Advanced Care and Treatment for an Irregular Heartbeat
Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is the most common irregular heartbeat, and causes episodes of a rapid heart rate. If you have AFib, you’re at a greater risk for stroke, so it’s important to seek treatment right away. Our AFib team provides comprehensive treatment, including medications, minimally invasive procedures and surgery. You’ll be able to see our providers weeks faster than those at other centers. And we offer priority appointments as needed.
Our AFib Treatment Options
Your doctor may recommend medications to control your heart rate or rhythm and reduce your risk of having a stroke. These medications include blood thinners, which keep blood from clotting and causing a stroke.
We also offer cardiac ablation, a minimally invasive procedure where your doctor gets rid of tissue in your heart that’s sending the wrong electrical signals. Cardiac ablation redirects the signals in your heart, so you have a normal heartbeat again. We offer both traditional ablation techniques and pulsed-field ablation (PFA). PFA can allow for faster ablation procedures and a low risk of injury to nearby areas of the heart as compared to traditional ablation. You and your doctor will decide which is right for you.
In addition, our team offers the WATCHMAN procedure, also known as left atrial appendage closure (LAAC). This is a minimally invasive procedure that implants a small parachute-shaped device into the heart to reduce the risk of stroke from AFib. Learn more about the WATCHMAN procedure.
What Causes AFib?
An estimated 2.5 million people experience atrial fibrillation every year. You can have atrial fibrillation even if you’re otherwise healthy, but sometimes it’s associated with the following:
- Chronic lung disease
- Congenital (present from birth) heart disease
- Coronary artery disease
- Heart failure or cardiomyopathy (a group of diseases that cause weakened, enlarged or stiffened heart muscle)
- Heart surgery
- Heart valve disease
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Pulmonary embolus (also called a pulmonary embolism, a blockage of an artery in the lungs most commonly caused by a blood clot)
- Thyroid disorders
AFib Symptoms
Not everyone with AFib experiences the same symptoms, or you may not experience symptoms at all. The most common symptoms include:
- Chest discomfort
- Confusion
- Dizziness (feeling lightheaded or faint)
- Fatigue
- Heart palpitations (feeling racing, uncomfortable, irregular heartbeat or a flopping in your chest)
- Shortness of breath
Bob's Story
When Bob told a friend about the poor results of his recent cardiac stress test, his friend immediately called St. Luke’s cardiologists. Hear how we were able to see Bob the next day and diagnose and treat his atrial fibrillation.