Arrhythmia And Afib Management
CARDIOLOGY SERVICES
The majority of arrhythmias are ignored because they are thought to be benign. Once your doctor has confirmed that you have an arrhythmia, they will need to determine if it is abnormal or just the result of your heart’s regular functions. Additionally, the doctor will decide if your arrhythmia is clinically important, that is if it causes symptoms or raises your risk of developing more severe arrhythmias or consequences from arrhythmias in the future. Your doctor will create a treatment plan if your arrhythmia is clinically serious and atypical.
Treatment Objectives
- Reduce the risk of blood clot formation to lower stroke risk, especially for those with AFib.
- Maintain a heart rate that is within a generally typical range.
- If you can, get your heartbeat back to normal.
- Treat any heart conditions or diseases that may be the source of the arrhythmia.
- Reduce further stroke and heart disease risk factors.
Living with Arrhythmias
- Take each day as it comes
The greatest thing you can do is adhere to your treatment schedule and take each day as it comes. - Using pharmaceuticals
All drugs should be taken as directed. Never discontinue taking any prescription medicine without first talking to a doctor. - Controlling your risk factors
Your chance of having a heart attack, cardiac arrest, or stroke increases if you have certain arrhythmias. To reduce additional risk factors, cooperate with your healthcare team and adhere to their recommendations. - Check your pulse
Knowing how to take your pulse is important, particularly if you have an artificial pacemaker.
Among cardiac arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation is the most prevalent. It damages cardiac health and raises the chance of stroke. Atrial fibrillation is more common as people age. Determining when to reestablish a normal sinus rhythm, when to manage the rate alone, and how to prevent thromboembolism are important therapy considerations. For the majority of patients, rate control is the chosen management strategy. Patients who are unable to achieve rate control or who continue to experience symptoms despite rate control have the option of rhythm control. Currently, a resting heart rate of under 80 beats per minute is advised for stringent rate management.
However, one study found that in terms of preventing cardiac death, heart failure, strokes, and life-threatening arrhythmias, more lax rate control of fewer than 110 beats per minute while at rest was not worse than rigorous rate control. To avoid stroke, anticoagulation medication is required together with rate and rhythm management. Despite its limited therapeutic window and elevated bleeding risk, warfarin prevents strokes better than aspirin and clopidogrel. CHADS2 and the Outpatient Bleeding Risk Index are two tools that can be used to predict both the risk of bleeding and having a stroke, respectively, and are useful when deciding whether to start anticoagulant treatment. Disrupting aberrant conduction pathways in the atria and removing the left atrial appendage are two surgical treatments for atrial fibrillation.
In individuals with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and normal left atrial size, a catheter ablation is an option for reestablishing normal sinus rhythm. Patients with complex heart conditions, those who experience symptoms from or are unable to tolerate pharmacologic rate control, and those who might be candidates for surgical or ablation procedures should be referred to a cardiologist. You will get more guidelines on how to manage arrhythmia and Afib at Port Charlotte Cardiology.