atrial fibrillation
Sleep Apnea – Yes, it Matters
1st Degree AV Block – Yes, it Matters
Dronedarone Multaq (think AFib)
Where do these guys come up with these names???
New Onset AF = Bad Outcomes in STEMI Treated by PCI
New-onset AF was associated with an 80% higher risk of 90-day mortality.
ACTIVE-A = 28% Reduction in Stroke
Medical Updates – Plavix + Aspirin = New Treatment for Atrial Fibrillation | Health News
Stroke reduction of 28% is impressive.
AF + DM = 61% Greater Risk of All-Cause Mortality
Among the findings:
- Over 4.3 years of follow-up, 879 patients died and 53% of those deaths were from cardiovascular causes
- 15% of the deaths occurred in patients with atrial fibrillation
- Atrial fibrillation was associated with a 77% risk of cardiovascular death (P<0.0001) and a 68% increase in risk of death from heart failure (P=0.0002) over the course of the study
- Atrial fibrillation was associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke (P=0.0006)
- 26% of patients with atrial fibrillation at baseline were on anticoagulant therapy
- Among patients taking oral anticoagulant therapy at baseline, the “adjusted HRs associated with [atrial fibrillation] were 2.16 (95% CI 1.15 to 4.07; P=0.02) and 2.32 (95% CI 1.06 to 5.12, P=0.04) for all-cause mortality and cardiovascular death, respectively.”
Pay Attention to GFR in Applicants with AFib
Substantial increase in stroke risk for proteinuria on top of AFib.
Loss of a Part by Melting or Vaporization
Catheter Ablation Versus Antiarrhythmic Drugs for Atrial Fibrillation (A4 Study)
I’ve added a category titled Clinical Trials. These reports will be of interest to the life underwriter but exercise caution when interpreting the results as some populations under study may be small and the findings statistically insignificant.
Watch, Listen, and Learn – Ablation
Ablation for WPW, Afl, and SVT
A while back I asked this question in a post: How much medical information is enough for the underwriter? When I first pondered this question I thought underwriters needed to know as much as a family care MD/DO. Having come to a better understanding of what medical students need to know, I’ve changed my tune. Underwriters don’t have to be doctors.
Underwriters still need to know what kills people. But we don’t have to know as much as a doctor. More knowledge is better than less knowledge and experience remains the ultimate teacher. I’m still working on the answer.
But in the meantime, keep learning. I love short videos like this one. Like Yogi says, you can observe a lot by just watching.
lifeunderwriter.net 