• Stroke is the leading cause in the United States of serious long-term disability and the third leading cause of death.
Atrial fibrillation is a condition that affects 2.2 million Americans, often without much warning or an identifiable cause. When the heart’s wiring misfires and sends the heart beating erratically and too fast it’s a scary feeling but it also increases the risk of blood clots that cause stroke. Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability and third leading cause of death in the United State.
Atrial fibrillation is common after heart surgery and can be triggered by other stresses on the body such as dehydration or injury. And the condition tends to be more prevalent as people age, with 10% of those over 80 experiencing erratic heartbeats.
Most people can control atrial fibrillation with medication and others get years of relief from a cardio-version, a low-level electric shock delivered to the heart. The usual out-patient procedure is complicated when patients have atrial fibrillation symptoms for longer than 48 hours. At that point patients must often take anticoagulant medication for 3 weeks or more before a cardio-version. Physicians also may have to insert a small scope into the body to look for the presence of clots around the heart before administering cardio-version.
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