Debbe McCall

#AFib patient researcher, advocate & DSMB.
Follow/favorite/tweets ≠ endorse.

[Debbe McCall @DebbeMcCall]

Celebrities With Irregular Heartbeats: Atrial Fibrillation, Arrhythmia, and More https://t.co/gNFO2xuco7

[EP Lab Digest @EPLabDigest]

EPLD's Lead Extraction Topic Center delivers in-depth articles and up-to-date news dedicated to this growing field.

Explore how Henry Ford Health manages complex lead extractions, hybrid OR resources, and urgent cases in this Spotlight Interview.

https://t.co/OkqfQkwiSO

[Jeffrey Goldberger @DrJGoldberger]

1/6 Our @univmiami Center for AF team presented 5 LEAF (Liraglutide Effects in Atrial Fibrillation, Sept 2026 @JACCJournals JACCEP) substudies at AHA #ScientificSessions26 raising 5 #AFib questions. Great job @RaulMitrani @Linasheh @GianlucaIacobe4 Adrianna Watts #EPeeps #CardioX

[Jason Andrade @DrJasonAndrade]

The COAST-AF study’s was presented at AHA this weekend.

LVZ ablation has a mixed history in the realm of AF ablation with 50% of the 17 RCTs being negative.

But there is a nuance there.

We know LVZ are associated with worse outcomes but the difference in study result probably reflects the “how” we deal with them.

Study targeting homogenization, anchoring lesions, and functional substrates have generally been more positive than those where “isolation” is performed.

I suspect the future of persistent AF ablation will represent a convergence of personalized approaches examining substrate and function.

This is an important contribution from Pablo Nery and team. Congrats to the team.

[Debbe McCall @DebbeMcCall]

Beyond The Baseline: Why Hormones, Pregnancy, And Menopause Put Women At Greater Risk Of Stroke https://t.co/htQO7Ez5ZZ

[ISLAA @IslaaFoundation]

Registration for in-person and remote attendance is now open for ISLAA 2027.
https://t.co/dhZf03Qvwh
Free CME and ABIM MOC credits available.
- via #Whova Event Platform

[Nassir Marrouche @nmarrouche]

For nearly 20 years, our teams have worked to understand #AFib through the biology of the #atrial substrate. What began as a hypothesis around atrial fibrosis is becoming increasingly clear.

The question may no longer be simply: PVI versus substrate ablation?

The more important question is: Which AF patient has a modifiable atrial substrate, where is it, and can we reliably eliminate it?

DECAAF I established that atrial fibrosis matters and strongly predicts ablation outcome.

DECAAF II then tested MRI-guided fibrosis ablation in persistent AF. The overall trial was neutral, but the mechanistic lesson was important: identifying fibrosis alone was not enough. Intended ablation did not always translate into durable scar, and benefit appeared related to both disease extent and effective substrate coverage.

IDEAL-AF and COAST-AF now add another piece.

IDEAL-AF selected only patients with meaningful low-voltage substrate for randomization. When that substrate was specifically targeted with clear electrical endpoints, outcomes improved substantially over PVI alone.

COAST-AF tells a similar story. The overall trial was negative, but among patients who actually had low-voltage areas, substrate ablation significantly improved outcomes. Patients without demonstrable substrate did not appear to benefit.

These studies may therefore be defining the same biology from different directions:

No significant atrial substrate → PVI may be enough.

A demonstrable, modifiable atrial myopathy → PVI alone may be inadequate.

Advanced, diffuse disease → simply adding more ablation may not overcome the biology.

The next phase of AF ablation should move beyond “more ablation” toward precision substrate therapy: identify the AF fibrosis/myopathy phenotype, select the right patient, define the abnormal tissue accurately, and ensure that it is truly modified or isolated.

The future is not empiric substrate ablation. It is targeting the AF substrate in the right patient, at the right stage of disease.
@chris_sohns @PrashSanders @peterkistler3 @S_NarayanMD @Phiso_de @netta_doc @TinaBaykaner @DrRoderickTung @Ed_Gerst @shivkumarmd @Siddmann @gautamsand @drjohnm @TulaneTriad

[Prash Sanders @PrashSanders]

Really important data - there is almost 2 years difference in the longevity of the same devices (some) between clinics - do we need some standardisation and centralised monitoring

#CHRD @UniofAdelaide @CentralAdlLHN @SAHealth @PaceMateLIVE

@HRSonline @thecsanz @SanaAlkhatib9

[Debbe McCall @DebbeMcCall]

Deep learning model using ECGs during sleep studies can predict cardiovascular outcomes https://t.co/WLe9JeAXyA

[ISLAA @IslaaFoundation]

Registration for in-person and remote attendance is now open for ISLAA 2027.
https://t.co/dhZf03Qvwh
Free CME and ABIM MOC credits available.
- via #Whova Event Platform

[ISLAA @IslaaFoundation]

Registration for in-person and remote attendance is now open for ISLAA 2027.
https://t.co/dhZf03Qvwh
Free CME and ABIM MOC credits available.
- via #Whova Event Platform

[ISLAA @IslaaFoundation]

Registration for in-person and remote attendance is now open for ISLAA 2027.
https://t.co/dhZf03Qvwh
Free CME and ABIM MOC credits available.
- via #Whova Event Platform

[Sanjiv Narayan @S_NarayanMD]

Thanks to @NatasjadeGroot @BadhwarNitish for Guest Editing this series. Awesome to participate with @joselmerino @MilletRoig @ paco castells @sruiperez98 on Matching Catheter Configuration to Electrogram Signal Sensing/Processing with #AI https://t.co/4yvCxFtu9z @EladAnter @atulverma_md @javadm20

[Debbe McCall @DebbeMcCall]

ANDES: Less Bleeding After DOACs, but Device-Related Thrombosis Signal Emerges https://t.co/rFDYH625XV

[Debbe McCall @DebbeMcCall]

Association of the HbA1c/HDL-C ratio with all-cause mortality among patients with atrial fibrillation: a retrospective cohort study based on the MIMIC-IV database https://t.co/AKCx9JPcEJ

[Debbe McCall @DebbeMcCall]

Surprising Midlife #Stroke Risk Factors https://t.co/unIKOWZJ4j #YoungStroke

[Sachin Vadodaria @sachinjv]

#TCT2026 late-breaker: VERITAS 1-year data presented by @DJ_Lakkireddy

1.8% Ischemic stroke or systemic embolism
96.3% Complete closure by TEE, evaluated by core lab
0.4% Clinically relevant DRT

See the latest data on our #Amulet360 LAAO: https://t.co/kXDTuOq43p

#AbbottProud

[Debbe McCall @DebbeMcCall]

Fitbit Edge vs Fitbit Air: Which health features do you actually get? https://t.co/sq6AOFcuIb

[Debbe McCall @DebbeMcCall]

Typical Atrial Flutter: A Practical Review. https://t.co/ruvVSzWqAq #AFlutter