Biosense Webster has partnered with advocacy organisation StopAfib.org to encourage Americans to “Get SMART About Afib.” The initiative sets out to raise awareness of atrial fibrillation, and available treatment options to better support the estimated three million people in the USA who are living with the condition. People can find out about Afib by logging on to www.GetSMARTAboutAfib.com.
“Over the past several years, there have been significant advances made in minimally invasive therapies for the treatment of atrial fibrillation as well as stronger recommendations for use of this procedure in updated clinical guidelines published by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology,” says Larry A Chinitz, Langone Medical Center, New York. USA. “Most recently contact force therapy has emerged as a very important advancement in the treatment of atrial fibrillation as it has demonstrated significantly improved outcomes for patients with this condition.”
Earlier this year, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the ThermoCool SmartTouch catheter, the first contact force therapy available in the USA. The device helps physicians deliver targeted treatment with a high patient success rate as demonstrated in the SMART-AF trial. One-year results from the trial, which were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, showed patients experienced an overall success rate of 74% and more significantly, an 81% success rate when consistent and stable application of contact force was achieved (when a targeted range was maintained ≥80% of the time).The trial demonstrated for the first time that the use of contact force therapy helps to significantly improve outcomes for patients undergoing catheter ablation.
The “Get SMART About Afib” initiative is a collaboration between Biosense Webster and StopAfib.org, which was founded by Afib patient Mellanie True Hills. Mellanie has devoted her life to raising disease awareness around Afib and available treatment options on behalf of patients like herself.
“Like many patients, medicines were not sufficient for managing my Afib. That’s why I worked closely with my doctor to find a procedure that was right for me, and I’ve been Afib-free for more than nine years,” says Mellanie, founder and chief executive officer of the American Foundation for Women’s Health and StopAfib.org. “Because of my experience, I work as an advocate for those who are living with Afib to help them better understand the condition and the importance of finding the right treatment options.”
