Heart Skipping a Beat?

Heart Skipping a Beat? It could be more than just coincidence.

All too often, I see patients in my office who say they wish they had "come in earlier" or "paid more attention" to their irregular heartbeat. Atrial Fibrillation, also known as A-Fib, is the most common form of heart rhythm disturbance. Currently, it affects 6-7 million Americans nationwide and more than 10,000 people in the Treasure Valley. A lot of my patients with A-Fib first experience a rapid and chaotic heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, chest discomfort, fatigue, and difficulty in performing a vigorous exercise or just maintaining daily activities – and on the other hand, some patients have minimal or no symptoms at all. Their atrial fibrillation often is detected only during their visit to the doctor's office.

Unfortunately, too many people wait too long to address these symptoms. They don't realize that an irregular heartbeat doesn't just mean that they are out of shape, anxious, or stressed out.   An irregular heartbeat due to atrial fibrillation is associated with a two-fold increase in mortality - stemming from clots in the heart which may migrate to the brain and cause a stroke as well as increased risk to developing heart failure.

Not surprisingly, some factors that increase the risk of coronary artery disease increase the risk of developing atrial fibrillation. These include high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, high salt intake, excessive consumption of alcohol and caffeine, and others.

Snoring and irregular breathing when asleep may also contribute to the development of atrial fibrillation if it is caused by obstructive sleep apnea.

Approximately one in four patients above the age of 45 will develop atrial fibrillation over their lifetime.

There are several treatment option for A-Fib, ranging from medication to surgery. One frequently selected treatment is a procedure called ablation. One of the goals of the ablation is to eliminate the triggers of atrial fibrillation. The procedure success rate depends on several factors, including how long the patient has had A-Fib. Generally speaking, the earlier we can diagnose A-Fib, the better our chances are of treating it successfully.

If you're experiencing an irregular heartbeat, it could be more than a minor problem – atrial fibrillation is one of the leading causes for stroke and its diagnosis is associated with increased risk of dying, especially if treatment is not instituted in timely fashion.

>>Learn more about Heart Rhythm Disorders

Written by: Margot Vloka, MD, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysciologist