Nikhil Ahluwalia

January Trials update: AFFU-AW, AFHF, CSAF-AW

January Trials update: AFFU-AW, AFHF, CSAF-AW We had the first 12-month follow-ups for our AFFU-AW and AFHF studies (how time flies!) this month. There are so many data points collected by the Apple Watch and it’s going to be really interesting to analyse what is truly ‘big data’! AFFU-AW

For Patients

AF-bot: "How can I assist you?"

Learn about the potential use of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots in supporting patients before and after their ablation procedures. Check out our test 'chatbot' at www.barts.ai and share your feedback!

For Patients

Young AF

Learn about the risks of atrial fibrillation (AF) in young adults, the most significant risk factors, and how to address and manage them for a healthier life.

For Patients

The CAST trial

The CAST trial was designed to test whether anti-arrhythmic drugs could reduce the risk of death by suppressing ventricular ectopics in patients after a heart attack.

For Patients

What can an echo add in Atrial fibrillation?

Learn how an echo, an ultrasound-based imaging assessment of the heart, can provide valuable information for the management of atrial fibrillation. Find out what your doctor is looking for in your echo results and how they can influence your treatment plan.

December Trials update: AFFU-AW, AFHF, CSAF-AW

December Trials update: AFFU-AW, AFHF, CSAF-AW The Season is upon us! We’ve done quite well despite elective services winding down over the Christmas period having a knock on effect. We’re still trying hard to think about how we can increase our recruitment rates in the CSAF-AW study. Are

For Patients

To cardiovert or not cardiovert?

Discover the best way to manage new-onset AF in the A&E. Is cardioversion necessary, or is a 'wait and see' approach just as effective? Read on to learn more.

For Patients

Choosing the right rate-control drug

Learn about the different rate-control drugs available to manage atrial fibrillation, including beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, and digoxin. Discover the latest evidence from the RATE-AF study and find out which drug might be the best choice for different patient groups.

Rate control- how fast is too fast?

A rate control strategy describes a management plan to slow down the inappropriately fast heart rate caused by AF, often above 100 beats per minute, sometimes much higher. We know this inappropriate fast rate can be deeply uncomfortable for some people and can lead to heart failure and so rate

November Trials update: AFFU-AW, AFHF, CSAF-AW

November Trials update: AFFU-AW, AFHF, CSAF-AW AFFU-AW study Active since: 26-Jan-2022 Patients enrolled: 78 Target total recruitment number: 172 AFHF study Active since: 21-Jan-2022 Patients enrolled: Target total recruitment number: 104 CSAF-AW study Active since: 04-Feb-2022 Patients enrolled: 16 Target total recruitment number: 192

Amiodarone

We’re going to focus on rhythm control medications today, in particular amiodarone. Amiodarone is a potent anti-arrhythmic drug that can be take as a tablet or an injectable infusion (in the hospital). It suppresses AF through a combination of different anti-arrhythmic mechanisms. Although several rhythm control drugs exist, your

Rate vs. Rhythm control

Medications to manage AF directly are categorised as either ‘rate control’ or ‘rhythm control’ treatments. Rate control drugs (such as bisoprolol or diltiazem) work to slow the rate that the heart beats and can make the AF tolerable by managing the fast heart rate. Rhythm control drugs (like amiodarone or

Which anticoagulant is best?

We've spoken about the role of blood thinners to reduce the risk of stroke in patients with AF. If you had AF in the year 2010, the decision was pretty straightforward- warfarin was by far the most commonly used blood thinner in the vast majority of AF patients

October Trials update: AFFU-AW, AFHF, CSAF-AW

The research team has really worked hard to recruit for the AF studies this month. We have been referred patients from all round the country to screen- from the East of England all the way to Cornwall. The virtual nature of the AFFU-AW study consent and enrolment process helps to

Gender and AF

Men are more susceptible to developing AF than women. However, the cumulative lifetime risk of ever developing AF is similar (around 30%). This is due to the increasing likelihood of having AF as you get older and the fact that women tend to live longer than men. Women tend to

The CHADSVASc score

"Just because I have AF, does that mean I'm at an increased risk of stroke?" The short answer is yes, but like many things in medicine, there's much more to it than AF=stroke. So let's dive into the grey... AF is

More on Coffee and AF!

I want to revisit the relationship and recommendations about coffee and AF. In May we looked through the existing data on this. Ultimately, the evidence was lacking to suggest any increased AF risk from drinking up to 5 cups of coffee per day. This is important because many patients are

AF and the pulmonary veins

A lot of Cardiologists don't understand this so buckle up for this one... What are the pulmonary veins? Four blood vessels bring blood back from the lungs to the left atrium (the top left chamber of the heart. These are called the pulmonary veins. They're approximately

September Trials update: AFFU-AW, AFHF, CSAF-AW

AFFU-AW study Active since: 26-Jan-2022 Patients enrolled: 60 Target total recruitment number: 172 AFHF study Active since: 21-Jan-2022 Patients enrolled: 42 Target total recruitment number: 104 CSAF-AW study Active since: 04-Feb-2022 Patients enrolled: 12 Target total recruitment number: 192

Atrial Flutter- AFs little brother

You have two types of doctors- those who care about the difference between atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation and those who class it as the same thing- ‘flutter/fib’! I used the term 'little brother' above in jest- Atrial flutter can be equally debilitating as atrial fibrillation and

Pace and Ablate vs AF ablation

These are technically both different types of ablation used to treat AF. So which one is better for you? AF ablation may be better for some patients and 'pace and ablate' better for others. It depends on your circumstances, previous treatments, and the reversibility of your AF. For

'Pace and Ablate' part 1

'Pace and ablate' is short-hand for 'implant a pacemaker and perform an AV node ablation'. It is a treatment for atrial fibrillation because the 'AV node ablation' part blocks any intrinsic heart rhythm from setting the heartbeat and the implanted pacemaker takes over, ensuring

Sleep apnoea and AF- the importance of RCTs

If you want some background, our June article "What is Sleep Apnoea and why does it matter in AF?"  nicely explains what obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is and that it's commonly found in individuals with AF. The reason we're doubling back on this topic

Valvular AF

Do I have valvular AF? If you were born in the UK and have AF, the probability is low. However, if you were born in India or Africa, the chances are much higher! Read on... When AF co-exists with a condition called "rheumatic heart disease" (an autoimmune reaction

August Trials update: AFFU-AW, AFHF, CSAF-AW

Despite the school holidays and the heat, research and clinical cases continued at St Bartholomew's Hospital and so we were able to enroll and treat more participants. Our research team continues to think of important questions from a scientific point of view to try and understand AF and