Does A-Flutter ever correct itself?

[pmhlb]

Hello,
I am a 57 year old woman, diagnosed with Atrial Flutter.  I am told that in a few weeks I will have the conversion ablation that will shock my heart back into sinus rhythm.  In the interim, I take 2mg of warfarin (coumadin), and Tiazac XC at bedtime.  My question: is it possible that my heart rate might revert to normal rhythm on its own (before the ablation)?  If so, under what circumstances might this happen?  Also, is there a way that I could help it along (particular exercises, foods, etc.)?
Thanks,
PMHLB

[Jerry_NJ]

I has been my experience going though several electrocardioversions over a number of years (I always returned to AFib after a period of time, but to 18 months maximum) that my blood INR had to be between 2 and 3, that is low clotting factor,  before a conversion was tried.

If you are in normal sinus rhythm I see no reason why you would be subjected to any form of conversion.  I can understand being on a medication to help keep on in NSR, perhaps a simple beta or calcium blocker.

[pmhlb]

In answer to your question, Cindy, this is what my cardiologist told me: in order to avoid blood clots, it is necessary for the blood to be consistently thin for a period of time before the conversion is done -- thus the wait.  I started out on a low dosage of blood-thinners and worked my way up to my current 8 mg daily. My blood just wouldn't thin out quickly, and so, here I am: several weeks later, *finally* with thin blood.

The PLUS of all this waiting is that my heart's rythm HAS RETURNED TO NORMAL ! (I had an ECG yesterday.)  I am absolutely convinced that this is because I have been using my CPAP faithfully.  I feel better than I have felt in a long time.

Thanks for the reminder to stay away from red wine, colored sodas, etc. to stay hydrated, and have a good night's sleep. I might have a bit of chocolate occasionally, but I know it must be in *moderation*.

[cindy707]

Hi i too read your post tonite.......they do the conversions in a variety of ways and i myself am wondering why they are waiting to do it in a couple of weeks.....it is a pretty quick process and they have a number of ways to go about it...they can do electro with AED pads, the can do I.V. push conversion which is they basically convert your heart by putting an I.V line in you and injecting a specific medication into it or they can even do the fairly new at home conversion that is done with a big dog medication like Multaq.  Its great that they have you on an anticoagulant like warfarin to minimize the chance of any problems so that is great.  And your doc is right and so i Jerry for that matter....conversion just basically means that you are getting a clean slate with your heart to start all over with a normal pulse rate, etc. and is no big deal trust me....been there done that....as far a a flutter not ever coming back its pretty much up to your own system and the electrical pattern of your heart but there are definately some things that you can do to help yourself to give yourself the best odds...they are the basics....stay away from red wine, stay away from any colored sodas, iced tea, chocolate, sugars, energy drink, anything that has heavy electrolytes in them like gatorade, make sure you stay hydrated, ;make sure you get a good nite of rest each nite....all of these things definately contribute to a fib and flutter but at least you'll have a shot of minimizing the risk of it returning......good luck to you

[pmhlb]

Sorry about the wording, Jerry_NJ.

I am on warfarin to thin my blood so that I can have the conversion treatment that will correct the atrial flutter.  The cardiologist said that sometimes atrial flutter corrects itself, however, and the conversion treatment is not necessary.  I was wondering if anyone has had this experience (Atrial flutter correcting itself).

[Randy40]

I was diagnosed with afib this summer and was hospitalized for 2 days.  I had no apparent symptoms(chest pain, palpatation, shortness of breath), but they wanted to monitor me, and get my pulse rate in a more normal range.  After putting me on medication they performed cardioversion procedures on me in September, November, and January 2018, none of which solved the problem.  When I had a follow up with my Cardiologist several weeks ago they found that my heart was back to natural rhythm.  Whether it was a natural occurrence, cumulative effects of medications, or delayed reaction to the last cardioversion procedure, nobody knows.  My Cardiologist consulted with a Colleague who has more experience with afib treatment than he does.  He was told that it was unusual for the problem to correct itself naturally, but it happens rarely.

[Jerry_NJ]

I have some trouble deciphering what you have said:  "..conversion ablation that will shock my heart.."  To my knowledge an ablation is a burning process, not a shock, on the other hand a procedure called electrocardioversion (which is non-intrusive) uses electric shock to resynchronize the heart rhythm.. also works for atrial fibrillation.

If you have an ablation, that should fix the problem (not 100%, but highly probability) if you have an electrocardioversion I'd guess you will have to remain on medication and there is a strong chance the flutter will return in future years, or sooner.

My personal experience is AFib, but I have had periods of Flutter too.  I have never had an ablation.