Grant: Project Grant

Each year, more than 1.5 million individuals throughout the world receive a pacemaker, which has the ability to detect irregularities in the heart's rhythm, which typically do not cause patients any symptoms. Recent Canadian research has shown that these irregular heartbeats are associated with an increased risk of stroke; however, physicians do not know how best to reduce this risk. Blood thinning medications are now available that effectively prevent stroke in patients with other heart problems. The ARTESiA study will include 4000 pacemaker patients with evidence of these irregular heartbeats and will determine if the new blood thinners are effective at preventing stroke. New technologies now allow physicians to detect similar irregular heartbeats in asymptomatic individuals without pacemakers and have shown that these heart rhythm problems are present in 1-2% of the general population over the age of 65. In 2011, there were 14.4 million Canadians over the age of 65; thus, the results of ARTESiA could lead to effective stroke prevention programs for nearly 100,000 Canadians.