After electrical cardioversion, the doctor may prescribe anti-arrhythmic medications to help prevent future episodes of atrial fibrillation. Medications may include: dofetilde (Tikosyn), flecainide, propafenone (Rythmol), amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone), and sotalol (Betapace, Sorine). Although these drugs may help maintain a normal heart rhythm, they can cause side effects, including: nausea, dizziness, and fatigue. Rarely, they may cause ventricular arrhythmias – life-threatening rhythm disturbances originating in the heart’s lower chamber. These medications may be needed indefinitely. Even with medications, there is a chance of another episode of atrial fibrillation.
The patient may be prescribed medications to control the heart rate and …show more content…
Calcium channel blockers can also cause side effects, and may need to be avoided if you have heart failure or low blood pressure.
Sometimes medications or cardioversion to control atrial fibrillation does not work. In those cases, the doctor may recommend a procedure to destroy the area of heart tissue that’s causing the erratic electrical signals and restore the heart to a normal rhythm. These options can include:
• Catheter ablation. In many people who have atrial fibrillation and an otherwise normal heart, atrial fibrillation is caused by rapidly discharging triggers, or “hot spots”. These hot spots are like abnormal pacemaker cells that fire so rapidly that the upper chambers of the heart quiver instead of beating efficiently. In catheter ablation, a doctor inserts long, thin tubes (catheters) into your groin and guides them through blood vessels to the heart. Electrodes at the catheter tips can use radiofrequency energy, extreme cold (cryotherapy) or heat to destroy these hot spots, scarring the tissue so that the erratic signals are normalized. This corrects the arrhythmia without the need for medications or implantable …show more content…
The maze procedure is conducted during an open-heart surgery. Using a scalpel, doctors create several precise incision in the upper chambers of the heart to create a pattern of scar tissue. Because scar tissue does not carry electricity, it interferes with stray electrical impulses that cause atrial fibrillation. Radiofrequency or cryotherapy also can be used to create the scars, and there are several variations of the surgical maze technique. These procedures have a high success rate, but atrial fibrillation may recur. Some people may need catheter ablation or other treatment if atrial fibrillation recurs. Because the surgical maze procedure requires open-heart surgery, it’s generally reserved for people who don’t respond to other treatments or when it can be done during other necessary heart surgery, such as coronary artery bypass surgery or heart valve
The patient may be prescribed medications to control the heart rate and …show more content…
Calcium channel blockers can also cause side effects, and may need to be avoided if you have heart failure or low blood pressure.
Sometimes medications or cardioversion to control atrial fibrillation does not work. In those cases, the doctor may recommend a procedure to destroy the area of heart tissue that’s causing the erratic electrical signals and restore the heart to a normal rhythm. These options can include:
• Catheter ablation. In many people who have atrial fibrillation and an otherwise normal heart, atrial fibrillation is caused by rapidly discharging triggers, or “hot spots”. These hot spots are like abnormal pacemaker cells that fire so rapidly that the upper chambers of the heart quiver instead of beating efficiently. In catheter ablation, a doctor inserts long, thin tubes (catheters) into your groin and guides them through blood vessels to the heart. Electrodes at the catheter tips can use radiofrequency energy, extreme cold (cryotherapy) or heat to destroy these hot spots, scarring the tissue so that the erratic signals are normalized. This corrects the arrhythmia without the need for medications or implantable …show more content…
The maze procedure is conducted during an open-heart surgery. Using a scalpel, doctors create several precise incision in the upper chambers of the heart to create a pattern of scar tissue. Because scar tissue does not carry electricity, it interferes with stray electrical impulses that cause atrial fibrillation. Radiofrequency or cryotherapy also can be used to create the scars, and there are several variations of the surgical maze technique. These procedures have a high success rate, but atrial fibrillation may recur. Some people may need catheter ablation or other treatment if atrial fibrillation recurs. Because the surgical maze procedure requires open-heart surgery, it’s generally reserved for people who don’t respond to other treatments or when it can be done during other necessary heart surgery, such as coronary artery bypass surgery or heart valve