SPOTLIGHT
ADVANCES IN TREATING
ATRIAL FIBRILLATION
Using the latest technologies, Valley Health’s experts
offer holistic care for this common cardiac condition
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is a common heart rhythm disorder that affects
20 million to 25 million Americans—but did you know that it’s a major
brain threat?
AFib increases odds for an ischemic stroke, the type caused by a blood
clot, by 500 percent, according to Daniel Alexander, DO, a cardiologist and
electrophysiologist with Winchester Cardiology and Vascular Medicine |
Valley Health. “Ninety percent of clots that lead to a stroke in AFib form in
a small pocket near the top of the heart called the left atrial appendage,”
Dr. Alexander explains. “If you’re at risk for a stroke due to AFib, preventing
clots from forming and leaving the heart is a top priority.”
At Valley Health, experts who specialize in heart rhythm disorders offer
a holistic, individually tailored approach to AFib care. Here’s what to know
about this condition and how it’s treated and managed at Valley Health.
INSIDE A QUIVERING HEART
In AFib, electrical signals that control heartbeats become fast and chaotic.
The two upper chambers of the heart quiver instead of squeezing in a regular,
coordinated way to pump blood into the lower chambers of the heart.
As a result, blood can pool and clot—especially in the left atrial appendage,
or LAA, which is a tiny, thumb-shaped pouch in the upper heart. If a clot
from the LAA travels to the brain, it can block a blood vessel and cause a
stroke.
“Risks for AFib include increasing age, hypertension, diabetes, coronary
artery disease, peripheral artery disease, heart failure, and obstructive sleep
apnea,” Dr. Alexander says. “Researchers are also finding that alcohol use
is another factor. Having more than two drinks per day can increase AFib
risk by 7 percent per year.” These factors can damage the heart or cause
abnormalities.
Symptoms of AFib include a racing heart rate or irregular pulse, says
Valley Health cardiologist Jeffrey Skiles, MD, also of Winchester Cardiology
and Vascular Medicine, whose specialties include noninvasive cardiac
imaging. “Others may feel breathlessness, chest discomfort, or even energy
loss and fatigue. But some patients with atrial fibrillation
have no symptoms at all.”
A STEADIER BEAT AND LOWER STROKE RISK
Your primary care doctor or cardiologist may refer you
to a heart rhythm specialist due to symptoms, findings
when your doctor checks your heart or because of a test
that uncovers signs of AFib.
At Valley Health, “the first thing we do is evaluate risk
for stroke with AFib,” says Zachary Hollis, MD, a cardiologist
and electrophysiologist with Winchester Cardiology
and Vascular Medicine. “Then we evaluate how to best
improve quality of life by reducing the symptoms and
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