UT cardiac study helps standardize treatment
The occurrence of atrial fibrillation (a-fib), a rhythmic abnormality that causes the heart to beat rapidly, is increasing among Americans aged 60 and older. Two types of treatments are available, and it is unclear which is the most effective in treating a-fib. However, The University of Toledo is collaborating in an international study to determine the more effective treatment. By 2016, we should have an answer.
The Catheter Ablation Versus Anti-arrhythmic Drug Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation (CABANA) trial compares the two main treatments for a-fib – drug therapy and a minimally invasive procedure, called catheter ablation therapy.
“A-fib affects more than 2 million Americans and can have devastating consequences, such as stroke and heart failure,” says Yousuf Kanjwal, MD, director of Cardiac Electrophysiology Laboratories and director of the Center for Atrial Fibrillation at UT Medical Center’s Health and Vascular Center. “The CABANA trial will help doctors decide which treatment option is superior at reducing morality rates. It also will help us determine the effect these procedures have on medical costs, complications and recurrence.”
In partnership with the National Institutes of Health and 140 medical centers around the world, UT will help select more than 3,000 volunteers who meet the criteria to take part in this study. Over the next three years, half of the participants will receive the drug therapy, while the other half will undergo minimally invasive catheter ablation.
Since 2005, doctors at UT have performed nearly 200 catheter ablation procedures with an approximate 70 to 80 percent success rate in treating a-fib. “The results of the CABANA trial will help us standardize treatment, which means doctors will learn which therapy is more effective for patients with this condition,” says Dr. Kanjwal, principal investigator of the trial at UT.
Do you have a-fib? You may be eligible for the CABANA study. To find out if you meet the criteria, contact UT’s Heart and Vascular Center at (419) 383-3853.
