Doctors & patients are saying about 'A-Fib.com'...
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“I think your site has helped a lot of patients.”Dr. Hugh G. Calkins, MD Johns Hopkins,
Baltimore, MD
2025 AF Symposium
Dhanunjaya Likkireddy MD
AF Burden Patterns and Personalized Prediction of Healthcare Utilization: Primary Results from DEFINE Afib
In an abstract presented at the 2025 AF Symposium, Dr. Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy and his colleagues described how Insertable Cardiac Monitors (ICMs) may soon be used to both protect you from developing A-Fib and forewarn you of a significant A-Fib attack.
Predicting and Preventing A-Fib
The DEFINE Afib study, which involved 973 patients, looked at patients with ICMs with a high or low risk of developing A-Fib health problems or a need for drugs. Data from patients’ ICMs was monitored and analyzed using Artificial Intelligence algorithms to develop personalized risk assessments and proactive, higher quality care options, and allowed physicians to move beyond point-in-time assessments.
Analysts were able to predict A-Fib health care events and provide a better understanding of a particular patient’s needs and overall health. All data was confirmed by actual patient records.
Improved Outcomes
The AI-based analytics help identify patients who may need proactive intervention (e.g., medication changes, ablation) before their condition leads to severe symptoms or hospital visits.
Editor’s Comments:
Editor’s Comments:Major Health Breakthrough to Predict and Prevent A-Fib: The DEFINE Afib study may become a major health breakthrough for A-Fib patients. Many people now have Insertable Cardiac Monitors (ICMs) such as the Medtronic REVEAL LINQ loop recorder (including me).
All mine does now is send a signal to my Electrophysiologist (EP) if I go into A-Fib.
But imagine if an AI algorithm can predict to my doctor that, for example, I’m getting close to having a stroke and what to do about it.
ICMs Easy to Insert: My EP can insert an ICM in his office in under 20 minutes under local anesthetic. It’s not surgery. The ICM is inserted just under the skin under the left breast. I can’t even feel mine unless I search for it with my finger.
DEFINE Afib Therapy For Most A-Fib Patients: The DEFINE Afib algorithm may someday prevent us from having major A-Fib problems. And it may better monitor our health and provide superior A-Fib management and care.
It’s so easy to insert an ICM that this therapy could be used by many more or by most A-Fib patients.
What This Means to Patients: Discuss with your EP if you should have an ICM insertion. One major advantage of an ICM for me is the peace of mind knowing I’m in normal sinus rhythm, that I’m not in silent A-Fib (which is how I found out I was once again in A-Fib after 20 years of being cured).
