Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke

by Rose Broyles

Nine years ago, a life changing event happened in my life. I witnessed my dad twitch and then fall off of the stool by the counter top in their kitchen. My husband (fiance at the time) and I were watching TV when it happened. We looked at eachother confused and then both rushed over to help him off the floor. Something wasn’t right; he was speaking in gibberish and was confused. He was responding to our questions but they weren’t making sense. I didn’t have a clue about stroke symptoms. I called Josie, who lived in Northern California at the time. She immediately told me to call 911 as it sounded to her that he was having a stroke. You can guess what happened next. At the hospital, we found out he had Atrial Fibrillation, which contributed to the stroke.

What is It?

2.2 million Americans are afflicted with Atrial Fibrillation. The heart’s upper chambers (atria)quiver instead of producing a good heartbeat. As a result, blood pulls and clots. If the clot moves up into the blood stream into the brain, you can suffer from a stroke. This is exactly what happened to Dad. With age, the risk increases.

How is it Treated?

• The heart rate is slowed down by administering drugs such as: digoxin, beta blockers (atenolol, metoprolol, propranolol), amiodarone, disopyramide, calcium antagonists (verapamil, diltiazam), sotalol, flecainide, procainamide, quinidine, propafenone, etc.
• Electrical cardioversion restores normal heart rhythm with an electric shock, if medication doesn’t improve symptoms.
• Drugs  such as ibutilide are used to restore the heart’s normal rhythm. The are delivered through an IV.
• Radiofrequency ablation is another treatment used in case of medicine ineffectiveness.  Thin and flexible tubes are introduced through a blood vessel and directed to the heart muscle. Radiofrequency energy is then delivered to destroy tissue that triggers abnormal electrical signals or to block abnormal electrical pathways.
• Surgery is used to disrupt electrical pathways that generate AF.
• Pacemakers are used to restore normal heart rhythm.

Stroke Prevention

My dad isn’t being treated for Atrial Fibrillation, rather he is being treated for the prevention of a stroke. Blood-thinning drugs such as Warfarin have proven 68% effectiveness in the prevention of a stroke. Warfarin is administered to high-risk patients, whereas simple aspirin is used for low-risk patients.

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