Atrial Fibrillation

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Causes

Signs/Symptoms

Care

Hospital Care

Risks

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO

• Ask your doctor how to count your pulse, and make sure it is strong and regular.
• If you take aspirin regularly, continue to take it. Aspirin helps thin the blood so blood clots won't form. Do not take acetaminophen or ibuprofen instead.
• A diet low in fat, salt, and cholesterol is very important. It keeps your heart healthy and strong. Ask your doctor for guidelines on what to eat. It may take time getting used to a new diet. Special cookbooks may help you and the cook in your family find new recipes.
• Quit smoking. It harms the heart and lungs. If you are having trouble stopping, ask your doctor for help.
• Exercise daily. It helps make the heart stronger, lowers blood pressure, and keeps you healthy. If your exercise plan seems too hard or too easy, talk to your doctor.
• Do not have sex if you are tired, or if you have just eaten a big meal. Avoid sex if you have been drinking, if you are angry with your mate, or if the room temperature is too cold or too hot. If you get chest pain during sex, stop.
• Weighing too much can make the heart work harder. If you need to lose weight, ask your doctor for a weight-reduction plan.
• Since it is hard to avoid stress, learn to control it. Learn new ways to relax (deep breathing, relaxing muscles, meditation, or biofeedback). Don't hesitate to talk to someone about things that upset you.
• If you have other illnesses like diabetes or high blood pressure, you need to control them. Take medicines as directed. Because of these illnesses, you have a higher chance of getting a heart attack.
• For more information about the heart, call the American Heart Association at 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) or call your local Red Cross.

Call Your Doctor If...

• You have chest pain during exercise that doesn't go away with rest.
• You are dizzy or nauseated after taking your medicine, or you have other problems that you think may be caused by your medicine.
• You have trouble breathing while resting, you have swelling in your feet or ankles, or you are more tired than usual.
• You are bleeding from your gums or nose, or have blood in your urine or stools. This may be due to your medications.

Seek Care Immediately If...

• Your heart rate increases or becomes irregular and you faint or feel like fainting.
• Your pulse is much higher or lower than usual.
• You feel dizzy, have numbness or weakness of your face or limbs, or have trouble seeing or speaking.
• You have chest pain that spreads to your arms, jaw, or back, accompanied by sweating, nausea, and difficulty breathing. These are signs of a heart attack. THIS IS AN EMERGENCY. Call 911 or 0 (operator) to get to the nearest hospital or clinic. Do not drive yourself!

IF YOU'RE HEADING FOR THE HOSPITAL...

What to Expect While You're There

• Taking Vital Signs: These include your temperature, blood pressure, pulse (counting your heartbeats), and respirations (counting your breaths). A stethoscope is used to listen to your heart and lungs. Your blood pressure is taken by wrapping a cuff around your arm.
• Oxygen: Your body may need extra oxygen at this time. It is given either by a mask or nasal prongs. Tell your doctor if the oxygen is drying out your nose or if the nasal prongs bother you.
• Pulse Oximeter: While you are getting oxygen, you may be hooked up to a pulse oximeter (ox-IM-uh-ter). It is placed on your ear, finger, or toe and is connected to a machine that measures the oxygen in your blood.
• Blood: Usually taken from a vein in your hand or from the bend in your elbow. Tests will be done on the blood.
• IV: A tube placed in your vein for giving medicine or liquids. It will be capped or have tubing connected to it.
• ECG: Also called a heart monitor, an electrocardiograph (e-lec-tro-CAR-dee-o-graf), or EKG. Patches placed on your chest are hooked up to a TV-type screen or a small portable box (telemetry unit). This screen shows a tracing of each heartbeat. Your heart will be watched carefully until your heartbeat returns to normal.
• 12 Lead ECG: This test makes tracings from different parts of your heart. It can help your doctor gage the seriousness of the problem.
• Chest X-ray: This picture of your lungs and heart shows how they are handling the illness.
• Medicines:
  • Heart Medicine: Drugs to slow your heart rate will be given in your IV. If you get dizzy, feel pain, or have other side effects after getting this medicine, call your doctor right away.
  • Heparin: This drug keeps the blood thin so no clots can form. It is given in your IV. Later, the doctor my prescribe other blood thinners that may be taken by mouth.
• Cardioversion (car-dee-o-VER-shun): This procedure uses an electric shock to the heart to return it to a normal rate. It may be needed if medicine fails to slow your heart rate. Before cardioversion, you will be given medicine to make you sleepy. Then the shock is administered. If it works, your heart rate and rhythm will return to normal. However, you may still need medicine to keep your heart rate under control.