Atrial fibrillation is the physical state during which a heart rate of a patient is irregular, and in some instances, beating too fast. For example, it can be raised considerably high such as up to 100 beats per minute. Some symptoms include dizziness, shortness of breath, and exhaustion or tiredness. Heart palpitations may be noticed; this consists of the feeling of pounding, fluttering, or beating in any way that is not considered to be the patient’s normal heart rate.
Such episodes can last between a few seconds to a certain amount of minutes. Nevertheless, certain cases of atrial fibrillation do not present any symptoms, and the patient does not become aware of their irregular heartbeat. It is suggested to seek medical help in the case of chest pain, a sudden change in a heartbeat, and a consistently low rate of below 60 or a constant high rate of over 100 beats per minute.
Atrial fibrillation is often the result of a sequence of events. When the heart is beating normally, its muscle tissue walls tighten and contract the blood until they relax for the chambers to refill with blood (NHS, 2018). However, in a patient with atrial fibrillation, the heart’s upper chamber, called the atria, contracts at random intervals and at irregular speeds. Because of these discrepancies, the heart is unable to relax and decreases its production of it. The random contractions of the atria chamber are caused by electrical impulses. These pulsations disrupt the natural pace of the heart to the point where the chambers cannot control the beating. Commonly, this affects people over the age of 65 disproportionately. Additionally, atrial fibrillations can also be triggered by certain circumstances or actions such as imbibing too many alcoholic beverages or smoking.
Treatment varies with patients and the type of atrial fibrillation that occurs. Though it is usually not life-threatening, it can cause serious discomfort and requires treatment in most cases. Common treatment involves different medicine that prevents heart strokes, medicine to control the rhythm of the heart, cardioversion, or catheter ablation. The primary focus of medicine, such as beta-blockers, works to control martial fibrillations once they occur. The aim is to lower the patient’s heart rate to below 90 beats per minute or 110 in some cases. Some beta-blockers used for control over atrial fibrillations include bisoprolol and atenolol, or calcium channel blockers, such as diltiazem or verapamil (American Heart Association, n.d.).
Additionally, digoxin can be prescribed if the beta-blockers need assistance in calming the heart rate. It is usual for one of the prescriptions above to be given out before attempting to use a catheter ablation. Furthermore, the beta-blockers could cause some side effects such as tiredness, lowered blood pressure, nightmares, impotence, and cold hands and feet. Flecainide can cause nausea, vomiting, and heartbeat disorders. Verapamil may be responsible for lowered blood pressure, swelling in the ankle, heart failure, and constipation.
Beta-blockers may also affect allergy symptoms and cause them to be more prevalent. This includes changes to nasal congestion, allergic bronchitis, and asthma. A patient’s allergic reactions may also become more severe due to beta-blockers, including reactions to insect stings or allergy treatments. If experiencing an allergic reaction while on beta-blockers, the patient may find it difficult to get any effectiveness from their allergy medication.
References
NHS. (2018). Atrial fibrillation. Web.
American Heart Association. (n.d.). Atrial fibrillation. Web.