Session Agenda | Western Atrial Fibrillation Symposium

February 26–28, 2026 | Salt Lake City, Utah

7:00 AM – 8:45 AM

Coffee and Registration (Foyer)
7:30 AM – 9:30 AM

Meet the Masters Fellows Symposium
- Speaker
  - Eric Prystowsky MD
  - Melvin Scheinman MD
  - Roderick Tung MD
9:45 AM – 10:30 AM

Live Case 1 (Non-CME)
10:35 AM – 11:20 AM

Live Case 2 (Non-CME)
11:25 AM – 12:10 PM

Live Case 3 (Non-CME)
12:15 PM – 12:25 PM

Fellows Abstract Presentation 1
12:30 PM – 1:00 PM

Networking Lunch Break (boxed lunches available)
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM

Live Case 4 (Non-CME)
1:50 PM – 2:35 PM

Live Case 5 (Non-CME)
2:40 PM – 3:25 PM

Live Case 6 (Non-CME)
3:30 PM – 3:40 PM

Fellows Abstract Presentation 2
3:45 PM – 4:00 PM

Refreshments Available in Foyer
4:00 PM – 4:45 PM

Live Case 7 (Non-CME)
4:50 PM – 5:35 PM

Live Case 8 (Non-CME)
5:40 PM – 6:25 PM

Live Case 9 (Non-CME)
6:30 PM – 6:40 PM

Fellows Abstract Presentation 3
6:45 PM – 6:55 PM

Fellows Abstract Presentation 4
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Exhibit Hall Opening Reception & Abstract Winner Announcement

7:00 AM – 8:00 AM

Innovation Theater Breakfast (Non-CME)
8:10 AM – 9:15 AM

Session 1
- Moderator
  - Melvin Scheinman MD
  - Mina Chung MD
- 8:10 AM – 8:20 AM
  
  One-and-Done: Is It Time to Set a Higher Bar for Ablation Success? (Debate redefining success from freedom from symptomatic AF to zero AF burden)
- 8:20 AM – 8:30 AM
  
  From Burden to Benefit: Does Screening for AF in HFpEF Improve Outcomes?
- 8:30 AM – 8:40 AM
  
  Choosing Your Pulse: Navigating the Expanding Menu of PFA Catheters and Generators
- 8:40 AM – 8:50 AM
  
  From Wrist to Risk: Updates from the Heartbeat trial
- 8:50 AM – 9:00 AM
  
  OPTION, Amulet IDE, and PRAGUE-17: How Trial Data Should Change Our Practice
- 9:00 AM – 9:15 AM
  
  Discussion
9:15 AM – 9:45 AM

Exhibit Hall/Refreshment Break
9:45 AM – 10:50 AM

Session 2
- Moderator
  - David Callans MD
  - Marcos Daccarett MD, MSc
- 9:45 AM – 9:55 AM
  
  Multidisciplinary and Inclusive Management of AF
- 9:55 AM – 10:05 AM
  
  Beyond PVI: Do SVC/CS/LAA Ablations Improve Outcomes—or Just Add Risk?
- 10:05 AM – 10:15 AM
  
  Post-PFA Mapping: Quality Control or Wasted Time?
- 10:15 AM – 10:25 AM
  
  Patient-Collected Data vs. Clinical Gold Standards: Who Wins in Arrhythmia Detection?
- 10:25 AM – 10:35 AM
  
  Will Algorithms See What Clinicians Can’t? AI application for ECG and MRI
- 10:35 AM – 10:50 AM
  
  Discussion
10:50 AM – 11:55 AM

Session 3
- Moderator
  - Michael Riley MD
  - Johannes Brachmann MD PhD
- 10:50 AM – 11:00 AM
  
  Atrial Myopathy in 2025: Central Diagnosis or Forgotten Concept?
- 11:00 AM – 11:10 AM
  
  After the Seal: Which Antithrombotics and For How Long?
- 11:10 AM – 11:20 AM
  
  AF Burden Mediates Outcome Reduction in Patients Undergoing Rhythm Control Therapy
- 11:20 AM – 11:30 AM
  
  Ablation After PVI: Chase the Triggers or Modify the Atrium?
- 11:30 AM – 11:40 AM
  
  The New Toys in Afib: Separating Evidence from Enthusiasm
- 11:40 AM – 11:55 AM
  
  Discussion
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Industry Supported Symposium Lunch (CME)
1:05 PM – 1:30 PM

Session 4 - Roundtable: Redo Ablation After Failed PFA — Go for Hybrid, Stick With Pulses or Switch to Thermal?
- Discussant
  - John Day MD
  - Douglas Packer MD
  - Devi Nair MD , FACC, FHRS
  - Frank Cuoco MD, MBA, MS
  - Ravi Ranjan MD, PhD
- Moderator
  - Suneet Mittal MD
  - Arian Sultan Prof. Dr. A. Sultan
1:30 PM – 2:35 PM

Session 5
- Moderator
  - Kenneth Ellenbogen MD
  - Christopher McGann MD
- 1:30 PM – 1:40 PM
  
  When Symptom Relief Matters More Than Freedom from AF
- 1:40 PM – 1:50 PM
  
  Electrogram guided ablation using PFA: Our experience
- 1:50 PM – 2:00 PM
  
  GLP-1s Should Be First-Line in Obese AF Patients — Yes or No?
- 2:00 PM – 2:10 PM
  
  The AF Clinic Experience
- 2:10 PM – 2:20 PM
  
  No Collateral Damage? Parsing the Reality Behind PFA Safety Claims
- 2:20 PM – 2:35 PM
  
  Discussion
2:35 PM – 3:55 PM

Exhibit Hall/Refreshment Break
3:55 PM – 4:50 PM

Session 6
- Moderator
  - Jared Bunch MD
- 3:55 PM – 4:05 PM
  
  Does Fibrosis Imaging Still Have a Seat at the AF Table?
- 4:05 PM – 4:15 PM
  
  Non-Invasive AF Ablation Strategies: Ready for Prime Time or Still Experimental?
- 4:15 PM – 4:25 PM
  
  Controlling Risk Factors for AF: Easier Said Than Done!
- 4:25 PM – 4:35 PM
  
  Ablation vs. Meds in HFrEF: One More Trial, or Time to Move On?
- 4:35 PM – 4:50 PM
  
  Discussion
4:50 PM – 5:15 PM

Session 7 - Roundtable: Building Out the Next Generation of EPs
- Moderator
  - Sana Al-Khatib MD, MHS
5:15 PM – 5:40 PM

Session 8 - Roundtable: AF once on Apple Watch, Absent on Continuous Monitoring: Anticoagulate,Treat, or Observe?
- Discussant
  - Hamid Ghanbari MD
  - Chanho Lim
  - Thomas Deering MD
  - Paul Zei MD PhD
  - Nishaki Mehta MD, FHRS
- Moderator
  - Roderick Tung MD
5:40 PM – 6:15 PM

Session 9 - Roundtable: #AskWAF
- Discussant
  - Christian Sohns Prof.
  - Mossab Aljuaid MD, FACC
  - Christian Mahnkopf MD, PhD
  - Arwa Younis Dr
- Moderator
  - Janet Han MD, FACC, FHRS

7:00 AM – 8:00 AM

Industry Supported Symposium Breakfast (CME): Sanofi
8:00 AM – 8:15 AM

Refreshment Break
8:00 AM – 11:15 AM

Exhibit Hall Break
8:15 AM – 9:20 AM

Session 10
- 8:15 AM – 8:25 AM
  
  Anticoaugulation Post Successful Ablation of AF: OCEAN Trial
- 8:25 AM – 8:35 AM
  
  Where the Evidence Ends: LAAC in Populations Underrepresented in Trials. (cancer, CKD, very elderly)
- 8:35 AM – 8:45 AM
  
  Will Neuromodulation Replace Substrate Modification in Persistent AF?
- 8:45 AM – 8:55 AM
  
  AI in mapping AF: revisiting the rotors theory
- 8:55 AM – 9:05 AM
  
  When Should Genetic Testing Become Routine in AF?
- 9:05 AM – 9:20 AM
  
  Discussion
9:20 AM – 9:45 AM

Session 11 - Roundtable: My Indication for Concomitant LAAO with AF Ablation
- Discussant
  - James Freeman MD, MPH, MS
  - Oussama Wazni MD. MBA.
  - Usman Siddiqui MD FHRS
  - Edip Gurol MD, MSc
  - John Mandrola MD
- Moderator
  - Dhanunjaya (DJ) Lakkireddy MD, MBA, FHRS, FACC
9:45 AM – 10:50 AM

Session 12
- Moderator
  - Brent Wilson MD, PhD
  - Christian Mahnkopf MD, PhD
- 9:45 AM – 9:55 AM
  
  MRI Characterization of Arrhythmia-Induced Cardiomyopathy in Persistent AF with LV Dysfunction
- 9:55 AM – 10:05 AM
  
  PULSEDAY: Turning Awareness Into Action in Atrial Fibrillation
- 10:05 AM – 10:15 AM
  
  Antiarrhythmic drug therapy post ablation: when and how?
- 10:15 AM – 10:25 AM
  
  Atrial myopathy in the surgical patient: how does it impact my surgery?
- 10:25 AM – 10:35 AM
  
  The Business of the EP Lab: How Economics Shape Ablation Availability
- 10:35 AM – 10:50 AM
  
  Discussion
10:50 AM – 11:05 AM

Exhibit Hall/Refreshment Break
11:05 AM – 12:10 PM

Session 13
- Moderator
  - Christian Sohns Prof.
  - Ahmad Abdul Karim MD
- 11:05 AM – 11:15 AM
  
  AF in pulmonary HTN: an emerging clinical entity.
- 11:15 AM – 11:25 AM
  
  The epidemiology of AF in the era of wearable devices
- 11:25 AM – 11:35 AM
  
  Atrial Imaging in AF: What to Use, When, and Why
- 11:35 AM – 11:45 AM
  
  Atrial remodeling from PACs – Time to Reconsider Upstream Therapy?
- 11:45 AM – 11:55 AM
  
  Integrated PFA Mapping: Lessons from the inspIRE System
- 11:55 AM – 12:10 PM
  
  Discussion
12:15 PM – 1:15 PM

Innovation Theater Lunch (non-CME)
1:15 PM – 2:15 PM

BSC Sponsored Session (non-CME)
2:15 PM – 2:45 PM

Refreshments Available in Foyer
2:45 PM – 3:10 PM

Session 14 - Roundtable: AF in Special Clinical Scenarios: Where Evidence Meets Art (AF in amyloidosis, cancer, HCM, ESRD, severe MR, etc..)
- Discussant
  - Wael Jaber MD
  - Prashanthan Sanders MBBS, PhD, FHRS
  - Mark Link MD
  - Tina Baykaner MD
  - Stavros Stavrakis MD, PhD
- Moderator
  - Kamala Tamirisa MD
3:10 PM – 4:15 PM

Session 15
- Moderator
  - Arash Aryana MD, PhD, FACC, FHRS
  - Mossab Aljuaid MD, FACC
- 3:10 PM – 3:20 PM
  
  CCM in Afib Patient
- 3:20 PM – 3:30 PM
  
  Navigating the AF Backcountry Terrain with AI
- 3:30 PM – 3:40 PM
  
  Stroke Prevention Without AF? Anticoagulation in the Grey Zone
- 3:40 PM – 3:50 PM
  
  High Stroke, High Bleed: What Real-World Data Tell Us About Anticoagulation Decisions
- 3:50 PM – 4:00 PM
  
  Advancements in AI in AF
- 4:00 PM – 4:15 PM
  
  Discussion
4:15 PM – 5:15 PM

Session 16
- 4:15 PM – 4:25 PM
  
  How to Manage Risk of Thromboembolism After Apparent Successful AF Ablation
- 4:25 PM – 4:35 PM
  
  Anticogulation in CAD and AF
- 4:35 PM – 4:45 PM
  
  Prevention and Treatment of DRT
- 4:45 PM – 4:55 PM
  
  Applying Remote Monitoring to Improve Outcomes in AF Management
- 4:55 PM – 5:05 PM
  
  Anticoagulant or Not? Which Patient with Subclinical AF Should be Anticoagulant
- 5:05 PM – 5:15 PM
  
  Discussion
5:15 PM – 5:45 PM

Session 17 - Roundtable: #AskWAF
- Discussant
  - Monique Young ACNP-BC, CVNP-BC
  - Leslie Li MD
  - Lama Al Jebbawi M.D
  - Jill Schaeffer MSN, CRNP, CCDS, CEPS, FHRS
- Moderator
  - Janet Han MD, FACC, FHRS

Program and faculty are subject to change.

Share your groundbreaking research at Western AFib!

Do you have research that could advance your field? We want to hear from you! Submit an abstract for consideration as an ePoster display at the meeting.

Learn More

Fellows/Residents: Apply for a Scholarship to Attend

We look forward to granting scholarships to residents and fellows enrolled in accredited electrophysiology fellowship programs in February 2026.

The scholarship includes free registration, a travel stipend, and dedicated programming geared toward your educational needs.

Learn More

EP Fellows Research Competition

In addition to our poster abstract and fellows scholarship opportunities above, Western AFib invites fellows to submit research and participate in our Fellows Competition on Thursday, February 26. Prizes will be awarded to top contestants.

Learn More

CE Information

Western Atrial Fibrillation Symposium (Western AFib) is designed for electrophysiology lab professionals, including electrophysiologists, EP fellows, and EP allied professionals (nurses and technicians); cardiologists; physicians; nurse practitioners; physician assistants; and other clinicians interested in innovations in atrial fibrillation.

More Details

Agenda

Agenda

February 26–28, 2026 | Salt Lake City, Utah

Thursday February 26, 2026

Coffee and Registration (Foyer)

Meet the Masters Fellows Symposium

Live Case 1 (Non-CME)

Live Case 2 (Non-CME)

Live Case 3 (Non-CME)

Fellows Abstract Presentation 1

Networking Lunch Break (boxed lunches available)

Live Case 4 (Non-CME)

Live Case 5 (Non-CME)

Live Case 6 (Non-CME)

Fellows Abstract Presentation 2

Refreshments Available in Foyer

Live Case 7 (Non-CME)

Live Case 8 (Non-CME)

Live Case 9 (Non-CME)

Fellows Abstract Presentation 3

Fellows Abstract Presentation 4

Exhibit Hall Opening Reception & Abstract Winner Announcement

Friday February 27, 2026

Innovation Theater Breakfast (Non-CME)

Session 1

Exhibit Hall/Refreshment Break

Session 2

Session 3

Industry Supported Symposium Lunch (CME)

Session 4 - Roundtable: Redo Ablation After Failed PFA — Go for Hybrid, Stick With Pulses or Switch to Thermal?

Session 5

Exhibit Hall/Refreshment Break

Session 6

Session 7 - Roundtable: Building Out the Next Generation of EPs

Session 8 - Roundtable: AF once on Apple Watch, Absent on Continuous Monitoring: Anticoagulate,Treat, or Observe?

Session 9 - Roundtable: #AskWAF

Saturday February 28, 2026

Industry Supported Symposium Breakfast (CME): Sanofi

Refreshment Break

Exhibit Hall Break

Session 10

Session 11 - Roundtable: My Indication for Concomitant LAAO with AF Ablation

Session 12

Exhibit Hall/Refreshment Break

Session 13

Innovation Theater Lunch (non-CME)

BSC Sponsored Session (non-CME)

Refreshments Available in Foyer

Session 14 - Roundtable: AF in Special Clinical Scenarios: Where Evidence Meets Art (AF in amyloidosis, cancer, HCM, ESRD, severe MR, etc..)

Session 15

Session 16

Session 17 - Roundtable: #AskWAF

Share your groundbreaking research at Western AFib!

Fellows/Residents: Apply for a Scholarship to Attend

EP Fellows Research Competition

CE Information