Lifestyle Changes Improve Results After Ablation Procedure for Atrial Fibrillation

Integrative cardiology at its finest: lifestyle + ablation for atrial fibrillation:

Atrial fibrillation is a rapid, irregular heartbeat that affects a rapidly growing number of adults—and can be quite challenging to treat. Medication is usually tried first, but recurrences on medical treatment are common. The next step is typically an ablation procedure, where wires are thread into the heart in order to stun the deranged circuity in the heart that drives the irregular beats.

The ablation procedure is very effective for many, but not all patients. Results can range from a complete cure to a temporary reduction in symptoms. And here’s where the lifestyle part come in.

Examining lifestyle changes affect results after ablation

A study examined whether lifestyle changes would improve the results after ablation for atrial fibrillation. All the study participants were overweight and had at least one additional risk factor for heart disease. Patients who had an ablation either entered a physician-led lifestyle improvement program or, alternatively, were treated in the usual way without a lifestyle program.

The lifestyle treatment program included:

• Special assistance with weight management
• An exercise prescription of 200 minutes of moderate exercise per week
• Advice regarding salt restriction
• Lipid management
• Glucose monitoring and treatment
• Smoking and alcohol counseling
• Evaluation for sleep apnea.

And what were the results at the end of approximately 4 years? Compared to the control group, the lifestyle modification patients had:

• Significant reductions in the number of atrial fibrillation episodes.
• Significant reductions in the length of atrial fibrillation episodes.
• Significant reductions in the intensity of symptoms when atrial fibrillation did occur.
• Significant improvement in an assessment of overall well-being,

Why such a dramatic improvement when lifestyle changes were added on top of high tech?

The lifestyle changes addressed the underlying problems—the triggers that made atrial fibrillation develop in the first place. Ablation is highly effective, but it can’t deal with the underlying drivers, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary disease, and problems due to stimulants like inflammation, alcohol, and smoking.

And that’s the beauty of an integrative approach—blending the best of high-tech together with lifestyle changes. So let’s be grateful for amazing procedures like ablations—high tech that can offer relief where none was previously possible. But at the same time, it’s important to recognize the limitations of medical procedures—including the fact that no technology has yet been invented that is as effective at addressing the root causes of heart disease as low-tech lifestyle changes.

Reference: Aggressive Risk Factor Reduction Study for Atrial Fibrillation and Implications for the Outcome of Ablation