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* What is atrial fibrillation? * What causes atrial fibrillation? * What are the symptoms of atrial fibrillation? * What are the complications of atrial fibrillation? * What are the risk factors for developing atrial fibrillation? * How is atrial fibrillation diagnosed? * EKG (electrocardiogram) * Holter monitor * Patient-activated event recorder * Echocardiography * Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) * Other tests * How is atrial fibrillation treated? * Reversing the risk factors that cause atrial fibrillation * Slowing the heart rate with medications * Anticoagulation to prevent blood clots and strokes * Converting atrial fibrillation to a normal rhythm * Procedures for treating and preventing atrial fibrillation * What is new in atrial fibrillation? * Pulmonary vein isolation * Atrial Fibrillation At A Glance * Patient Discussions: Atrial Fibrillation - Symptoms and Signs * Patient Discussions: Atrial Fibrillation - Effective Treatments * Find a local Cardiologist in your town Atrial Fibrillation Symptoms What Are the Symptoms of Atrial Fibrillation? Many patients with atrial fibrillation have no symptoms and are unaware of the abnormal heart rhythm. The most common symptom of atrial fibrillation is palpitations, an uncomfortable awareness of the rapid and irregular heartbeat. Other symptoms of atrial fibrillation are caused by the diminished delivery of blood to the body. These symptoms include * dizziness, * fainting, * weakness, * fatigue, * shortness of breath, and * angina (chest pain due to reduced blood flow to the heart muscles). Read more about the symptoms of atrial fibrillation ยป Atrial Fibrillation 1. What is atrial fibrillation? 2. What causes atrial fibrillation? 3. Is there a cure for atrial fibrillation? 4. Is atrial fibrillation life-threatening? 5. Will atrial fibrillation cause any long-term cardiac damage? 6. Am I a candidate for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation? 7. How will the ablation procedure help my atrial fibrillation? 8. What is the success rate of the cardiac catheter ablation procedure for atrial fibrillation? 9. What are the risks of the atrial fibrillation cardiac catheter ablation procedure? 10. How effective are medications in controlling or preventing atrial fibrillation? Atrial Fibrillation 1. What is atrial fibrillation? Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an arrhythmia that starts in multiple sites in the upper chambers of the heart. It is an irregular rhythm that causes the atria to quiver instead of contracting regularly. The atrial rate can be very rapid but the atrio-ventricular node (a structure in the middle of the heart) helps to limit the number of electrical impulses that can pass to the heart's lower chambers. Atrial fibrillation makes your pulse irregular and usually fast. Episodes of AF can occur intermittently. This type of AF is categorized as "paroxysmal." If AF occurs more often and episodes last longer, it can be categorized as "persistent." 2. What causes atrial fibrillation? The exact cause of atrial fibrillation (AF) is not known. However, there are associated conditions that are seen in conjunction with AF, such as high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, heart failure, heart bypass or valve surgery, chronic lung disease, sleep apnea or hyperthyroidism. It is known that the risk of developing AF increases with aging. In some cases, AF occurs without any associated condition or underlying heart disease Some people will notice that there are certain triggers to their AF episodes like alcohol consumption, excessive caffeine intake, lack of sleep or eating a large meal. 3. Is there a cure for atrial fibrillation? Presently there is no absolute cure for atrial fibrillation (AF). However, there are treatments that can help to control and manage this arrhythmia. 4. Is atrial fibrillation life-threatening? Atrial fibrillation (AF) is not considered a life-threatening arrhythmia. However, if episodes of the arrhythmia are prolonged, there is an associated risk of blood clot formation that can lead to a stroke. In most cases, some sort of medication that prevents blood clots from forming, for example Coumadin or aspirin, is highly recommended. AF can be a bothersome arrhythmia if it causes symptoms and impacts a person's ability to carry out their activities of daily living. The symptoms that people with AF report (for example, fatigue, lightheadedness, shortness of breath) are most likely caused by the uncoordinated contraction of the heart, which decreases its pumping ability. There are some people, though, who are not as affected by this. They are completely unaware that they are in AF, exhibiting no symptoms at all. 5. Will atrial fibrillation cause any long-term cardiac damage? Chronic atrial fibrillation can "remodel" or change the structure of the heart's upper chambers over time. If the heart rate of the ventricles during atrial fibrillation is consistently fast, the heart muscle can weaken, resulting in heart failure. 6. Am I a candidate for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation? Patient factors that are used to determine the appropriateness of proceeding with catheter ablation are: * Symptoms associated with atrial fibrillation episodes * Co-existing health problems * Treatment failures (for example, anti-arrhythmic medications, cardioversions or previous ablations) * Cardiac structure and function Generally, patients who are highly symptomatic with their atrial fibrillation and have failed or are intolerant to one or more anti-arrhythmic drugs are candidates. Occasionally, patients who are not interested in taking antiarrhythmic drugs are offered ablation as first-line treatment. 7. How will the ablation procedure help my atrial fibrillation? The goal of the procedure is to isolate the areas of the heart that are known to start the rapid electrical signals in the upper heart chambers. Research has shown the electrical signals for atrial fibrillation (AF) usually start around the pulmonary veins in the left atrium. These four veins bring oxygenated blood from the lungs back into the heart and drain into the left atrium. When electrical isolation of these veins is successful, episodes of AF often stop or decrease in number. Within a few months post procedure, some patients can stop the anti-arrhythmic medications that they were taking to control their AF. If the anti-arrhythmic drugs are continued, the ablation procedure often helps the medications better control AF episodes. Finally, the ablation procedure can help to decrease symptoms associated with episodes of AF such as palpitations, lightheadedness, fatigue or decreased exercise tolerance, or shortness of breath. 8. What is the success rate of the cardiac catheter ablation procedure for atrial fibrillation? The reported success rates vary by institution, with a usual range of 60-70%. Success rates are influenced by factors such as other co-existing heart and medical conditions, the individual's anatomy, post-procedure follow-up and repeat procedures. 9. What are the risks of the atrial fibrillation cardiac catheter ablation procedure? In our center's experience, the risk of any of the below occurring is less than 1%. The known associated risks of the atrial fibrillation catheter ablation procedure include, but are not limited to: * Bleeding * Damage to blood vessels * Infection * Atrioesophageal fistula formation (an abnormal connection between the left atrium and esophagus) * Cardiac perforation (a hole in the heart) that can cause bleeding around the heart * Pulmonary vein stenosis (narrowing of the pulmonary veins) * Stroke * Myocardial infarction (heart attack) * Death 10. How effective are medications in controlling or preventing atrial fibrillation? Research has shown that the most effective anti-arrhythmic medications prevent episodes of atrial fibrillation (AF) in the range of 50-60% of patients. In many cases, medications that are considered "rate-controlling" agents to prevent AF from getting too fast are also prescribed. These drugs generally do not prevent AF from occurring, but will lower the heart rate during AF. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/af/af_what.html http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/atrial_fibrillation/afib.aspx http://www.medicinenet.com/atrial_fibrillation/article.htm http://www.emedicinehealth.com/atrial_fibrillation/article_em.htm http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4451 http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/atrial-fibrillation/ http://www.cvpharmacology.com/mechanism_classes.htm |