Reuters shared that a new study has revealed that making use of a catherer to freeze heart tissue is more useful than other medications available for treatment of atrial fibrillation.

A trial was conducted on 245 people. 70% of the participants who were treated with Medtronic's cryoablation system were arrhythmia free after one year, as compared to the 7% of those who underwent drug therapy. Medtronic device was as safe as antiarrhythmic drugs.

Dr. Douglas Packer of Mayo Clinic, the lead investigator of the study said, "This is the best data we have at this point in support of cryoablation (to treat atrial fibrillation)".

About 2.2 million Americans and 10 million people worldwide are affected with atrial fibrillation. It is responsible for raising the risk of suffering a heart stroke.

About 3% of the patients treated by cryoablation faced the narrowing of the pulmonary vein in 7 out of 228 patients. About 11% of the people reported about the damage to the nerve that controls the diaphragm, though, 98% such cases were resolved by a 12- month follow up.

It was astonishing to see that less than 1% of the patients treated with cryoablation were taken to the hospital for the reappearance of the disease, contrasting to 6% in the drug group.