Jan 16, 2026 This Week in Cardiology
This Week in Cardiology
Medscape Podcasts
4.9 • 963 Ratings
🗓️ 16 January 2026
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Some great listener feedback, one of the best studies of the year in atrial fibrillation and heart failure, imaging to exclude left atrial thrombus, and a truly amazing first cardiac procedure are the topics John Mandrola, MD, discusses in this week's podcast.
This podcast is intended for healthcare professionals only.
To read a partial transcript or to comment, visit:
https://www.medscape.com/twic
I Listener Feedback
On Fish Oil and AF
- Links between omega-3 fatty acids and AF https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.058596
- Omega-3 and risk of AF https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2024.11.003
- DHA vs EPA in reducing vulnerability to AF https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCEP.112.971515
II Withdrawal of HF Therapy AF rhythm control
The AF is Gone, the EF Is Up. Can You Stop the HF Meds?
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/af-gone-ef-can-you-stop-hf-meds-2024a1000h6o
- Effect of beta-blockers in patient with HF plus AF -- meta-analysis https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25193873/
- TRED HF Trial 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32484-X External Link
- WITHDRAW-AF Trial https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/47/2/250/8238240
III ICE or TEE Before AF Ablation
- ICE vs TEE in Atrial Fibrillation Ablation https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/fullarticle/2839370
IV The Vector Procedure
- Percutaneous Aorto-Coronary Bypass Graft: the VECTOR procedure https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCINTERVENTIONS.125.016130
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Questions or feedback, please contact news@medscape.net
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to This Week in Cardiology from the heart.org, Medscape Cardiology. |
| 0:05.7 | This podcast is intended for health care professionals only. |
| 0:08.8 | Any views expressed are the presenters' own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape. |
| 0:14.8 | Hi, everyone. |
| 0:16.1 | This is John Mandrola from the heart.org medscape cardiology, and this is this week in cardiology for January 16th, 2026. |
| 0:24.9 | This week, some good listener feedback, one of the best studies of the year so far in a-fib and heart failure, |
| 0:32.3 | the exclusion of left atrial thrombus with different imaging techniques and a report on an amazing, |
| 0:39.3 | amazing cardiac procedure. So some listener feedback on my podcast last week, I talked about |
| 0:46.3 | fish oil and risk of AFIB. Professor Paul Dorian writes that EPA more than DHA may be the culprit. |
| 0:55.4 | Dr. James O'Keepe, who has studied fish oil and written extensively about it, |
| 0:59.9 | he writes to me that Omega Theory produces a dose-dependent increase in vagal tone, |
| 1:05.1 | which we all know that in susceptible individuals may increase a fib. |
| 1:10.7 | O'Keefe adds that when fish oil is meta-analyzed, there is indeed a mace reduction, a benefit. |
| 1:16.5 | Look at the recent Pisces trial, for instance, in dialysis patients, and he argues that |
| 1:21.1 | fish oil may be most helpful in higher risk patients. |
| 1:24.8 | So his question is that in patients who could derive a benefit, the small increase in |
| 1:29.8 | aphib risk may be worth it. Dr. James Stein agreed with my take that RCT's showing higher |
| 1:36.9 | aphib risk should be considered over observational studies, and he sent me a link to a circulation |
| 1:43.8 | commentary, first author, Diane Fatkin, and I'll link a link to a circulation commentary, first author Diane Fatkin, |
| 1:46.3 | and I'll link to all these, which explores possible mechanisms of the relationship between |
| 1:51.0 | AFIB and fish oil, and the idea here is that fish oil may affect ion channels in a |
| 1:56.3 | pro-fibrillatory way. And some feedback on the verna cala and AF conversion, at least two European |
... |
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