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Chad Raymond's avatar

For me, the most troubling statement in this essay is "declare victory and send the patient back to the referring doctor still with diabetes, high blood pressure and impaired quality of life." Given the statistics, it's obvious that obesity causes greater disease burden and lower quality of life. Yet the medical system is organized around highly siloed specialists independently treating different sequelae rather than attacking the underlying causes of illness in a coordinated manner.

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Joseph Marine, MD's avatar

Nice review of this important trial. The takeaway for me is an all-of-the-above approach: catheter ablation for selected patients who will benefit from the procedure and LFM for everyone. I have had a few patients who chose LFM first and did not return for ablation, but it is the exception. I do tell every patient that LFM will do more for your long-term cardiovascular health than anything I can do and will reduce your risk of needing a repeat procedure. I also include alcohol reduction for habitual daily or binge drinkers.

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