January 6, 2017
Many people with the heart condition known as atrial fibrillation stop taking the blood-thinning medication that's prescribed to help prevent a stroke, a new study reveals.
Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat that causes the heart to quiver. This raises the risk of blood clots and stroke, according to the American Heart Association.
"We don't know if changing the heart to a normal rhythm, by either cardioversion or ablation, always removes the risk of stroke," said study author and IHPI member Geoffrey Barnes, a cardiologist at the University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center.
"It's an ongoing debate, whether to continue the patient on blood thinners after a procedure."