HEALTH & WELLNESS
When your heart gets out of step
HEALTHY LIVING TIPS FROM
The most common irregular heartbeat
is atrial fibrillation (a-fib), in which the
heart’s upper chambers (atria) beat out
of coordination with the lower chambers
(ventricles). It reduces your heart’s ability
to pump blood through your body, which
means you do not get enough oxygen.
Atrial fibrillation may come and go, or it may be a long-term
condition. It can also be symptomless. When symptoms do ap-
pear, they include racing heart and palpitations, shortness of
breath, chest pain or pressure and fatigue. It’s very important to
treat and manage atrial fibrillation to help prevent a blood clot
or stroke.
Possible causes of atrial fibrillation include: untreated sleep
apnea; high blood pressure; stress; stimulants such as caffeine,
tobacco, alcohol or certain medications; and damage to the
heart from a virus or heart attack.
How can atrial fibrillation be treated?
• Heart medicines help control heart rate and rhythm. Some
individuals may need more than one medicine to treat
their symptoms, which are best managed if treatment
commences less than one year from onset of the arrhyth-
mia.
• Electric cardioversion is an external procedure intended
to return the heart rate and rhythm to normal. Performed
using electric shock, it is more successful if treatment com-
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mences less than one year from onset. It is
not necessarily a long-term treatment and
frequently needs to be repeated.
•
Stereotaxis ablation is a state-of-the-
art, safer technology used to access, iden-
tify and treat arrhythmic pathways of the
heart, correcting the arrhythmia by deacti-
vating the tissue causing it.
• A pacemaker may be indicated to control your heartbeat.
• Blood thinners and antiplatelet meds help prevent blood
clots from forming in the left atrial appendage, as clots
can cause strokes, heart attacks and death. Blood thinners
include warfarin and heparin, with aspirin the commonly
used antiplatelet medication.
Deborah Heart and Lung Center offers a new state-of-the-
art alternative to long-term blood-thinner therapy called the
WATCHMAN™ Implant. This minimally invasively-implanted
device is a breakthrough for patients with atrial fibrillation who
use a blood thinner and are seeking a permanent non-drug al-
ternative. d
For an appointment with a Deborah specialist or more informa-
tion about how Deborah Heart and Lung Center’s leading-edge
technologies can improve your quality of life, call 800-555-1990
or request info/an appointment by visiting www.demanddebo-
rah.org.