<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><em>February is American Heart Month.&nbsp;</em></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Atrial Fibrillation, or AFib, is an irregular heartbeat that can cause poor blood flow. It can lead to blood clots, stroke and in some cases, heart failure.&nbsp;</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Oussama Wazni, MD, a cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic, said it’s important to see your doctor if it feels like you heart flip-flops or skips a beat. “If we wait too long to address atrial fibrillation, it is more difficult for us to manage it,” he said.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Traditionally, medication is the first treatment used to manage intermittent AFib. If medication doesn’t work, doctors will try a procedure called an ablation.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Dr. Wazni led a clinical trial which found a certain type of ablation is safe, and more effective as the initial treatment. Researchers looked at 203 patients at 24 hospitals around the U.S. Patients received the standard medication, or a cryo balloon ablation.&nbsp;</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>After a year, 75% of the patients who received an ablation were still free from AFib.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Source: Cleveland&nbsp;</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->