Atrial Fibrillation: When The Heart Skips A Beat (NAPSA)—Every hearthas a built-in pacemakerthat ensuresit beats regularly. Whenthat natural pacemaker doesn’t do =, its job, however, a person may experi- ence an irregular heart rhythm, the most common and undertreated of which is atrial fibrillation (AF). This irregular heartbeat isn’t always noticeable at first but can cause chaosovertime. Understanding AF AEwhichaffects more than 33.5 mil- lion people worldwide, occurs when the upper chambersofthe heart beat significantly faster than a normalheartbeat or quiver irregularly. Some people with AF have no symptoms, while others have chest discomfort or pain and experience fainting or light-headedness, as well as fatigue, shortness of breath or weakness. “When I was young, my heart did funny things. It fluttered, it skipped a beat, but mostly it resolved by itself? said Sue Halpern, a lifelong AF patient. “Whenit didn’t resolve byitself, I some- how learned how to makeit stop. I began to notice in my 20s and early 30s that it was getting harder to makeit stop, but I still didn’t know anything was wrong with me.” Because the heart ist pumping normally, blood can pool in the heart and clot; these clots can also make their way through the bloodstream. If left untreated, people with AF have a much higher risk of stroke and an increased risk of heartfailure. AFis typically caused by damage to the heart from disease, an abnormality from birth, surgery or a heart attack. However, adopting healthy behaviors such as monitoring cholesterol and blood pressure, avoiding smoking and excessive caffeine, and not abusing alco- hol can help preventdisease. How ToTell If You Have AF As with so many diseases, early detection of AF is important. Physicians mayobtain an electrocardiogram (ECG) or stress test, or recommendshort-term monitoring with a cardiac event recorder or Holter monitor. Unlike these short- Atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat, can cause chaos over time— but there are ways to treat it—just as Sue Halpern did. of an AAAbattery, yet it can accurately detect AE What To DoIf You Have AF Once diagnosed, living with AF doesn't have to be a burden. While treatment options vary, many people respond well to medications. For those whose natural pacemaker needs an extra boost to keep the beat, treatment may include an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) or a pacemaker that can respondto and reduce the duration of AF episodes. An ICD can also detect a dangerous and potentially life-threatening heart rhythm and senda lifesaving therapy to correctit. Another treatment for paroxys- mal (fleeting) atrial fibrillation (PAF) is cryoablation, a minimally invasive procedure that isolates the pulmonary veins, which are a source oferratic elec- trical signals that cause PAF. The device used in the procedure uses cold energy to interrupt these irregular electrical pathways in the heart. In Halpern’s case, cryoablation greatly reduced her PAF episodes and has given her a new outlookonlife. “For someone who was having episodes every seven to 10 days for eight to 12 hours at a time, I wouldn't have dreamed of having a life free of AE” Halpern said. “My advice is, if you feel something offwith yourheart, do something aboutit” Learn More and records abnormalheart rhythms for up to three years, while remaining barely detectable under the patient’s skin. For Those whoare living with or who suspect they may have AF can get further facts about therapies that may help get their heart back in sync and find a physician by visiting www.medtronic. ICM is approximately one-third the size fibrillation-afib.html. term methods, a small insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) automatically detects example, the Medtronic Reveal LINQ com/us-en/patients/conditions/atrial-
