Is atrial fibrillation manageable?
In this video, Dr Ravi Assomull, a leading private cardiologist in London, explains how atrial fibrillation is highly manageable. He discusses stroke prevention with anticoagulants, symptom control through medication, and treatments such as cardioversion and ablation. Dr Assomull also highlights the importance of lifestyle changes. Ideal for anyone seeking clear guidance from a London heart specialist.
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Transcript
Atrial fibrillation is very much manageable. There are two key facets we need to get on top of here. First, and by far the most important thing, is stroke risk.
If atrial fibrillation is present and you are at increased risk of stroke, either due to your age or any pre-existing conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or if you've had a stroke before, then you would be a candidate for medications that are called anticoagulants. These thin your blood and prevent clots forming in your heart and massively reduce your risk of stroke. The second facet we need to manage when we have someone with atrial fibrillation is symptoms.
Now if you've got no symptoms, it may be that nothing needs to be done at all. However, if atrial fibrillation causes symptoms because you're feeling that lack of cardiac output, when you get atrial fibrillation you lose 20% of your cardiac output, then actually treatments simply such as medications by slowing your heart down should make you feel better. But if that fails to work, then we have procedures that can restore your heart back into a normal heart rhythm, things like cardioversion, which is a controlled electrical shock to your heart done under deep sedation, or more complex procedures such as ablations, where you have the best chance of staying free from atrial fibrillation in the long term.
Having said all of this, we shouldn't forget lifestyle factors. And we know that drinking less alcohol, exercising more, getting adequate sleep, excluding other conditions such as obstructive sleep apnoea, play a critically important role.
