For people with congestive heart failure, the development of an irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation can increase the risk of death. An international study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, led by Montreal’s Heart Institute investigated the two options usually employed to control atrial fibrillation to keep patients healthy under these circumstances. The study was made possible by a grant of more than $6.5 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

• Dr. Denis Roy, MD, Cardiologist in the Department of Cardiology at the Montreal Heart Institute, Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the Université de Montréal, he is serving as President of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society and is principal investigator of this study