Nearly three-million Americans live with a heart condition called atrial fibrillation or AFib, according to the American Heart Association. It’s the most common form of an irregular heartbeat – what doctors call an arrhythmia – and is caused by the abnormal firing of electrical impulses to the atria or top chambers of the heart. AFib can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications.
A normal heart contracts and relaxes to a regular beat, pumping blood from the upper chambers of the heart (atria), into the lower chambers (ventricles), to be pumped out through the body’s arteries. In people with AFib, the atria beat irregularly and ineffectively in moving blood out to the ventricles.
The main function of the aortic valve is to make sure that as the heart pumps blood, it goes forward instead of falling back into the heart,” says Dr. Jasdeep Sidhu, a cardiologist for SSM Health. “Atrial fibrillation is a disorganized, chaotic rhythm of the upper chamber of the heart. The upper chamber is essentially quivering and not being effective.
”The main concern with the rhythm is you can form clots in your heart, especially in one part of the heart called the appendage. If a clot breaks free from the heart, it can enter the bloodstream and lodge in an artery to the brain, resulting in a stroke.”
Know the types of AFib
There are several types of AFib, each determined by the duration of the condition and the underlying reasons for it. Some people with AFib experience no symptoms and their condition is only detected upon physical examination. Still others may experience one or more of these symptoms:
- General fatigue
- Fluttering or “thumping” in the chest
- Dizziness
- Shortness of breath and anxiety
- Weakness
- Faintness or confusion
- Fatigue when exercising
- Sweating
- Chest pain or pressure
Treatments for AFib
The symptom common to all types of AFib is a quivering or fluttering heartbeat. A normal range for a heart rate is 60 to 100 beats per minute. A heart rate in atrial fibrillation may range from 100 to 175 beats per minute.
To minimize the risk of clotting, many patients with AFib are treated with blood thinners and other medications known as beta blockers (because they block the action of hormones like adrenaline), which help to slow the heart rate. Beta blockers lower the number of times the ventricles contract each minute. Slowing that rhythm gives the ventricles enough time to fill with blood before pumping it out through the body.
Watchman implant option for some
Another treatment for people whose AFib is not caused by an issue with their heart valve is called the Watchman procedure. It’s a one-time, minimally invasive procedure to implant a permanent device about the size of a quarter, called the Watchman, into the appendage, the area of the heart where blood clots tend to form.
“The Watchman is a metal cage shaped like a parachute with a fabric cap over the top of it,” says Dr. John Phelan, an interventional cardiologist for SSM Health. “The device essentially serves as a plug, thereby sequestering the opportunity for blood clots to fire off to the brain and other parts of the body.”
This implant also is inserted up through the leg and into the heart while the patient is under general anesthesia. “The Watchman procedure allows us to plug up the area where most of the clots form,” says Dr. Phelan. “Once the Watchman device is installed, people can come off their blood-thinning medications and resume exercise and normal activities within a few days.”
Preventing causes of AFib
While the most common cause of AFib is a problem with the structure of the heart, some people with AFib have no known heart problems or damage. They may have developed it from another underlying condition such as: high blood pressure, obesity, sleep apnea, diabetes, thyroid disease, chronic lung disease or another heart condition. A person’s family history also can contribute to an onset of AFib.
Maintaining a heart-healthy lifestyle is the best way to reduce the risk for the onset of AFib. Get regular exercise and maintain a healthy weight. Eat a diet low in salt and saturated/trans fats. Avoid excessive amounts of alcohol and caffeine; control your cholesterol and don’t smoke.
“You really need to take care of yourself so that we can help take care of you when the need comes,” says Dr. Sidhu. “Diet and exercise help minimize your risk. It can be as simple as parking further away when you go to the grocery store. If you take good care of yourself, then hopefully you never have to see one of us. That is the ideal circumstance. Prevention is critical.”
Signs of other heart problems
Please remember while fluttering and quivering heartbeats are key symptoms of AFib, many heart problems have similar warning signs. Heart attack warning signs can include: chest pain or discomfort, discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach, shortness of breath, nausea, lightheadedness or breaking out in a cold sweat. If you think you are having a heart attack, immediately get emergency help by calling 9-1-1.
People with AFib also are at an increased risk for stroke and should be aware of the warning signs and get emergency help FAST if they experience any of these symptoms:
- Face Drooping: Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile.
- Arm Weakness: Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
- Speech Difficulty: Is speech slurred, are they unable to speak, or are they hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like "the sky is blue." Is the sentence repeated correctly?
- Time to call 911: If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 911 and get them to the hospital immediately.
To learn more about cardiac health, please visit https://www.ssmhealth.com/heart-vascular-health
