New research coordinated by the Ottawa Heart Institute is being called a game-changer for people with atrial fibrillation — the most common cause of irregular heartbeats.

Currently, patients who undergo successful treatment for atrial fibrillation are routinely told to remain on blood thinners for life to reduce the risk of stroke. That will now change for patients around the world, said Dr. David Birnie, who heads the Division of Cardiology at the Ottawa Heart Institute and is a professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. He co-led the international study.

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The research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that remaining on blood thinners after successful treatment was not necessary because the risk of stroke after ab

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