Atrial fibrillation is an irregular, often rapid rhythm that originates in the upper chambers of the heart. Many patients describe it as a flutter, a skipped beat, or a feeling that their heart is 'flopping around.' Some feel nothing at all.
The rhythm itself is rarely immediately dangerous. What is dangerous is that blood pools in the fibrillating atrium and can form clots. If one of those clots travels to the brain, the result is a stroke — and AFib-related strokes are typically larger and more disabling than other kinds.
This is why we calculate a CHA₂DS₂-VASc score on every AFib patient. It predicts stroke risk and tells us whether anticoagulation is worth it. For most patients over 65, or anyone with diabetes, high blood pressure, or prior stroke, it clearly is.
The other half of treatment is rhythm and rate control — either with medications like beta-blockers and antiarrhythmics, or with a catheter ablation procedure that has become dramatically more effective over the last decade.
Written by
Dr. Ahmed Raza
Chief of Cardiology, ShifaCare Cardiology Hospital
