Social Media Empowers Afib Patients and Others

Physiciansweekly.com:  August 30, 2012
Atrial fibrillation can be bewildering for patients, especially when they’re first diagnosed. After all, their own hearts have betrayed them, beating out of rhythm, often leaving them exhausted, frustrated, and searching for answers. Increasingly, patients are finding these answers — along with treatment options and support — through social media.

For example, Jason Mattingly, a father of three and sales man ager from Dallas, was diagnosed with afib when he was 34.

Because he wanted a treatment option that would allow him to maintain his active lifestyle, he scoured the Internet for information. After participating in conversations at the AFIBsupport Forum in Yahoo! Groups), he received numerous recommendations to seek out an ablation. After the ablation and a follow-up procedure, his heart is back to normal rhythm. Social media helped guide him to afib-free living, and it can help your patients, too. Read More