Page 15 - Mended Hearts-HeartGuide
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HEART DISEASE AND HEART EVENTS
GET YOUR GROOVE BACK: TREATING AFIB WHAT IS SUDDEN
BY RESETTING THE HEART’S RATE AND RHYTHM CARDIAC ARREST?
Treatment for AFib is important because it can prevent the conditions At rare times, the heart can
that lead to stroke or heart failure. And if AFib is caused by an go into cardiac arrest without
underlying event, your doctor can treat it and see if that controls warning. This is called sudden
AFib. Effective management of the condition depends on the heart’s cardiac arrest, an extremely
condition, age, stroke risk, and the severity of AFib symptoms. The dangerous condition leaving
overall treatment goals are to reset the rhythm, control the rate, and patients just minutes to receive
prevent blood clots. emergency medical care. If you
see a person suddenly lose
Restoring Your Heart Rate consciousness and register
no pulse, get immediate
Cardioversion restores your heart rate and rhythm. There are two ways medical help. If the person
to do it: is unresponsive, rescuers can
administer cardiopulmonary
Medications – An anti-arrhythmic medication can restore your resuscitation (CPR) and
heart’s normal rhythm. The medication may be given intravenously defibrillation using an automated
or taken orally. external defibrillator (AED), if
available, to restore blood flow.
Electrical cardioversion – Occurring while you are sedated, this
procedure sends an electrical charge to your heart through paddles BE INVOLVED:
or patches placed on your chest. The charge stops your heart’s QUESTIONS FOR YOUR
activity for a moment, allowing it to reset to its normal rhythm. HEALTH CARE TEAM
ABOUT HEART DISEASE
After cardioversion, an anti-arrhythmic medication may be prescribed AND HEART EVENTS
to prevent reoccurrences of AFib. Common medications are
amiodarone, dronedarone, propafenone, sotalol, dofetilide, and What caused my
flecainide. Some may produce side effects such as nausea, dizziness, heart problem?
and fatigue.
How serious is it?
Controlling Heart Rate
What medications or
If cardioversion doesn’t create a normal rhythm, the heart rate is therapies will I need? Do
controlled in two other ways: they have side effects?
Medications – Calcium-channel blockers, beta-blockers, and How will my daily life
digitalis can be used to slow heart rate to less than 80 beats per change as a result of my
minute at rest. Other types of drugs called ACE inhibitors may heart problem?
be prescribed to control blood pressure and reduce the risk of
complications.
Atrioventricular (AV) node ablation – This procedure is an
option if medications don’t work or produce difficult side effects.
Radiofrequency energy is applied to the AV node through a
catheter to destroy this small area of tissue. A pacemaker is then
implanted to send electrical impulses to the ventricles.
Preventing Blood Clots
Blood clots are dangerous because they can lead to more serious
conditions, such as stroke. Because the risk for blood clots is so high
in people with AFib or who are undergoing procedures to treat AFib,
doctors often prescribe anticoagulant (blood-thinning) medications
(for more on these medications, see page 36).
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