Did you know if you have palpitations, chest pain it may be atrial fibrillation? Heart surgeon explains its dangers

Atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder, can be dangerous. Heart surgeon explains its risk factors, treatments, and procedures.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of death globally, and atrial fibrillation (AF), related to underlying CVD, is the most common arrhythmia, affecting more than 33 million people worldwide. According to the American Heart Association Journals, atrial fibrillation prevalence is expected to rise by 2‐ to 3‐fold by 2050.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common abnormal heart rhythm in adults. (Freepik)

Therefore, it is important to understand exactly what AF is, who is at risk of developing it, the dangers involved, and how to manage it. In an Instagram post shared on February 11, Dr Jeremy London, a board-certified heart surgeon with over 25 years of experience, explained all of the above.

What is atrial fibrillation?

According to the heart surgeon, atrial fibrillation is the most common abnormal heart rhythm in adults. To explain it in lay terms, he called it a ‘very irregular, inefficient way for the heart to beat.’

But how does it look on the operating table? According to the heart surgeon, “When we look at it in the operating room, the upper chambers of the heart look like a 'wiggling bag of worms' rather than the normal coordinated rhythm that you see with a normal sinus rhythm.”

Dr London added that this condition can cause several symptoms, such as:

• palpitations
• lightheadedness
• chest pain

Now, who gets it? Dr Jeremy London explained the risk factors, dangers, and treatments involved in atrial fibrillation:

Risk Factors:

• Age over 55 is the single most important risk factor.

• Other contributing factors include high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart failure.

Dangers:

• Stroke: There is a four-fold increase in risk for men and almost a six-fold increase for women.

• Heart Failure: If the inefficient rhythm is not managed over time, it can lead to heart failure.

Treatments and management:

Though Dr Jeremy noted that knowledge of atrial fibrillation is still evolving, with the hope that therapies and prevention protocols will continue to improve, here are some treatments and management tips he highlighted in the clip:

• Lifestyle modification is clearly important.

• Medications are used to control heart rate, and blood thinners are used to manage stroke risk.

• In addition, there are procedures that can be used to treat atrial fibrillation. Ablation therapy involves using small catheters to try to "rewire" the heart.

• The Watchman procedure can block the specific area in the heart where many strokes originate.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.