How Can Digital Health Assist With Risk Factor Modification in Atrial Fibrillation?

Interview With Dominik Linz, MD, PhD, FEHRA

In this onsite interview at the Western Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Symposium, we talk with Dominik Linz, MD, PhD, FEHRA, from Maastricht University Medical Center.

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Dominic Linz, and I am a cardiac electrophysiologist. In the clinic, I mainly focus on the management of AFib from risk factor modification to ablation and follow-up.

What can you tell us about your presentation at Western AFib? 

Risk factor modification is one of the main pillars in the treatment of AFib. However, there are a lot of challenges, particularly concerning the implementation of this. Mobile health can help to integrate this in the treatment of our patients. I talked a lot about virtual reality, which can help to apply education for patients. I also talked about different virtual treatment pathways. For example, how we remotely diagnose and also treat sleep apnea in patients with AFib, and eventually, I think there will also be a lot of future opportunities to really grow in this field.

What are some of the take-home messages you would like viewers to leave with? 

Mobile health is really here to stay. There are a lot of different opportunities now and in the future where we will be confronted with this new technology. However, we need to be aware that there are some key points that we should not forget. First, all the management pathways should be in line with the ABC approach, which we know from the guidelines. Second, it should be organized within an integrated care pathway and should be integrated into existing approaches, which we also already now use. Last but not least, we also need to see how to really grow in this field and make it scalable.

What is your favorite part about Western AFib?

For me, Western AFib is about meeting friends and colleagues. It is a very unique to have such a good program and it is actually one of the highlights of the year for me, with a beautiful scenery here in Park City. I think there are no other seminars, symposia, or congresses that can provide, in such a dense way, the latest and newest information. In addition to this, we learn from each other, from colleagues and friends, how to treat patients and how to manage the daily challenges that we are confronted with. So if you want to know what happens in AFib between 2022 and 2024, then there is no way not to join Western AFib 2024!