Introduction To Atrial Fibrillation How It Affects The Heart

Atrial fibrillation (or Afib) is one of the most common cardiac arrhythmias. It is a disruption in the system that generates electrical impulses. Normally, these impulses spread across the atria and ventricles in a uniform pattern, causing them to contract. This produces a consistent heartbeat. With Afib, the electrical impulses are disorganized. They spread across the atria in a quick, erratic fashion, causing the chambers to flutter.

Sometimes, an atrial fibrillation is benign; it does not cause any immediate health concerns for the patient. But other times, it leads to circumstances that become potentially dangerous. Below, we’ll describe common symptoms of Afib, and explain how the arrhythmia can set the stage for a stroke. We’ll also present some of the most common treatment options used to correct the disorder.

Symptoms Of Atrial Fibrillation

With atrial fibrillation, the heart fails to pump oxygen-rich blood efficiently to the rest of the body. If the arrhythmia is small, there may be no symptoms. If, however, it is moderate or severe, a number of signs will usually present.

For example, the patient may become lightheaded as the brain is deprived of sufficient oxygen. He or she may experience chest pain or weakness throughout the body. Shortness of breath is also common as is a sudden awareness that the heart is beating abnormally.

These signs are nonspecific to Afib. They can be caused by other conditions. Many patients assume they stem from normal, strenuous activity, which is one of the reasons they tend to neglect them. Unfortunately, if the arrhythmia is severe and allowed to continue, it can lead to a stroke and heart failure.

How Afib Can Lead To A Stroke And Heart Failure

One of the outcomes of atrial fibrillation is that blood may begin to clot inside the atria. This occurs as blood starts to pool. When the erratic electrical signals cause the atria to flutter, the chambers lose their ability to complete their contractions. As a result, some of the blood never manages to leave the chambers. It begins to form clots.

If a clot forms in the left atrium, it may break off and be pumped into the left ventricle. The left ventricle may then pump the clot into the aorta, the largest artery in the body. From the aorta, the clot can travel to the brain, and block a major blood vessel, causing a stroke. The longer Afib is left untreated, the greater the chances the patient will suffer a stroke.

Heart failure can also occur. Because atrial fibrillation reduces the heart’s ability to pump oxygen-rich blood to the body, the ventricles begin to pump more aggressively. They eventually tire out, leading to chronic fatigue and other signs that the heart is failing.

Treating Atrial Fibrillation

Treatment is administered to achieve multiple goals. The doctor will try to minimize the likelihood of clotting while reestablishing a proper heart rhythm. This includes ensuring the ventricles contract and expand in a way that allows them to fill completely with blood.

The formation of blood clots can be slowed – and even prevented – with an anticoagulant, such as warfarin. One or more medications, such as beta blockers, can be given to reduce the workload placed on the heart, and restore its natural rhythm. When drugs cannot resolve Afib, doctors usually recommend one or more surgical procedures.

Catheter ablation or a Maze procedure can resolve atrial fibrillation by creating a path of scar tissue on the heart’s surface. The scarring guides the disorganized electrical impulses. While Maze has traditionally been performed through open-heart surgery, and is still commonly done so today, a growing number of surgeons are using minimally-invasive techniques.

In many cases, electrical cardioversion or the installation of a pacemaker can also help reestablish the heart’s rhythm.

Atrial fibrillation is not always a serious condition. As noted earlier, many people have it without realizing it. That said, if you notice symptoms that suggest Afib, make an appointment with your doctor. Find out whether the condition poses a long-term health risk.

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