CANet Investigator Dr. Benedict Glover to lead new research study into Atrial Fibrillation with a partnership between KHSC and Providence Care

Atrial Fibrillation research
A total of $500,000, from the W.J. Henderson Foundation gift will support a novel new research study into Atrial Fibrillation. This condition is the most common type of arrhythmia – which is also known as an irregular heart rhythm. It affects approximately one in four Canadians and individuals with the condition have a three to five times greater risk of stroke than those without it.
The new study is a partnership between KHSC and Providence Care and will be led by Dr. Benedict Glover. It will look at how lifestyle modifications could improve outcomes for patients as the risk of developing atrial fibrillation increases with age and with other factors such as diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure.
“This will be an incredible study because we now have the absolute best technology in treating atrial fibrillation using catheters, computer systems and less invasive techniques. Now we are taking a step back and saying, wait a second, maybe if we treat those underlying conditions we could prevent hospitalizations and actually maybe even cause atrial fibrillation regression in patients that already have it,” said Dr. Glover, the Head of KHSC’s Electrophysiology Program.
Glover continued, “lifestyle modification is probably the most difficult thing you can try to do in the field of medicine, but we’re up for the challenge and we’ll see what we can achieve. I think we will get some very positive results.”
“This project is one that we are very excited about because it lies in building partnerships,” said Providence Care President and CEO Cathy Szabo. “Cardiology isn’t in Providence Care’s mandate, but cardiac rehabilitation is. So we are delighted to be partnering in this research and are looking forward to the outcomes of this research and to put it into immediate practice.”
Kingston Health Sciences Centre has become a leader in the treatment of Atrial Fibrillation using new technology to support less invasive treatments such as cardiac ablations. In fact, last year KHSC became the first hospital in Canada to perform a hybrid cardiac ablation. KHSC performs between 400-500 cardiac ablation procedures each year.
Source: Hotel Dieu Hospital