Atrial Fibrillation (AFib)

What is atrial fibrillation (AFib)?

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is a heart rhythm disorder found in about 2.2 million Americans. The likelihood of developing atrial fibrillation increases with age. Three to five percent of people over 65 have atrial fibrillation.

What happens during AFib?

During atrial fibrillation, the heart’s two small upper chambers (the atria) quiver instead of beating effectively. Blood isn’t pumped completely out of them, so it may pool and clot. If a piece of a blood clot in the atria leaves the heart and becomes lodged in an artery in the brain, a stroke results. About 15 percent of strokes occur in people with atrial fibrillation.

How is atrial fibrillation treated?

Treating atrial fibrillation is an important way to help prevent stroke. That’s why the American Heart Association recommends aggressive treatment of this heart arrhythmia.

• Medications slow down rapid heart rate associated with A-Fib. These treatments may include drugs such as digoxin, beta blockers (atenolol, metoprolol, propranolol), amiodarone, disopyramide, calcium antagonists (verapamil, diltiazem), sotalol, flecainide, procainamide, quinidine, propafenone, etc.
• Electrical cardioversion may be used to restore normal heart rhythm with an electric shock, when medication doesn’t improve symptoms.
• Drugs (such as ibutilide) can sometimes restore the heart’s normal rhythm. These drugs are given under medical supervision, and are delivered through an IV tube into a vein, usually in the patient's arm.
• Radiofrequency ablation may be effective in some patients when medications don’t work. In this procedure, thin and flexible tubes are introduced through a blood vessel and directed to the heart muscle. Then a burst of radiofrequency energy destrys tissue that triggers abnormal electrical signals or to block abnormal electrical pathways.
• Surgery can disrupt electrical pathways that generate A-Fib.
• Atrial pacemakers can be implanted under the skin to regulate the heart rhythm.
• Your doctor may use new technology such as the WATCHMAN device to reduce your need for blood-thinning medication and lower your risk of stroke.