Publications by authors named "D A Wilber"
Background: Causal machine learning (ML) provides an efficient way of identifying heterogeneous treatment effect groups from hundreds of possible combinations, especially for randomized trial data.
Objective: The aim of this paper is to illustrate the potential of applying causal ML on the DECAAF II trial data. We proposed a causal ML model to predict the treatment response heterogeneity.
Article Synopsis
- - A randomized trial showed that adding delayed enhancement MRI-guided fibrosis ablation to pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) for treating atrial fibrillation (AF) didn’t improve outcomes, with similar recurrence rates between the two methods.
- - The study analyzed how effectively lesions delivered during ablation covered fibrotic areas, finding that a much higher percentage of targeted fibrosis was successfully ablated using MRI guidance compared to PVI alone.
- - While overall scar coverage didn’t significantly reduce AF recurrence, lower recurrence rates were noted in patients with less baseline fibrosis when fibrosis-targeted ablation was used, indicating variability in treatment effectiveness.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates whether adding left atrial appendage ligation to catheter pulmonary vein isolation enhances the treatment of nonparoxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF).
- It was conducted as a multicenter, randomized clinical trial involving 404 patients, comparing a group that received both treatments to another that only received pulmonary vein isolation.
- The main objectives were to evaluate the effectiveness of preventing atrial arrhythmias and the safety of the procedures, with follow-up monitoring extending up to 12 months after treatment.
Background: Atypical atrial flutters often involve complex circuits. Classic methods of identifying ablation targets, including detailed electroanatomical mapping and entrainment within a well-defined isthmus, may not always be sufficient to allow the critical isthmus to be delineated and ablated, with flutter termination and prevention of reinduction.
Objectives: This study sought a systematic method to classify conduction barriers and isthmuses as critical or noncritical that would improve understanding and ablation success.