Atrial Fibrillation
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GENERAL INFORMATION:
What is atrial fibrillation?
- Atrial (Ay-tree-al) fibrillation (fib-ri-LAY-shun) is a condition where the top chambers of the heart do not beat normally. This is because the impulses (messages) that tell the heart muscle to contract (squeeze) are not regular. These unorganized impulses cause the top chambers of the heart (atria) to shake or quiver. This causes an arrhythmia (ah-RITH-mee-ah), which is a heartbeat that is not regular in rhythm. Blood may pool in the atria because they do not contract with a strong squeeze. Blood clots may form in the blood that is not squeezed out of the atria. These blood clots can travel to other places in the body and cause problems.
- Because the atria shake rather than pump, less blood is pushed into the ventricles. The ventricles may not be able to fill up with enough blood to provide good circulation with every heartbeat. If your atrial fibrillation is severe, your body may not be able to get enough nutrients or oxygen.
- With atrial fibrillation, your heart may also beat too fast or too slow. You are more likely to get atrial fibrillation as you age. Your atrial fibrillation may come and go, last for only a short time, or be a life-long condition. Atrial fibrillation can be a serious condition, but many problems may be avoided with treatment.
Causes: Sometimes the causes of atrial fibrillation are not known. You may be more likely to have atrial fibrillation if you are older than 60 or male. You may be more likely to have atrial fibrillation if others in your family have it. If your atrial fibrillation comes and goes, there are things that may trigger it. These include alcohol or smoking. Atrial fibrillation may also be caused by:
- Asthma, blood clots in the lung, or other lung disease.
- Damage to your heart caused by a heart attack, rheumatic heart disease, or other conditions.
- Hardening of the arteries around your heart (coronary artery disease).
- Heart failure.
- Heart surgery or anything that irritates the heart, such as swelling around the heart.
- Hypertension (high blood pressure).
- Problems with the valves in your heart.
- Thyroid disease, diabetes, or sleep apnea.
- Some herbs found in diet supplements or natural medicines such as ephedra or ginseng.
- Some medicines, including street drugs that are "uppers" such as amphetamines or cocaine.
Signs and symptoms: You may have no symptoms when you have atrial fibrillation. If you do have symptoms, they may include:
- A heartbeat that you suddenly notice and that feels different than normal. It may feel like a thumping, or irregular in rhythm. You may feel like your heart is racing, or notice extra beats.
- Decreased ability to exercise.
- Feeling unusually tired or weak.
- Feeling dizzy or fainting (passing out).
- Feeling short of breath.
- Having chest pain or tightness.
- You may also feel nauseated.
How is atrial fibrillation diagnosed? Sometimes atrial fibrillation is found during a regular checkup. Other times, atrial fibrillation is found due to the symptoms it causes. During your examination, your caregiver will review your medical history and any symptoms you have. A test called an EKG may be done to look for problems or damage in different areas of the heart. You may need to wear a portable heart monitor at home for a short time. Your caregiver may do tests on your blood and urine to look for possible causes of your atrial fibrillation. You may need a chest x-ray to check your heart and lungs. You may need an ultrasound of your heart called an echocardiogram (ek-oh-KAHR-dee-oh-gram). An echocardiogram can find problems with your heart and valves that do not show up on an EKG or in an x-ray.
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How is atrial fibrillation treated? Your atrial fibrillation will need to be treated in order to:
- Prevent blood clots and the problems they can cause. You may need medicines to thin your blood. This may prevent blood clots from forming and going to your brain (stroke), lungs, or elsewhere in your body.
- Control your heart rate. You may need medicines or other treatments to keep your heart from beating too fast or too slow.
- Try to get your heart into a healthier rhythm so that it can do its job better. Medicines or certain procedures may help your atria stop fibrillating and start beating normally again.
- Short-term medicines to change your rhythm.
- Long-term medicines to keep your heart in a good rhythm or beating at a normal rate.
- Treatment of any other health conditions that may be causing your atrial fibrillation.
- Electrical cardioversion. This is a procedure where an electric shock is given to the heart. The shock is usually given through paddles or sticky patches placed on your chest or back. The shock helps your heart return to a normal beat. You may need a cardioversion more than once.
- Catheter ablation. This is a procedure where a wire is fed through an artery or a vein to your heart. Your doctor finds the area of the heart muscle causing the unorganized impulses. Heat energy is applied to the area to stop the abnormal impulses.
- A temporary or permanent pacemaker.
- An atrial defibrillator (dee-FIB-ri-lay-ter) that is implanted under the skin.
- Maze surgery. This is a procedure where your surgeon makes many small cuts into the heart muscle. These cuts create a maze-like new path for the heart impulses to travel. This helps your heart beat in a more normal rhythm.
Risks: The shaking motion of the atria causes blood to pool or sit in the atria. This pooling may allow blood clots to form. Clots may make their way to your brain and cause a stroke. You may be given a blood thinner to keep this from happening. Uncontrolled atrial fibrillation also increases your chance of heart failure, a heart attack, or a blood clot in the lung. The sooner you are treated the better your chance of avoiding these problems.
Support: Atrial fibrillation is a life-changing disease for you and your family. Accepting that you have atrial fibrillation is hard. You and those close to you may feel angry, sad, or frightened. These feelings are normal. Talk to your caregivers, family, or friends about your feelings. Let them help you. Encourage those close to you to talk to your caregiver about how things are at home. Your caregiver can help your family better understand how to support a person with atrial fibrillation. You can contact one of the following national organizations for more information.
- American Heart Association National Center
7272 Greenville Avenue
Dallas, TX 75231-4596
Phone: 1-800-242-8721
Web Address: http://www.americanheart.org
- Heart Rhythm Society
1400 K Street NW, Ste 500
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 1-202-464-3400
Web Address: www.hrsonline.org
CARE AGREEMENT:
You have the right to help plan your care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. You can then discuss treatment options with your caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat you. You always have the right to refuse treatment.
Copyright © 2008 Thomson Healthcare Inc. All rights reserved. Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes.
The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.
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