Re: atrial fibrillation

Posted By C.Riddle on July 20, 1999 at 09:20:56
Upon going to bed, for no apparent reason, my husband "clicked" into an episode of atrial fibrillation.  We went to the ER where it took about 10 hours, with meds, to get him back into a normal rhythm.  This was very frightening, and completely unlike anything he's ever experienced.  He's in perfect health and all his tests (echo, bloodwork, x-rays) came back normal.  Why could this have happened out of the blue?  Now that he's had an episode, does that mean he has a condition which will return?  Can atrial fibrillation happen just once, and never come back?  How much of a factor does stress, work related, play in a. fib?  Will exercise, or even sex, make it happen again?  He's 32, and temporarily on atenonol, 25mg.  Will coming off the medication raise his risk of another episode?
Thankyou for your time.

[Mario__0]

Posted By Mario on July 20, 1999 at 14:38:45
Hi Atrial Fibrillation can be very scary but if you scroll down the previous posts on the heart forum you will see that over 70% of posts are related to heart rythm questions. The medical community seems to get bombarded with all sorts of fibrillations, pvcs, pacs, palpitations slow heart rates, fast heart rates. They are definetaly working on this aspect of the heart.AF is characterized by irregular and very rapid electrical imp in the atrial chambers. The electrical system of the atria( SA nodes malfunction).The regular organized heart beat is reolaced by irregular disorganized spasms. This malfunction can occur regularly or irregularly for short periods or for long periods. When AF occurs blood does not get pumped out of the atria and when blood does not move around it is prone to clotting. This is why most are put on coumadin to reduce the risk of blood clots. A NSR is when there is an electrical impulse originating  in the atria(SA Nodes) and a split second after sent to the lower part of the heart (ventricles ) creating a syncronized heart beat.  The usual symptoms are fast irregular heart rate, dizzyness, palpitations and chest pain or pressure.Only the examining Md can decide on a course of action but most episodes can be treated with medication such as digoxin, beta blockers or calcium channel blockers. These meds work in suppressing the elec impulses. There  is also cardio conversion which uses external current to jolt the heart back to a nsr. If all else fails there are more invasive techniques but I feel they are best left to your md. to explaine to you. As per what causes Af and when it will occur next is still debatable. Each person is different and there is no one answer. If the MD put your husband on a medication do not discontinue it without consulting the MD. Remember if they get unbearable and all else fails they will probably suggest your husband get an ablation however only the MD can decide on a coarse of action suited for your husband. All the best to you and your husband...mario










Follow Ups:


atrial fibrillation C.Riddle 7/22/1999
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Re: atrial fibrillation CCF CARDIO MD JMF 7/22/1999
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atrial fibrillation CCF CARDIO MD JMF 7/21/1999
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Re: atrial fibrillation CCF CARDIO MD JMF 7/21/1999
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atrial fibrillation mary foley 7/29/1999
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Re: atrial fibrillation CCF CARDIO MD JMF 8/11/1999
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atrial fibrillation MARY     FOLEY 8/17/1999
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