According to the American Heart Association, during atrial fibrillation the heart's two small upper chambers (the atria) quiver instead of beating effectively, causing blood to not pump completely out of them, so it may pool and clot. Patients with atrial fibrillation have a higher risk of blood clots traveling to the head and causing a cerebrovascular accident (stroke). Episodes of atrial fibrillation can come and go, or one may have chronic atrial fibrillation, reports the Mayo Clinic. There are some treatment options for atrial fibrillation that patients should be aware of.
Cardioversion
To correct your condition, doctors may be able to reset a heart to its regular rhythm (sinus rhythm) using a procedure called cardioversion, depending on the underlying cause of atrial fibrillation and how long a patient has had it, reports the Mayo Clinic. Cardioversion may be done pharmacologically with medication or through electrical cardioversion. In pharmacological cardioversion, anti-arrhythmic drugs are used to correct the patient's heart rhythm. During electrical cardioversion, a patient is placed under anesthesia and shock waves are applied to the heart to correct its rhythm.
Blood Thinning Medications
Some patients with atrial fibrillation are managed with medications that work by thinning the blood. These drugs prevent blood from forming clots, thereby decreasing the risk of stroke. An example of a blood thinning medication used for atrial fibrillation is warfarin (Coumadin). Patients on blood thinning medications are at risk for increased bleeding and hemorrhage and must be careful to avoid injury. Patients on warfarin therapy will be closely monitored by their physician to ensure that their blood is not becoming too thin, which can lead to the development of hemorrhage.
Atrioventricular Node Ablation
If medications do not work to correct atrial fibrillation, atrioventricular ablation can be recommended. According to the Mayo Clinic, the procedure involves applying radio frequency energy to the pathway connecting the upper and lower chambers of your heart (AV node) through a long, thin tube (catheter) to destroy this small area of tissue. A pacemaker is implanted to further control abnormal cardiac impulses. Those who undergo atrioventricular node ablation will probably remain on some type of blood thinning medication throughout the course of their lives.
