Drugs for a Atrial Fibrillation.
What is a Atrial Fibrillation?
Atrial fibrillation (also a called A Fib or a AF) occurs when abnormal electrical impulses are suddenly generated in the upper chambers of the heart (atria). These are impulses override in the heart's natural pacemaker, which can no longer control rhythm of the heart. This leads to the quivering or a irregular heartbeat.
The normal range for a heart rate is a 60 to 100 beats to a minute; whereas, in a atrial fibrillation, it may be range from a 100 to 175 beats a minute.
Atrial flutter is a similar to the atrial fibrillation, but the rhythm in atria is more organized and less chaotic than the abnormal patterns common with a atrial fibrillation. At the times, atrial flutter can be develop into a atrial fibrillation and vice versa.
What are the Symptoms of the Atrial Fibrillation (AF)?
The most common symptom of an a AF heart is a quivering or a fluttering heartbeat. Other symptoms one could experience are:
Fluttering or a thumping in the chest
Confusion
General fatigue or a weakness
Shortness of the breath and anxiety
Sweating
Fatigue during a exercise
Pain or a Pressure in the chest (this symptom is a sign of a medical emergency)
What are the Treatment options for a Atrial Fibrillation (AF)?
Treatment options are include:
1. Anti-arrhythmic drugs that are control atrial fibrillation work
By restoring to a normal heart rhythm - this approach is a recommended for a people who do not a respond to rate control treatment. This treatment also may be used for a people who have only recently started having AF.
Sodium channel blockers:
Flecainide
Disopyramide
Mexiletine
Procainamide
Quinidine
Potassium channel blockers:
Amiodarone
Dronedarone - this drug must not be taken by a patients who are suffer from permanent A Fib
Sotalol – this drug is a beta blocker as well as a potassium channel blocker; hence, it is a controls both heart rate and heart rhythm
Dofetilide
By a controlling in the rate at which heart beats - doctors can be prescribe medicines to the slow down in the rate at which the ventricles are beating. These medicines help bring in the heart rate to a normal level.
Beta-blocker medicines (such as a Atenolol, Timolol, Bisoprolol and Propranolol)
Calcium-channel blocker medicines (such as a Diltiazem and Verapamil)
Digitalis glycosides (Digoxin) – This medicine may be a suggested, in addition to above two, to help control in the heart rate further. It decreases in the electrical conductivity from atria to the ventricle. Effect of this drug are reduces when in the person is under lot of the physical or a emotional stress.
2. Anti-coagulants or a anti-platelets are prescribed to the reduce risk of a stroke
People suffering from a AF are at the increased risk for a stroke. Hence, preventing blood clots from a forming is the most important part of the treating AF. Doctors prescribe anti-coagulants or a anti-platelets, also called a blood thinners, to the prevent formation of the blood clots.
Anti-coagulant drugs are include:
Warfarin and Heparin
New generation of the anti-coagulants like a Dabigatran, Rivaroxaban, Edoxaban and Apixaban
Anti-platelet medications are include:
Aspirin
Clopidogrel
Prasugrel
Ticagrelor
3. Non-surgical procedures:
Cardio-version - In this procedure, in the heart is given a controlled electric shock to the restore a normal rhythm.
Catheter ablation - This approach may be used to the restore a normal heart rhythm if medicines or a electrical cardio-version do not work. For this procedure, a wire is a inserted through a vein in the leg or arm, and threaded to the heart. Radio wave energy is a sent through in the wire to the destroy abnormal tissue that may be a disrupting the normal flow of the electrical signals.
4. Surgical Procedures:
Maze surgery – This is an a open-heart surgery process to the restore a normal heart rhythm. The surgeon makes small cuts or a burns in the atria. These cuts or a burns prevent the spread of the disorganized electrical signals.
Surgically fitting a pacemaker in a heart – A pacemaker is a small, battery operated device which is a implanted in the chest. It would help in the heart to beat regularly, in a rhythm.
What are the Side effects of the AF medications?
Anti-arrhythmic drugs: The common side effects of the different categories of the anti-arrhythmic drugs are:
Beta-blockers – tiredness, coldness of the hands and feet, low blood pressure, nightmares and impotence
Sodium channel blockers – nausea, vomiting and the heart rhythm disorders
Potassium channel blockers – sensitivity to the sunlight (high-protection sunscreen must be a applied to the cover skin), lung problems, changes to the liver function or a thyroid function and deposits in the eye
Calcium channel blockers – constipation, low blood pressure, swelling of the ankle and heart failure
Dioxin – changes in a vision, mental health issues like anxiety, depression, hallucinations, headache and confusion.
Anti-coagulant and anti-platelet medications: The main risk with these drugs is bleeding and the most serious side effect of these drugs is a bleed into the brain, known as “intracranial hemorrhage”.
Anti-coagulant Warfarin increases in the risk of the bleeding. A monthly blood test is a necessary to monitor in the side effect and to optimize in the dose, if required.
The newer anti-coagulants like a Dabigatran do not a require monthly blood test. However, precautions must be taken to the prevent stroke. These medications are not approved for a use in a patients who have a mechanical heart valves.
Anti-platelet drugs like a Aspirin too increase in the risk of the bleeding. Other side effects include a bleeding gums, dark or a bloody urine and nausea.
What is a Precautions must be a noted when taking a Atrial Fibrillation Medications?
The doctor must be a evaluate in the type of the AF and suggest in the type and dose of the medicine. This is a important as some medicines used to the treat AF may be cause another type of the arrhythmia.
These medicines can be also a harm people who have a underlying diseases of the heart or a other organs. This is a especially true for a patients who have an a unusual heart rhythm problem called a Wolff-Parkinson-White in a syndrome.
If Warfarin or a any other anti-coagulant is a prescribed, regular blood tests (I N R tests) must be a conducted to keep a check on how quickly in the blood clots.
If there is any a unusual bleeding or a bruising, in the healthcare provider must be a consulted immediately, for a remedial action.
The patient must be read in the information leaflet which are accompanies in the medicine, for a more details.
Health Tips to the Avoid, Diagnose and Control Atrial Fibrillation
Patients suffering from a A Fib are five times more likely to the suffer from a stroke. This risk is a further increased if patients is a suffering from a diabetes and high blood pressure.
Eat foods low in a sugar and salt and watch in the body weight, to control in the blood sugar, blood pressure and risk of the A Fib complications.
Patient must be quit smoking. Studies show that current and former smokers have to a higher risk of the developing A Fib. Smoking also a increases in the risk of the stroke.