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Catheter Ablation Reduces Stroke Risk Even for Higher Risk Patients
by Steve S. Ryan, Last updated: March 24, 2018
In a study of nearly 38,000 people, patients with A-Fib who had a catheter ablation had about as many strokes as the people without A-Fib, while people on just medication had about twice as many strokes. (This isn’t a surprising finding. If you no longer have A-Fib, by definition you can’t have an A-Fib stroke.)
But what is surprising is that even patients at greater risk of stroke had a reduced stroke risk after catheter ablation. “Across all CHADS2 profiles and ages, A-Fib patients with ablation had a lower long-term risk of stroke compared to patients without ablation.” Even those at higher risks of stroke had a reduced risk of stroke.
Catheter Ablation Reduces Stroke Risk to That Of A Normal Person
And, more importantly, if someone had a catheter ablation, stroke risk decreased to that of a normal person. “A-Fib ablation patients had similar long-term risks of stroke across all CHADS2 profiles and ages compared to patients with no history of A-Fib…Freedom from A-Fib was the strongest predictor of stroke-free survival.”
Warfarin Not Needed After Successful Catheter Ablation
Some patients after a catheter ablation are still put on warfarin-for-life depending on their CHADS2 score. But research indicates that “A-Fib patients after ablation with moderate to high risk CHADS2 scores in which warfarin was discontinued do not show a higher risk of stroke compared to those in which warfarin is continued.”
Editor’s Comments:
This study is medical breakthrough news, similar to another important study in which a successful catheter ablation reduced by 60% the expected rate of cardiovascular mortality. (See Live Longer—Have a Catheter Ablation.)
For anyone who has had a successful catheter ablation or who is thinking of having one, this study also is a game changer!
Even if you are at a theoretical high risk of stroke (high CHADS2), you don’t have to be on warfarin for the rest of your life after a successful catheter ablation. A successful catheter ablation reduces your stroke risk to that of a normal person (though obviously normal people do have strokes).
We already know that a catheter ablation significantly improves our well being. We certainly feel healthier in sinus rhythm. Few other medical procedures produce such a dramatic and nearly immediate improvement in our quality of life. This study confirms the long-term benefits of catheter ablation even for people who are sicker.
We don’t have to live a life on meds! A-Fib can be cured by a catheter ablation. And when you are made A-Fib free, not only do you feel better, but your risk of stroke is reduced to that of a normal person! This is terrific news for the A-Fib community.
Return to Treatments for A-Fib
Last updated: Saturday, March 24, 2018
