Videos still frames from library videos Archives

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

Videos still frames from library videos

Magnesium Deficiency & Fatal Arrhythmias: Two Videos with Dr. Carolyn Dean

Published July 14, 2017

Mineral deficiencies like magnesium (Mg) can force the heart into fatal arrhythmias. Magnesium is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies. It’s chronically lacking in most diets. Almost everyone with A-Fib is magnesium deficient.

Two Videos About Magnesium Deficiency with Dr. Dean

C. Dean, MD

We have two videos in our A-Fib Video Library featuring Dr. Carolyn Dean, author of The Magnesium Miracle, talking about magnesium deficiency and calcium overload:

“The Best Way to Supplement Magnesium” with Dr. Carolyn Dean. Getting nutrients through food is not always possible; discusses side effects of too much Mg and how you can tell if you have a deficiency.(3:39) Go to video.

“Importance of Balancing Calcium & Magnesium”. Dr. Dean discusses the importance of balancing your intake of magnesium and calcium (2:1); the benefits of both and why you need to have both in the body; the problem of ‘calcium overload’. (2:30) Go to video.

Should You Take Magnesium Supplements?

Browse our library

As Dr. Carolyn Dean states, it’s hard to get enough magnesium from today’s food. Magnesium has been depleted from the soil by industrial scale farming. Therefore, A-Fib patients should consider taking magnesium supplements. (Note: it takes about 6 months of magnesium supplements to build up healthy level of Mg.)

For more about magnesium, see my article: Cardiovascular Benefits of Magnesium: Insights for Atrial Fibrillation Patients.

Posted in Supplements, Videos still frames from library videos

Video: A Live Case of Catheter Ablation for Long-Standing Persistent A-Fib Through 3D Mapping & ECG Images

Published February 19, 2017

Presented entirely through 3D mapping and ECG images, a live demo of ablation for long-standing, persistent A-Fib is followed from start to finish. Titles identify each step. No narration, music track only (I turned down the volume as the music track was distracting.)

3D mapping and ECG images show the technique of transseptal access, 3D mapping, PV isolation, and ablating additional drivers of AF in the posterior wall and left atrial appendage. (8:03) From a series of videos by Dr. Ong, Heart Rhythm Specialists of Southern California..

NOTE: Before viewing this video, you should already have some basic understanding of cardiac anatomy and A-Fib physiology.

YouTube video playback controls: When watching this video, you have several playback options. The following controls are located in the lower right portion of the frame: Turn on closed captions, Settings (speed/quality), Watch on YouTube website, and Enlarge video to full frame. Click an icon to select.

If you find any errors on this page, email us. Y Last updated: Thursday, January 18, 2018 Return to Instructional A-Fib Videos and Animations

Posted in Catheter Ablation, Videos still frames from library videos

Video: Stroke Prevention in A-Fib and Anticoagulant Therapy

Published February 19, 2017

Through interviews and animations explains how atrial fibrillation can cause stroke and why anticoagulation is so important. Discussion of warfarin (brand name Coumadin), the required (weekly or monthly) monitoring, interactions with food, alcohol and other drugs and the newer anticoagulants (NOACs).

Developed in association with Boehringer Ingelheim [one manufacturer of the new NOACs]. (5:36)

If you find any errors on this page, email us. Y Last updated: Monday, January 15, 2018

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Posted in Videos still frames from library videos

Video: When Drug Therapy Fails: Why Patients Consider Catheter Ablation

Published February 19, 2017

For Insidermedicine.com. Dr. Susan M. Sharma discusses why patients with atrial fibrillation turn to ablation when drug therapy doesn’t work. Presenting research findings by David J. Wilber and MD; Carlo Pappone, MD, Dr. Sharma discusses the success rates of drug therapy versus catheter ablation. (See transcript below.) (3:00 min.) Published by Insidermedicine.com.

YouTube video playback controls: When watching this video, you have several playback options. The following controls are located in the lower right portion of the frame: Turn on closed captions, Settings (speed/quality), Watch on YouTube website, and Enlarge video to full frame. Click an icon to select.

Transcript of this video

Transcript- Insidermedicine:

“Individuals suffering from atrial fibrillation that does not respond to a drug designed to treat heart rhythm disorders would likely do better with catheter ablation than with more drugs, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Here is some information about atrial fibrillation:

• It is the most common type of heart arrhythmia

• Untreated, it can lead to fatigue and stroke

• It can be treated with drugs that stabilize heart rhythm, called antiarrhythmics, or with catheter ablation, in which the section of the heart that is the source of the arrhythmia is burned away, or ablated.

Researchers from Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood randomly assigned over 150 individuals with atrial fibrillation to treatment with antiarrhythmic drug therapy or catheter ablation. All of the individuals had taken an antiarrhythmic drug in the past without success.

At the end of a 9-month evaluation period, 84% of the individuals who received drug therapy continued to have symptoms to such a degree that treatment was considered a failure. In contrast, only 33% of those who underwent catheter ablation experienced a failure of treatment.

Three months after the start of therapy, those who received catheter ablation had significantly greater increases in their quality of life than those on drug therapy, and this improvement was maintained throughout the study.

Today’s research suggests that individuals with atrial fibrillation who do not experience relief from an antiarrhythmic drug should be immediately treated with catheter ablation rather than additional drugs.”

Research Reference for this Video

Wilber, D., Pappone, C. et al. Comparison of Antiarrhythmic Drug Therapy and Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation in Patients With Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation A Randomized Controlled Trial. JAMA. 2010;303(4):333-340. URL: http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/185277

If you find any errors on this page, email us. Y Last updated: Saturday, August 4, 2018

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Posted in Catheter Ablation, Drug Therapies, Videos still frames from library videos

VIDEO: Catheter Ablation For A-Fib: What it is, How it’s Done and What Results Can Be Expected

Published February 18, 2017

Dr. Patrick Tchou and Dr. Bryan Baranowski, cardiologists from the Cleveland Clinic describe the catheter ablation procedure for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (A-Fib), what it is, how it’s done and what results can be expected from this surgery.

Excellent animations: showing A-Fib’s chaotic signals, and the pattern of ablation scars around the openings to the pulmonary veins. By the Cleveland Clinic (4:16 min.)

If you find any errors on this page, email us. Y Last updated: Monday, January 31, 2022

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Posted in Catheter Ablation, Videos still frames from library videos

Video: Inside the EP Lab with Dr. James Ong: Using Mapping & CT Scan Technologies During a Pulmonary Vein Isolation

Published February 18, 2017

Cardiac Electrophysiologist Dr. James Ong begins with a brief tour of the EP lab and control room; Dr. Ong explains how pulmonary vein isolation is done with radiofrequency ablation to cure atrial fibrillation.

Included are: Mapping technology; the Virtual Geometrical shell of the heart displayed next to the CT scan; Placement of the catheter, real time tracking; the Complex Fractionated Electrogram (CFE) Map used to identify and eliminate the extra drivers (aside from the pulmonary veins). (6:01) From a series of videos by Dr. Ong, Heart Rhythm Specialists of Southern California.

If you find any errors on this page, email us. Y Last updated: Thursday, January 18, 2018

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Posted in Catheter Ablation, Videos still frames from library videos

Video: An Impulse That’s Lost its Way—Insight to A-Fib, the Most Common Arrhythmia

Published February 18, 2017

A medical description of the mechanism and effects of Atrial Fibrillation (i.e., initiating triggers, abnormal substrate, electrical and structural remodeling, blood stasis and hypercoagulable state, etc.).

Animation with narration. 3:24 min. Uploaded by OverdrivePacing, Feb 8, 2012.

If you find any errors on this page, email us. Y Last updated: Monday, January 15, 2018

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Posted in Videos still frames from library videos

EO: “Know Your Pulse: It Could Save Your Life” Awareness Campaign

Published February 18, 2017

As an A-Fib patient, do you know how to take your pulse? This short video explains why and how to take your pulse.

From the Arrhythmia Alliance (A-A) and The Heart Rhythm Charity in the UK. (Our British friend Trudie Lobban is Founder and Trustee.) 1:56 min.

If you find any errors on this page, email us. Y Last updated: Monday, January 15, 2018
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Posted in Videos still frames from library videos

New Video Added to A-Fib Library

Published February 10, 2017

We’ve add a video to our library of Atrial Fibrillation videos:

Mechanism and effects of Atrial Fibrillation

“An Impulse That’s Lost its Way“

A medical description of the mechanism and effects of Atrial Fibrillation (i.e. initiating triggers, abnormal substrate, electrical and structural remodeling, blood stasis and hypercoagulable state, etc.). Animation with narration.

Difficulty level: Intermediate. 3:24 min. Watch video.

A-Fib.com Library of Videos and Animations

We have loads of A-Fib-related videos in our Video Library. For the reader who learns visually through motion graphics, audio, and personal interviews, these short videos are organized loosely into three levels: introductory/basic, intermediate and in-depth/advanced. Click to browse our video library.

Click image to go to video.

A Popular Video: ‘Buyer Beware of Misleading or Inaccurate A-Fib Information’, with Steve Ryan and host, Skip E. Lowe. Click image to go to video.

Steve Ryan Videos: We’ve edited Steve’s most interesting radio and TV interviews to create several short (3-5 min.) videos. Check out Videos Featuring Steve S. Ryan, PhD, publisher of A-Fib.com.

3:59 min. Click to Watch video.

Posted in Videos still frames from library videos

My Top 5 Articles About Warfarin Therapy, Associated Risks and Alternatives

Published October 26, 2016

Any treatment plan for Atrial Fibrillation must address the increased risk of clots and stroke. By far the most commonly used medicine for stroke prevention is the anticoagulant warfarin (brand name Coumadin).

But warfarin is a tough drug to take long term with monthly blood tests and possible side effects. These are my top 5 articles to help you understand warfarin therapy, the associated risks and some of the alternatives.

Review these articles to learn more about Warfarin therapy:

1. Clinical Trials Results: Watchman Better Than a Lifetime on Warfarin;

2. Arterial Calcification From Warfarin: Vitamin K May Reverse it;

3. “Is there a way to get off blood thinners all together? I hate taking Coumadin. I know I’m at risk of an A-Fib stroke.”;

4. How to Avoid the Bleeding Risk of Anticoagulants;

5. If Sixty and Older: 99% Have Microbleeds—So Are Anticoagulants Risky?

Bonus: Video about Warfarin

Living with Warfarin: Patient Education
Excellent introduction to anticoagulant therapy with warfarin (Coumadin). Patients and medical professionals (clinical nurse, doctors, a pharmacist and clinical dietician) discuss the practical issues associated with taking warfarin. (16:22) Uploaded on Mar 7, 2011. Produced by Johns Hopkins Medicine.

An Alternative to Blood Thinners

The WATCHMAN device

Do you hate having to take Coumadin? Hate the monthly testing? Bothered by side effects? An alternative to taking blood thinners is closing off your Left Atrial Appendage (LAA) with the Watchman, an occlusion device. Learn more: The Watchman™ Device: The Alternative to Blood Thinners.