Irregular Heart Beat Deserves Attention
By Amy Kingery, Public Relations & Communication Coordinator,
Seven Rivers Regional Medical Center
You're watching a movie. It's intense. You're so involved in the scene you feel like your heart is quivering in anticipation. You are anxiously wondering, “What's going to happen?”
According to the American Heart Association, the hearts of 2.2 million Americans feel this way on a regular basis, without having to watch a scary movie. This quivering of the heart is called atrial fibrillation and is in fact an irregular heart rhythm, or arrhythmia.
The heart is a muscle that has four parts, called chambers, responsible for contracting and pumping blood. When the two upper chambers, called atria, quiver instead of beat strongly and effectively, the result is atrial fibrillation. This is dangerous because when the chambers of the heart don't beat correctly, not all of the blood is pumped out, allowing for possible clots. If a blood clot moves out of the heart and travels to an artery in the brain, where it can get stuck, stroke may occur. In fact, about 15 percent of strokes occur in people who suffer from atrial fibrillation.
The goal in treating patients with atrial fibrillation is to control the heart beat and prevent the clotting of blood, and therefore a possible stroke. There are numerous medications available to help with these issues. There are anti-arrhythmia medications to control heartbeat and medications to keep the blood thinner in an attempt to prevent clotting. One of the most common medications given is aspirin. In more complex cases, an implantation of a pacemaker to regulate heartbeat or surgery on the atria of the heart may be necessary.
Atrial fibrillation is a condition that can and should be treated. See a physician regularly so that your heart may be monitored. In most instances, when attention is given to the situation, atrial fibrillation doesn't interrupt daily life. If left untreated, it can cause heart damage, blood clots or possible stroke. So if you suspect an irregular heart beat, see a doctor, )have your heart monitored and make sure the only quivering that your heart does is during the next movie you watch.
