Doctors & patients are saying about 'A-Fib.com'...


"A-Fib.com is a great web site for patients, that is unequaled by anything else out there."

Dr. Douglas L. Packer, MD, FHRS, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

"Jill and I put you and your work in our prayers every night. What you do to help people through this [A-Fib] process is really incredible."

Jill and Steve Douglas, East Troy, WI 

“I really appreciate all the information on your website as it allows me to be a better informed patient and to know what questions to ask my EP. 

Faye Spencer, Boise, ID, April 2017

“I think your site has helped a lot of patients.”

Dr. Hugh G. Calkins, MD  Johns Hopkins,
Baltimore, MD


Doctors & patients are saying about 'Beat Your A-Fib'...


"If I had [your book] 10 years ago, it would have saved me 8 years of hell.”

Roy Salmon, Patient, A-Fib Free,
Adelaide, Australia

"This book is incredibly complete and easy-to-understand for anybody. I certainly recommend it for patients who want to know more about atrial fibrillation than what they will learn from doctors...."

Pierre Jaïs, M.D. Professor of Cardiology, Haut-Lévêque Hospital, Bordeaux, France

"Dear Steve, I saw a patient this morning with your book [in hand] and highlights throughout. She loves it and finds it very useful to help her in dealing with atrial fibrillation."

Dr. Wilber Su,
Cavanaugh Heart Center, 
Phoenix, AZ

"...masterful. You managed to combine an encyclopedic compilation of information with the simplicity of presentation that enhances the delivery of the information to the reader. This is not an easy thing to do, but you have been very, very successful at it."

Ira David Levin, heart patient, 
Rome, Italy

"Within the pages of Beat Your A-Fib, Dr. Steve Ryan, PhD, provides a comprehensive guide for persons seeking to find a cure for their Atrial Fibrillation."

Walter Kerwin, MD, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA


Drug Therapies for Atrial Fibrillation, A-Fib, Afib

FAQs A-Fib Drug Therapy: Guarantee Against Stroke?

“I’ve heard of people with A-Fib on anticoagulants who still had a stroke. What can I do to make sure I never have a stroke?”

This question is very timely as a close friend of mine just suffered a major stroke, even though she was on Coumadin and her INR was in the correct range. I can’t tell you how discouraging this is, not just for her but for me, too. I worked with her to get the best treatment possible and by one of the best EPs in our area. But she still had a stroke.

There’s No Absolute Guarantee

There is currently no way to absolutely guarantee you will never experience a stroke. “Even when A-Fib patients are effectively anticoagulated, 14% are still found with clots,” stated Dr. John Camm of St. George’s Medical School, London, England, at the 2008 Boston AF Symposium.

Anticoagulants Reduces A-Fib Stroke Risk

Anticoagulants can significantly lower your overall stroke risk. When warfarin was first approved (in 1954 with brand names: Coumadin and Jantoven), it was considered a ‘wonder drug’. It reduced the risk of an A-Fib stroke by as much as 70%―a huge reduction. For the first time, doctors (and patients) had something that would work to significantly lower the risk of an A-Fib stroke.

Caution: Anticoagulants are High Risk Drugs

Be aware that anticoagulants in general are considered high risk medications. They work by causing or increasing bleeding. They aren’t like taking vitamins.

As Thomas J. Moore of the Institute for Safe Medical Practices points out, “Anticoagulant treatment for people with A-Fib ranks as one of the highest risk treatments in older Americans…more than 15% of older patients treated with blood thinners for 1 year have bleeding.”

Nevertheless, for most people, even though anticoagulants are considered high risk meds, they are a welcome trade-off to having an A-Fib stroke.

An Medication Alternative: The Watchman Occlusion Device

The Left Atrial appendage (LAA) is where 90%–95% of A-Fib clots originate. Closing off the LAA is an alternative strategy for people who can’t or don’t want to take anticoagulants. The Watchman Device (Boston Scientific), an occlusion device, is an ingenious method of closing off the LAA. (Other occlusion devices include the Lariat II and AtriClip surgical device.)

Inserting the Watchman is a very low risk procedure which takes as little as 20 minutes. Usually afterwards, the patient doesn’t need to be on an anticoagulant.

Combine the Watchman with an Anticoagulant?

One may wonder: Could combining a Watchman Device with an anticoagulant (to prevent strokes from other parts of your heart) come close to guaranteeing you will never have a stroke?

This treatment strategy is very speculative. I don’t know of any clinical studies on this subject.

However, if you have a Watchman Device installed, you could discuss with your doctor continuing on an anticoagulant as added protection.

Reference for this Article
Doheney, Kathleen. Blood-Thinner Pradaxa: What You Should Know. WebMD Health News July 25, 2014. http://www.webmd.com/stroke/news/20140725/blood-thinner-pradaxa

Moore, TJ. ISMP Quarter Watch. Monitoring FDA MedWatch Reports.  Institute for Safe Medication Practices. May 7, 2014 Page 2. www.ismp.org/QuarterWatch/

Return to FAQ Drug Therapies
Last updated: Monday, June 18, 2018

 

Related Posts

Follow Us
facebook - A-Fib.comtwitter - A-Fib.comlinkedin - A-Fib.compinterest - A-Fib.comYouTube: A-Fib Can be Cured! - A-Fib.com

We Need You Help A-Fib.com be self-supporting-Use our link to Amazon  

A-Fib.com is a
501(c)(3) Nonprofit



Your support is needed. Every donation helps, even just $1.00.



A-Fib.com top rated by Healthline.com since 2014 

Home | The A-Fib Coach | Help Support A-Fib.com | A-Fib News Archive | Tell Us What You think | Press Room | GuideStar Seal | HON certification | Disclosures | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy