Atrial Fibrillation Blog

Lately there have been questions, comments, and requests for atrial fibrillation information that already exists in the StopAfib.org news story archives.

So with September being Atrial Fibrillation Month, it seems appropriate to call attention to the important afib documents and stories in our News archives. You’ll generally find there stories that are more than 3 months old.

Go to StopAfib.org Archived News Stories…

You may want to peruse many of the stories there. I’d especially like to call your attention to two of the most important documents for anyone with afib — you will find them both at the bottom of the page as they were our first news stories:

1. 2006 Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation—ACC/AHA/ESC — Guidelines to assist healthcare providers in managing and treating atrial fibrillation patients
2. Expert Consensus Statement on Catheter and Surgical Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation—HRS/EHTA/ECAS — Guidelines from the Heart Rhythm Society Task Force on Catheter Ablation and Surgical Ablation (maze and mini maze surgery)

The first document is important for all afib patients, and the second is important for anyone considering catheter ablation, maze surgery, or mini maze surgery now or in the future. 

On another subject, thanks for your help in spreading the word in September that it is Atrial Fibrillation Month by sending friends and family to:

• Find out more about what they can do to Observe Atrial Fibrillation Month… 
• Sign up for our StopAfib.org e-mail newsletters featuring frequent updates on atrial fibrillation at Get StopAfib.org Update…

Tags: Resources, Treatment // Add Comment »

At StopAfib.org, we asked Dr. Lishan Aklog, Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery at The Heart and Lung Institute of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix, to address an atrial fibrillation patient question regarding the use of amiodarone for mini maze surgery. You will find his answer here:

FAQ:  Dr. Lishan Aklog Addresses Patient Question on  Whether to Use Amiodarone for Mini Maze Surgery

Tags: Resources, Treatment // 2 Comments »

I recently wrote Olympic Athlete Nicola Coles Fights Atrial Fibrillation about the New Zealand rower who experienced atrial fibrillation during her final training for Beijing.

You may have wondered if Nicola’s afib impacted her during the Olympics. You’ll find the answer in the updated story:

Nicola Coles and Other Olympic Athletes Fight Atrial Fibrillation
Just scan about halfway down the page to find the update.

Tags: Exercise, Risk, Stress, Women // Add Comment »

Dr. Natale has answered your atrial fibrillation questions and will take a few more or your questions.

Read the update…

Tags: General, Resources // 2 Comments »

I talk a lot in speeches, programs, and articles about the financial toll that atrial fibrillation takes on us and our families.

A new study from The Commonwealth Fund reinforces the burden of rising medical costs in the U.S. on individuals and families. Those of us that have suffered with atrial fibrillation will not find this information at all surprising.

Over at StopAfib.org, you will find an article about the study findings as well as what it means to those with atrial fibrillation and some ideas to help with the financial burden of atrial fibrillation.

Click here for the article…

Once you’ve read it, please come back and share your thoughts and comments here at the Atrial Fibrillation Blog.

Tags: General, Treatment // 8 Comments »

If you are considering a procedure of any kind, especially an atrial fibrillation procedure, you’ll want to read this about the importance of time outs in the operating room…

Speak Up for Your Safety Before Your Procedure

Tags: Cure, Treatment // Add Comment »

Atrial fibrillation patient resource, StopAfib.org, announces that September of 2008 has been designated as Atrial Fibrillation Month in order to raise awareness of atrial fibrillation, a life-threatening irregular heartbeat.

Atrial fibrillation, or afib, is a misfiring of the heart’s electrical signals and involves rapid or irregular heartbeats or quivering of the heart’s upper chambers.

Often considered benign, this cardiac arrhythmia can actually lead to congestive heart failure or stroke. One-third of atrial fibrillation patients will have a stroke, and afib is responsible for 105,000-140,000 strokes per year in the United States. Stroke, the #3 killer, takes at least one person every hour and is the #1 cause of permanent disability. For more about stroke risks from afib, see http://www.stopafib.org/stroke.cfm

Over five million Americans now suffer from atrial fibrillation, where the heart goes out of control with little warning and for no apparent reason. It’s a frightening occurrence that will impact millions more as atrial fibrillation overtakes aging baby boomers. The Mayo Clinic estimates that by 2050 at least 16 million Americans will have it.

To learn more, including what you and others can do, see September is Atrial Fibrillation Month Focusing on Life-Threatening Irregular Heartbeat

Please spread the word and help raise awareness.

Tags: General, Prevention, Risk // Add Comment »

Stress reduction through heart coherence, by Vreni Gurd, is great food for thought for anyone dealing with stress, especially for those with atrial fibrillation triggered by stress.

Some interesting comments from the article:

The brain and the heart are connected via the autonomic peripheral nervous system, which is not under conscious control and regulates organ function.

The sympathetic branch (fight or flight), raises heart rate, blood pressure etc. whereas the parasympathetic branch slows heart rate, lowers blood pressure etc. The goal for optimal health is to have the two branches balance each other.

So, learning how to control the heart can make a huge difference in our ability to come to peace with the emotional brain.

These ideas come from a book, The Instinct to Heal - Curing Depression, Anxiety, and Stress without Drugs and without Talk Therapy, by David Servan-Schreiber, M.D., PhD

Gurd concludes:

It is said that we are happiest when we follow our heart, so learning to hear what our heart is telling us can be very valuable indeed.

Amen. In my most popular speech and signature story, Hear Your Heart, I talk about how hearing your heart can actually save your life. It saved mine.

Do you have a story about hearing your heart?

Tags: Prevention, Stress // 1 Comment »

Whether or not you have atrial fibrillation, stress isn’t good for you.

We’ve all had e-mail disasters, and they are stressful. I had one earlier this year. A writer for MSNBC.com recently had her own e-mail disaster, but as I shared my experience, she realized that there is life after e-mail disaster.

She wrote up my experience at MSNBC.com in Hell Is Losing Your E-mail Address. Here’s the backstory behind it, including what saved us and my health.

Tags: Stress // Add Comment »

 I love the Olympics, and find myself staying up half the night watching them. Yes, I know it’s bad, but it’s only for a short while. I found myself transfixed the other night by the women’s gymnastics competition. They were so incredibly graceful, and yet so powerful, too.

Not being athletic myself, I find this level of athleticism amazing. But being athletic can be a problem, too, when it leads to atrial fibrillation.

The latest story on StopAfib.org is about Nicola Coles, an Olympic athlete competing in Beijing, who stopped by the Atrial Fibrillation Blog recently while struggling with her afib…here’s the story:

Nicola Coles and Other Olympic Athletes Fight Atrial Fibrillation

Tags: Exercise, Risk, Stress, Women // 1 Comment »