Seemingly big news today in cardiology: patients with hard-to-control atrial fibrillation were better off getting a catheter ablation than trying different medical therapy.

A common irregular and often rapid heart rhythm is known as atrial fibrillation or A Fib. Roughly 2.2 million Americans are suffering from some form of heart rhythm disorder. In atrial fibrillation the heart's two small upper chambers (the atria) vibrate irregularly instead of beating effectively. Blood is also not pumped fully out of them so it may clot more readily. A patient can suffer a stroke if a fragment of clotted blood in the atria leaves the heart and lodges in an artery in the brain. Doctors have known for years about the link between atrial fibrillation and strokes.