The Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation

The most common heart disease to date must be atrial fibrillation. Currently, it has affected around 2.2 million people in America alone. A person suffering from atrial fibrillation has his heart’s upper chambers, usually referred to as the atrias quivering instead of beating effectively.

When this happens, the blood to the heart can’t be pushed out completely of the system. Its tendency then is to clot. Now when that particular clot in the blood blocks an artery that leads to the brain, stroke occurs. Studies had shown that around 15% of the instances of stroke is caused by atrial fibrillation.

It is also noted that older people have higher risks of developing this particular disease. In fact, 3 to 5 percent of every American over 65 years old is already suffering from it. As one progresses in age, the chances of acquiring atrial fibrillation also become higher.

Fortunately, there are several ways of treating this disease. Of course, the first line of medication is the use of pills and drugs. Digoxin, beta-blockers, and calcium antagonists are just some of the examples of the many drugs a person with atrial fibrillation may take. The good examples of the beta-blockers are propanolol, atenolol, and metoprolol. As for calcium antagonists, diltiazam and verapmil are used.

To treat atrial fibrillation is necessary so that the occurrence of stroke is prevented. Doctors mostly prescribe a drug that thins the consistency of the blood. This is to make sure there will be no clotting in the blood that may lead to stroke.

These drugs are called anticoagulants and warfarin is the most common example of it. Antiplatelet medications are also widely used and aspirin is its best example. People who take these drugs regularly and religiously, as set by their doctors have reduced risks of developing stroke. In fact, records had shown that these drugs could reduce the instance of stroke by 68%.

But because of the number of drugs available, physicians may differ on their drug preferences. One major reason for that is because they are weighing the side effects of the drugs they will give against their patient’s physical conditions.

Another type of drug used is ibutilide. This drug is believed to restore the heart’s normal condition. But it can be administered only with medical supervision. The drug is delivered to the body through an intravenous tube connected to the patient’s arms.

Doctors may also use what is referred to as the electical cardioversion technique to restore the person’s normal heart rate and rhythm. This is carried out with a certain amount of electrical shock. The method is usually performed if oral medications fail to improve the symptoms associated with the disease.

Aside from electrical cardioversion, radiofrequency ablation is also an effective way to treat it. Thin but flexible tubes are inserted to one of the blood vessels going to the heart’s muscles. After the tube is in place, a wave of radiofrequency energy is released so as to destroy the tissues that cause the abnormal electrical beats of the heart. It is also expected to block all irregular electrical pathways.

But if all of these methods prove to be futile, then surgery becomes the last resort. The doctor will operate on the patient’s heart so as to disrupt all the electrical pathways that cause atrial fibrillation. Surgery is an invasive process, so a heart specialist is the only one allowed to perform surgery on people with this kind of disease.

There are also atrial pacemakers that physicians may choose to implant under the patient’s skin. The job of these pacemakers is to regulate the rhythm of their heart as an aid in the medication and treatment of the disease.