(UPDATED) Calling the trial conclusive, a researcher says, “We have a safe, effective intervention that can be done at low cost, low risk for patients.”
A simple surgery can save patients with irregular heart beats from often-fatal strokes, according to a large international study led by researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. There is an unused, finger-like appendage in the heart which can trap blood and increase the risk of clots. Removing this left atrial appendage was found to…
Ottawa [Canada], May 15 (ANI): A simple surgery saves patients with heart arrhythmia from often-lethal strokes, according to a large international study led by McMaster University.
Camille Bains
Dr. Richard Whitlock operates in this undated handout photo. Cardiac surgeon Dr. Richard Whitlock of Hamilton Health Sciences is the lead author of an international study that found a simple surgery reduces the risk of stroke after blood clots in patients with an irregular heartbeat. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Hamilton Health Sciences MANDATORY CREDIT May 15, 2021 - 6:02 AM
A simple surgery to remove unnecessary tissue in the heart could prevent strokes in patients with a common condition that requires them to take blood thinners, says the Canadian lead author of a study involving about 4,800 people in 27 countries.
Dr. Richard Whitlock, a cardiac surgeon for Hamilton Health Sciences, said when blood being pumped through the heart pools in the left atrial appendage, it may form a clot that could escape and block the blood supply to the brain and raise the risk of a potentially fatal stroke. But Whitlock says getting rid of an appendage in