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

New FAQ: Does Ablation Reduce Heart’s Pumping Volume?

Published September 14, 2016

Our new Frequently Asked Questions & Answers (FAQs) is about the heart’s blood pumping capacity after an ablation.

“I’m a life-long runner. I recently got intermittent A-Fib. Does ablation (whether RF or Cryo) affect the heart’s blood pumping output potential because of the destruction of cardiac tissue? And if so, how much? One doc said it does.”

As a fellow runner, I understand your concern on how an ablation might affect your ability to resume your athletic activities.

Lesions at PVs openings

Seek Your Cure: Keep in mind, with Atrial Fibrillation you lose 15% to 30% of your heart’s normal pumping volume along with lower oxygen levels. Your body and brain aren’t getting the blood and nourishment they need. An catheter ablation is an important way to improve or restore your heart’s pumping volume.

More extensive lesions pattern

Ablate as Little Tissue as Possible: A common ablation technique for paroxysmal A-Fib (using RF or Cryo), ablates only around the opening of each Pulmonary Vein (PV) and isn’t likely to affect the heart’s output.

On the other hand, more extensive lesion patterns affecting more tissue may affect the heart’s output. For example, during a PV Wide Area Antrum Ablation, instead of just ablating around each of the PV openings, large, oval lesions are made in the left atrium encircling both the upper and lower vein openings.

My Best Advice to Runners with Atrial Fibrillation

For a runner, a more extensive ablation of the left atrium may affect heart output more than circular lesions of each vein opening. …Continue reading my answer…