Tests for Atrial Fibrillation
Cardiac Assessment
Cardiac Enzymes
Chest X-Ray
Echocardiogram
EKG
Event Monitor
Holter Monitor
Transesophageal Echo (TEE)
Thyroid Profile.
Treatment for Atrial Fibrillation
Treatment is aimed at “converting” the rhythm of the heart to a normal (regular and slower) rate. This may be accomplished with IV medications, or by electrical cardioversion in more emergency situations.
Medication Management
Chronic atrial fibrillation, when it is asymptomatic, can be controlled with medications (digoxin) that slow down the heart rate.
Patients with atrial fibrillation should not use medications (decongestants and cold medications) that accelerate the heart rate. They should also not smoke and avoid caffeine.
Cardioversion
In patients with persistent arrhythmias (such as atrial fibrillation), a normal rhythm may not be achieved with drug therapy alone. Your physician may recommend a cardioversion. A cardioversion is a process by which the heart is shocked to convert it from an irregular rhythm back into a normal sinus rhythm.
Cardiac Ablation
Sometimes the rhythm can be treated with an ablation of the heart. Ablation involves inserting catheters - narrow, flexible wires - into a blood vessel, often through a site in the groin or neck, and winding the wire up into the heart. Once the catheter reaches the heart, electrodes at the tip of the catheter gather data and a variety of electrical measurements are made.
The data pinpoints the location of the faulty electrical site.Once the damaged site is confirmed, energy is used to destroy a small amount of tissue, ending the disturbance of electrical flow through the heart and restoring a healthy heart rhythm.
This procedure is performed by an Electrophysiologist. It is a widely used procedure, proven to be safe, effective, and long lasting, although some arrhythmias are more easily treated with catheter ablation than others.
Surgical Treatment
Patients with chronic Atrial Fibrillation not relieved by medication or procedures, or patients who have other conditions requiring heart surgery,are candidates for surgical treatment.
Maze Surgical Ablation
Maze Surgical Ablation is an open-heart surgery that uses an energy source to scar tissue on or near the pulmonary vein. The alternative energy sources used during the procedure include: radiofrequency, cryotherapy, microwave and laser. The goal of all four energy sources is to produce lesions and ultimately scar tissue to block the abnormal electrical impulses from being conducted through the heart and promote the normal conduction of impulses through the proper pathway.It is generally done in patients needing a valve replacement or coronary artery bypass (CABG) surgery, but may also be done on "lone atrial fibrillation."
Mini-Maze Surgical Ablation
The Mini-Maze Surgical Ablation is a new minimally-invasive variation of Maze surgical ablation. Since it doesn't require opening the chest, it is typically done on patients with "lone afib", often after a failed catheter ablation. It is much easier on the body and involves much less recovery time than open-chest surgeries, and success rates appear similar.