Attention all providers: This episode may be one of the most important and valuable discussions you will hear all year.  Get ready to have many of your preconceptions challenged and your understanding considerably deepened– about what your patients experience before, during, and after their AFib diagnosis and treatment.

My illuminating discussion today is with Ms. Mellanie True Hills, who was herself a patient suffering with AFib.  She got treatment, is AFib free, and now advocates for others through her important patient-focused work and education with StopAFib.org– of which she is the Founder and CEO.

Mellanie speaks openly about her personal nightmare with AFib, how urgent it is for the medical community and other AFib patients to get up to speed on the best ways to deal with AFib, and some interesting and exciting new paths that AFib research may take with an unusual, but necessary, focus on “patient-initiated research.” 

I implore you to listen closely to this entire episode, all the way through, and recommend it to your fellow medical professionals.  The insight into the patient experience will help all of us become better providers for our patients.

All Things Afib is hosted by me, Dr. Armin Kiankhooy. As a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon, my focus is on advanced treatments for heart and lung failure and minimally-invasive surgical treatments for atrial fibrillation such as the Hybrid Maze procedure. You can find me on staff at Adventist Health Heart and Vascular Institute in St. Helena California.

Discussion points:

Mellanie relates her personal fight with AFib prior to her procedure in 2005

The insidious ways that AFib hijacks your life physically, emotionally, professionally, and even financially

Does Mellanie see different concerns from AFib sufferers now, vs. when she first began?

Doctors need to spend much more time with AFib patients– in a one-two meeting that allows them time for the diagnosis to sink in

Is stroke still the top concern for people you speak to?

The troubling stats on patients that are being treated by generalists, and not referred to, or treated by, AFib specialists

Digital tools- The Watchman and Amulet

AFIb patients, in general, may not be being treated soon enough before scar tissue complicates treatment

The importance of providers listening to and understanding patient’s “values and preferences,” which may be different from what we imagine

We talk a lot about patient-centered care, but Mellanie has opened our eyes to many opportunities for vast improvements around the treatment of AFib

Resources:

StopAFib.org Website

StopAFib Library of Conferences, Webinars, Master Classes

Mellanie True Hills Website 

Mellanie True Hills on LinkedIn

Dr. Kiankhooy LinkedIn 

All Things AFib Website

All Things AFib Twitter

All Things AFib YouTube Channel