AFib: Helping You Find the Right Beat

Inova’s Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Experts Offer a Variety of Treatment Options

For individuals in Northern Virginia struggling with with atrial fibrillation (AFib), a rapid, irregular heart rhythm that can lead to stroke and heart failure, Inova Heart and Vascular Institute (IHVI) at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus offers a world-class program featuring the latest minimally invasive procedures available. Internationally renowned experts in cardiac electrophysiology, cardiology and cardiac surgery work in close concert to help each patient control symptoms and achieve a healthy heart rhythm.

Controlling the Chaos

The first line of treatment for episodic AFib is usually medication. Patients whose hearts do not go back into normal sinus rhythm may require an “electrical cardioversion,” a small shock that resets the heart rhythm. For patients who continue to experience irregular heartbeats, IHVI offers cardiac ablation, a minimally invasive procedure that controls erratic signals, stopping the AFib.

“For people who have persisting symptoms despite medication, or don’t want to take medication and have no significant underlying structural heart disease, then ablation is a good option,” says cardiologist Marc Wish, MD.

One of the program’s signature procedures for patients with episodic AFib is “balloon cryoablation,” which delivers cold energy through a balloon at the tip of a catheter. The coolant freezes the tissue where the unsteady electrical impulses are generated, restoring a regular rhythm.

For patients who have continuous, long-standing AFib, the team offers the phased radiofrequency (RF) system, which delivers customized radiofrequency energy through multiple electrode catheters rather than single-point catheters. The procedure can eliminate AFib symptoms without the need for open-heart surgery.

“With this new radiofrequency system, patients can avoid being on a heart-lung machine during surgery and can go home the next day rather than be in the hospital for four or five days,” says Ted Friehling, MD.

Fixing Faulty Signals

With every heartbeat, the heart’s  electrical system fires impulses that cause the muscles to contract and pump blood. When AFib occurs, the top chambers of the heart, or atria, produce rapid, irregular impulses, causing the heart muscle to quiver instead of pumping efficiently. While usually not life-threatening, AFib can cause blood to pool in the atria, potentially forming clots that can travel to the brain.

Treatment goals include slowing the heartbeat to a normal pace, regaining a normal heart rhythm, eliminating symptoms and lowering the risk of stroke. AFib symptoms include palpitations, weakness, dizziness, shortness of breath or chest pain. If you experience these, ask your doctor to refer you to a cardiac rhythm specialist, or electrophysiologist, to discuss options.

AFib Treatment Options

Inova’s treatment options for Atrial Fibrillation include:

• Medication – Two types of medication are typically the first-line treatment for AFib: anti-arrhythmic medications to slow down rapid heart rates, and anticoagulant medications to help prevent blood clots.
• Cardioversion
• Radiofrequency Ablation
• CryoAblation
• Maze procedure surgery
• The Watchman device

Read more: www.inova.org/afib

To schedule an appointment at Inova Heart and Vascular Institute, call 1.855.694.6682.