cure your A-Fib. It also includes personal experiences of those who have had A-Fib and been cured.

This site is designed primarily for non-medical personnel and is written from a patient's point of view. (The author had A- Heart with Band-Aid Fib and was cured in April, 1998, by the use of a procedure called Focal Catheter Ablation (Pulmonary Vein Ablation).) This Web site tries as much as possible to translate medical terms into everyday language. However, medical journals are cited so that you can read a particular article yourself.

For a brief overview of Atrial Fibrillation, go to Atrial Fibrillation Overview.

If you're interested in what may have caused your A-Fib, go to Causes of Atrial Fibrillation. Heart with EKG

To read an evaluation of the various treatments for A-Fib or to find out how to be cured of your A-Fib through Pulmonary Vein Ablation (Isolation), go to Cures for Atrial Fibrillation.

If you've been prescribed a medication and would like to find out more about it or about medications for A-Fib in general, go to Medications.

To find a doctor to cure your A-Fib, go to Graphic of Doctor with Clipboard Finding A Doctor. A list of questions is included to help you find the doctor who's right for you - Questions For Doctors.

If you've already read the Overview or Cures sections, you know that the author of this Web site considers Pulmonary Vein Ablation (Isolation) the most effective technique currently available for curing A-Fib. If you want to find medical centers performing PVA(I)s, go to Facilities.

If you would like to read personal histories of individuals who have had Atrial Fibrillation and been cured, go to Personal Experiences. (The author welcomes you to share your own experiences with Atrial Fibrillation at Feedback---E-mail address a-fibfriend(at)a-fib.com [When typing the email address, substitute an "@" for the "(at)"---this substitution is necessary to prevent automatic search engines from sending spam to this email address].)
Not all PVA(I) procedures are successful and without complications (see PVA(I) Risks). To read the story of a patient whose PVA(I) seemed at first successful, but who later died, go to Negative PVI Experience.

The FAQs section lists questions frequently asked by patients with A-Fib and tries to answer them in non-medical, everyday language.

The A-Fib Support Volunteers section lists the email addresses of people who've had A-Fib, and want to help you cope with and be cured of your A-Fib. Feel free to contact them. They are listed by regions of the U.S. and the world.

For those of you who have visited this site before, the What's New section lists by date each new addition to A-Fib.com. The A-Fib News section includes short news items relating to A-Fib. For the most up-to-date info on A-Fib you may want to go to the Boston A-Fib Symposium 2010, Boston A-Fib Symposium 2009, Boston A-Fib Symposium 2008, Boston A-Fib Symposium 2007 and Boston A-Fib Symposium 2006 sections where there are summaries of doctors' presentations at the Boston A-Fib Symposiums.

Coping with Costs, Insurance, and Health Care Systems (This section is incomplete and is a work in progress.) If you've been denied a Pulmonary Vein Ablation by Medicare or your insurance company, StopAFIB.org has a good section on how to appeal such a decision: http://www.stopafib.org/newsitem.cfm/NEWSID/224/

If you have a question about Atrial Fibrillation not answered by this Web site, you can ask the author of this site at the E-mail address: a-fibfriend(at)a-fib.com (When typing the email address, substitute an "@" for the "(at)"---this substitution is necessary to prevent automatic search engines from sending spam to this email address.)

Privacy Statement---we do not share, lend, barter, or sell any information you provide when you contact us.

Caduceus To look up the footnote references, you can either position your cursor over the footnote number and click on it, or you can go to the References section of this Web site.

Reports from the Boston A-Fib Symposiums are now indexed by subject matter and author, and included under Boston A-Fib Symposium 2009, Boston A-Fib Symposium 2008, Boston A-Fib Symposium 2007, Boston A-Fib Symposium 2006, (I couldn't attend the 2005 Symposium), Boston A-Fib Symposium 2004, and Boston A-Fib Symposium 2003. Also included is the Heart Rhythm Society 2002 Convention.

To look up a subject, topic, doctor, etc. you are interested in on A-Fib.com, you can use the Google search engine. Just type in the box below and hit "Search." You can also scroll through the Subject Index. (The Subject Index needs to be updated and is not as effective as the Google search engine.)

If you'd like to support the work of A-Fib.com, you can use the "Donate" button below. Your donations are tax deductible. (It's not necessary to make a donation to use A-Fib.com.) (As of 7/11/2010 the Donate button is not working. We are trying to fix the problem.)

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(The Health on the Net Foundation in Switzerland tries to guide lay users and medical professionals to reliable sources of health-care information online. The above HONcode accreditation indicates that A-Fib.com has been deemed a reliable source of health information and meets standards, including those related to the qualification of the authorities cited, privacy of personal data submitted by a visitor to A-Fib.com, and financial disclosure of funding sources. It does not guarantee that all the health information on A-Fib.com is infallible.)

(Last updated 1/16/09)

    You can contact the author of this site at Feedback---the E-mail address is a-fibfriend(at)a-fib.com. (When typing the email address, substitute an "@" for the "(at)"---this substitution is necessary to prevent automatic search engines from sending spam to this email address).
    Privacy Statement: We do not share, lend, barter, or sell any information you provide when you contact us.
    If you'd like to support the work of A-Fib.com, you can use the "Donate" button below. Your donations are tax deductible. (It's not necessary to make a donation to use A-Fib.com.) (As of 7/11/2010 the Donate button is not working. We are trying to fix the problem.)

About A-Fib.com: A-Fib.com was created by Steve S. Ryan to provide patients with unbiased A-Fib-related information in a format the average person can understand. His wife, Patti, edits A-Fib.com's content to make it readable by the lay (non-medical) person and relevant to patients. Steve is not a medical doctor (though he did earn a Ph.D. from Ohio State University).
    After three failed ablations in 1997, Steve locked himself in a medical library armed with a medical dictionary and read everything he could find about A-Fib. He tediously waded through the medical jargon doctors and researchers use, and emerged from the library with an understanding of A-Fib and a plan of action.
    Steve was cured of his A-Fib in 1998 by a Pulmonary Vein Ablation (Isolation) procedure. (Read about his story in the PersonalExperiences section of A-Fib.com.) After his cure, Steve felt compelled to write A-Fib.com in order to spare other patients the difficulty he had in finding understandable information about A-Fib.
    A-Fib.com is deliberately not affiliated with any medical school, company, doctor or other organization. It does not accept advertising.
    Though inclined toward Pulmonary Vein Ablation as a cure for A-Fib, Steve tries to maintain an open mind and be free of any conflict of interest. He tries to not only report on recent A-Fib research, but also draw conclusions and make recommendations for A-Fib patients.

    Copyright © A-Fib. com, Inc., 2002. LifeART image © copyright Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved, 2002. Clipart from Microsoft Clipart Gallery. A-Fib.com was incorporated as a non-profit A-Fib, Inc May 9, 2007.
    Last updated February 14, 2009. Optimal viewing at IE5+ or NS6+ at minimum 800 X 600 resolution. COPPA compliant.
    Disclaimer: the authors of this Web site are not medical doctors and are not affiliated with any medical school or organization. The information on this site is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Nothing contained in this service is intended to be for medical diagnosis or treatment.