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Atrial Fibrillation is a common form of arrhythmia which is found in different people at different times.As the people age, and the ways of managing heart failures are advancing, there are changes that atrial fibrillation is soon going to become a common phenomenon.It is not possible to have a successful atrial fibrillation control in people having this problem.
To diagnose atrial fibrillation, the symptoms are taken note of and then a specialist musbe consulted.The treatment for atrial fibrillation depends on the kind of atrial fibrillation problem that the person has.The person’s overall health is also taken into consideration. Besides, he should know the cause of atrial fibrillation.The only way to treate atrial fibrillation is to change one’s lifestyle and see if that works.
Atriallation therapy is treated keeping three things in mind:
- Slowing the heart rate
- Restoring normally heart rhythm
- Preventing a stroke
Slowing The Heart Rate
The first thing to do in this kind of atrial fibrillation therapy is to bring the rate of ventricular movemement down.If there are symptoms like a pain in the chest, or shortness of breath then these are because of the ventricular rate.At such times, the atrial fibrillation therapy focusses on bringing the heart rate down with medications.The type of medication depends on the seriousness of the symptoms.If the symptoms are serious then IV medication is given.If the symptoms are not serious, the medications can be given by mouth.
Restoration of Normal Rhythm
When people are diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, it is seen that they have a rhythm change. Normally people with normal rhythm show the same pattern around couple of days after the atrial fibrillation is diagnosed. After couple of days, the atrial fibrillation recurs.
This frequency is taken note of and accordingly medication given. The symptoms determine the way to control the arryhythmia.This kind of medication is called anti-arrhythmia medication.
Every anti-arrhythmia medication is carefully observed and seen if the dose is getting high or not.These medications cause a lot of effects. Thus these medications are best consumed by having it under a doctor’s supervision.
Prevention of Stroke
A stroke complicates atrial fibrillation completely.Sometimes a fragment of a blood clot, separates from the heart and affects the blood flow in the brain.This causes a stroke. A stroke has an increased chance of occurrence when the person has hypertension, a heart attack, abnormalities in the heart valve, a coronary heart disease etc. Besides if the person is above 65 years of age, the chance of having a stroke is more.
Sometimes the blood thinning drugs block certain blood functions which aid in blood clotting. This increases the problem and the blood gets even more thinner.At such times, it has to be decided whether the drug has to be given orally or not.
Defibrillation
Another way of bringing the heart back to normal is to have a current pass through the heart.This treatment which involves subjecting the heart to a “shock” is called defibrillation. This is done by connecting the chest to an external device called the external defibrillator with the help of paddles. An anesthesia is given so that the patient doesn’t feel the pain. This kind of Atriallation therapy is successful in more than 90% of the people. But for many, it is seen that even after this, the problem of arrhythmia occurs. Another point to be remembered is that defibrillation has a bad effect on the stroke chances.It increases the chance of a stroke .Thus it is better to treat the patient prior to defibrillation with an anticoagulant medication.
Catheter Ablation
In this method of atrial fibrillation therapy, the abnormal conduction pathways of the atria are burnt or destroyed. The catheter which delivers radio frequency energy, interrupts a segment of the pathway.This interruption is called ablation.This stops the pathway to give more consistent flow of impulses delivered electrically.
Ablation is a new method in atrial fibrillation therapy and is normally practiced on patients who have tried anti arrhythmic medicines but not with much success, or on patients who cannot consume these medications.It is better to consult a doctor before doing any thing.
Pacemaker
Another unique method of atrial fibrillation therapy is to have a device in the heart which slows the heart down. This reduces atrial fibrillation in few of the patients. So an artificial pacemaker is installed on either side of the heart in both the atria and the right ventricle. The main aim is to have an artificial fibrillation in place of the original pacemaker.
