AFib Awareness Month: What To Know About the Heart Condition

September is Atrial Fibrillation aka A-fib Awareness Month.

Caitlin Massey is a nurse practitioner with Ascension Medical Group and she joined News On 6 at Noon to talk about this serious condition.

Reagan: Well, first of all, for those who don't know, talk a little bit about what AFib is. Sure,

Massey: Sure. Atrial fibrillation or afib, is a rhythm of rapid, disorganized electrical activity. It comes from the top chambers of the heart, and it causes the top chambers to quiver instead of contracting normally. Unfortunately, that quivering makes blood stagnate in the chambers and can form blood clots, and those blood clots can then float to the brain and cause a stroke. So typically, when we have someone that's been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, we recommend that they be protected from stroke in some way.

Reagan: So, very serious. What are some of the signs and symptoms, as people are watching here right now that they may have afib?

Massey: Very good question, because every patient can present differently. But the main symptoms that we have our patients complain about are dizziness. Fatigue is a big one. Sometimes you can feel your heart racing. Sometimes you can't. And then the biggest one is shortness of breath, and I have patients describe it to me as I used to be able to walk to the mailbox without stopping, and now I have to stop twice to catch my breath.

Reagan: So there any benefits to tracking your heart rate look on a watch like this, or something like that?

Massey: I think they're great. We use them in the office, and in the clinic at St John Heart and Vascular pretty frequently. We have a lot of patients that monitor their heart rhythm, or sometimes they'll use an EKG. There's another device called a cardio mobile device that will take an EKG, and we have lots of our patients that will monitor their rhythms that way too.

Reagan: So, someone's maybe experiencing some of these signs or symptoms, maybe walking the mailbox, like you said, what point does someone need to get checked out?

Massey: So I would say first, to start with your primary care provider. You know, they have the ability to do an EKG in the office. But if this is something that you're worried about, I would talk to your doctor first and just say, Hey, I'm having these signs and symptoms. I'm not sure what this is. Could it maybe be my heart? Will you please look into this

Reagan: When someone hears the word stroke, I mean, it's very serious. What are some of the treatment options available for someone who does have AFIB?

Massey: Yeah. So at St John Hart and vascular center, we talk with our patients about quite a wide range of treatment options, and those can either consist of medications or procedural-based. Our main procedure is called an ablation procedure, and that's where we go in through the groins with catheters into the heart, and we either burn or freeze the area that causes this abnormal rhythm. And in doing so, we're trying to drastically limit the amount of AFib that someone's having.