Atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib, is an irregular heartbeat condition, usually with a rapid rhythm. AFib increases your risk of blood clots in your heart, other heart-related complications, and stroke.
AFib can be a serious condition without treatment. In some cases, surgery may be necessary to limit episodes. Visit cardiologist César R. Molina, M.D., FACC, and our team in Mountain View, California, for the most up-to-date treatment.
During an AFib episode, the atria, your heart’s upper chambers, take on a chaotic beat that’s out of sync with your lower ventricle chambers. You may feel it as a light flutter or a pounding heartbeat that could be accompanied by feelings of light-headedness and/or shortness of breath.
AFib may occur in short or long episodes and be intermittent or persistent. AFib doesn’t always produce symptoms or complications. When it does, those symptoms can be serious but usually not life-threatening on their own; however, the complications can be deadly.
The primary goals of AFib treatment are threefold: heart rate management, restoring heart rhythm, and reducing your risk of stroke.
Managing your heart rate may be done with medications to slow things down. Restoring normal rhythm is a process called cardioversion, and it’s done with either electrical stimulation or medication. Typically, blood thinners reduce your risk of stroke.
When nonsurgical solutions fail to improve your AFib condition, Dr. Molina may recommend a surgical procedure to improve your heart’s performance.
The most common approach to correct AFib is an ablation procedure using heat or cold to create strategically placed scars that block the irregular impulses of AFib, restoring your normal heartbeat.
Usually, ablation procedures use a minimally invasive catheter approach entering through your inner thigh and into your heart. Ablations can also be done with open heart surgery, but that’s less common.
There are several types of ablation for AFib, including:
Patients who have AFib and require surgery for another heart problem may have a maze ablation performed during open-heart surgery.
Those who can’t use blood thinners to reduce their risk of AFib-related stroke may require a procedure called left atrial appendage closure to seal off the place in the heart where clots might form.
AFib does sometimes return after surgery. Another ablation or other procedure can be performed if this occurs.
Learn more about your options for AFib treatment in consultation with Dr. Molina and our team. Call or click to schedule an appointment today.
