BMS and Pfizer Alliance urge people to tune in to Afib to reduce Stroke Risk

'Tune in to AFib, Take Note of Stroke Risk' is launched by the Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer Alliance, the National Stroke Association and iHeartMedia to educate the patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib) not caused by a heart valve problem about their increased risk of stroke. It is estimated that nearly seven million Americans living with the disease in 2017, they are five times more likely to have a stroke than those who do not have the condition, and these strokes are more severe and more likely to be fatal than the ones not associated with AFib. Through music, the program endeavored to encourage people living with the most common type of irregular heartbeat (AFib), to co-work with their doctor to help lower their risk of stroke.

Afternoon host of New York’s Classic Rock Station Q104.3 Ken Dashow knows how important it is for people to ‘tune in' to AFib. "When one of my closest friends told me he had AFib and explained the associated increased stroke risk, I had to find a way to use my voice and get involved," said Dashow. "In my more than 30 years of experience in the music industry, I've learned that music has a powerful ability to inspire action. Through 'Tune in to AFib,' we're urging people with AFib to take action by talking to their doctor about how to reduce their stroke risk."

'Tune in to AFib' includes an educational website, TuneintoAFib.com, where people can view exclusive concert footage of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, hear from Ken Dashow and learn more about AFib and its associated increased stroke risk. The program also encourages people to take an online quiz to determine how 'in tune' they are with AFib and stroke risk. Those who complete the quiz can access an additional exclusive music video and the Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer Alliance will make a $1 donation to the National Stroke Association for each person who completes the quiz, up to $30,000.

With AFib, the top chambers of the heart ("the atria") do not contract properly to push blood through the heart. As a result, some blood remains in the top chambers, which can pool, and clots may form. These clots can travel to the brain, blocking or limiting blood flow, and may result in a stroke.

"Many people with AFib not caused by a heart valve problem don’t have any symptoms and are unaware that the condition is the cause of approximately 15 percent of all strokes," said David Frankel, M.D., Director of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship Program and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Penn Medicine. "'Tune in to AFib' encourages these people to increase their knowledge of this serious medical condition, recognize their increased stroke risk and work with their doctor to help reduce this risk."