Almost everyone has felt their heart beat very fast, felt a “fluttering” in their chest, or thought that their heart was “skipping a beat.” These can be signs of arrhythmia, or abnormal or irregular heartbeat. Arrhythmias are extremely common, especially as you get older. In most cases they are harmless, but some arrhythmias are extremely dangerous and require treatment and management. The most common “serious” arrhythmia in older people is atrial fibrillation, also known as A Fib or AF. According to the American Heart Association, an estimated 2.7 million Americans are living with AF.
Normally, your heart contracts and relaxes to a regular beat. In AF, the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) beat irregularly, causing the movement of blood within the heart and out into the body to be less effective. When blood flow slows down and begins to pool, this greatly increases risk of clotting and so increases risk of stroke. If a clot breaks off and enters the bloodstream and lodges in an artery leading to the brain, a stroke results. About 15% to 20% of people who have strokes have this heart arrhythmia. This increased risk of blood clots is why people with atrial fibrillation are often put on “blood thinners” or anticoagulants. Untreated atrial fibrillation doubles the risk of heart-related deaths and quadruples risk for stroke.
If you are diagnosed with AF, your health care provider may prescribe drugs to help keep blood clots from forming. Two examples of anticoagulant and antiplatelet medicines are aspirin and warfarin. Newer medications include rivaroxaban and apixaban. Some of these medications require close monitoring of blood levels. Always tell your doctor, dentist and pharmacist if you are taking any of these medications. If you have any unusual bleeding or bruising or other problems, tell your doctor right away.
As part of our Heart Matters patient-centered approach, RVNA’s home care nurses can help monitor atrial fibrillation-related conditions and medications if you are homebound after an illness or surgery. Call our office for more information, 203-438-5555.
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