A groundbreaking international study co-led by the Ottawa Heart Institute and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre has found that patients who have undergone a successful catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) may no longer need to continue long-term blood thinner therapy — a discovery poised to change clinical practice for millions of people worldwide.
The Optimal Anticoagulation for Enhanced Risk Patients Post-Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation (OCEAN) trial was co-led by Atul Verma, MD, director of the Division of Cardiology at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University, and a senior scientist in the Cardiovascular Health Across the Lifespan Program at the Research Institute of the MUHC, and David Birnie, MD, head of the Division of Cardiology at the Ottawa Heart Institute and professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. The trial followed 1,284 patients across multiple international sites over a three-year period. The findings are published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and were presented today at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2025 in New Orleans, U.S.A.
Read the full story on The Institute’s website
Watch this interview at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in New Orleans in November 2025: