Atrial fibrillation, the most common cardiac arrhythmia, which used to be seen mainly in older people, is now increasingly seen in younger people as well.
In atrial fibrillation the heart rate is usually 100–150 beats per minute, with irregular beats. Such chaotic, rapid beating can impair the heart's pumping function. If left untreated for a long time, it can lead to an enlarged heart, heart failure and, most dangerously, stroke caused by a blood clot travelling to the brain.
Symptoms:
weakness
chest pain
palpitations
dizziness
breathlessness
irregular pulse
frequent urination
fatigue and shortness of breath
Symptoms in advanced stages:
stroke
weight gain
hypotension
angina
myocardial infarction
pneumonia
peripheral inflammation
The condition can be treated with a variety of methods, including medication, catheter-based procedures and surgery.
Cardioversion is used to restore sinus rhythm in tachyarrhythmias. Electrical cardioversion or pharmacological (drug) cardioversion may be used.
In addition, surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation now widely uses new technologies designed to create conduction-block lines using radiofrequency, microwave, laser, ultrasound or cryotherapy (freezing). Radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation are among the most widely used methods.
Information on this site is general and does not replace an examination by a doctor.