Marvin Logel, 57, has always been an energetic guy. But, in early spring 2007, he noticed his regular exercise routine had become much more draining, and he was feeling unusually tired at the end of each day.

Logel, who tried to do everything right, was concerned. He exercised nearly every day, ate healthy and didn’t smoke. Unlike many men, he even saw his doctor for annual physicals. “Thankfully, I had one scheduled for that April. And that’s when my doctor diagnosed me with atrial fibrillation, just by checking my pulse,” Logel says.

Atrial fibrillation is a type of irregular heartbeat that occurs when the heart’s two upper chambers (the atria) quiver instead of contracting properly. “When the heart doesn’t pump as it should, the body has a more difficult time meeting the physical demands put upon it,” explains Jeffrey Shultz, MD, a cardiac electrophysiologist at Park Nicollet Heart and Vascular Center who treated Logel.

Signs and symptoms
Like Logel, many people with atrial fibrillation become more fatigued than usual, especially during exercise. Some notice dizziness, lightheadedness and shortness of breath. Others feel heart palpitations, chest pain or pressure. “But I also have had patients who didn’t experience any symptoms,” Dr. Shultz adds.

Atrial fibrillation, by itself, is not life threatening. But when blood remains in the upper chambers, it has a tendency to pool and clot. If the clot leaves the heart, it can get lodged in an artery of the brain and cause a stroke. This condition also can lead to heart failure, which can occur when the heart rate is excessive in response to the atrial fibrillation.

What causes atrial fibrillation?
Although it can occur at any age, atrial fibrillation becomes more prevalent as people get older. It also can occur in the setting of accompanying heart disease, such as a previous heart attack, faulty valve or high blood pressure. And sometimes it occurs in people who otherwise have a normal heart. “Contrary to common belief, drinking caffeine usually does not trigger the condition, although drinking alcohol sometimes can,” Dr. Shultz says.

Depending on the severity of their condition, some people don’t require treatment, while others may need to try various medications and multiple procedures before the condition is treated successfully. “In the vast majority of cases, we are able control the condition so people can live relatively normal lives,” Dr. Shultz says. (To learn more about treating atrial fibrillation, read “Calming the storm of atrial fibrillation.”)

Perseverance pays off
Like many people who are treated for atrial fibrillation, Logel took a blood thinner to help prevent blood clots from forming. Next, Dr. Shultz performed a cardioversion, a common procedure that uses a low-energy shock to restore normal heart rhythm, but it only produced short-lived successes with atrial fibrillation returning again a short time later. They became more hopeful after trying medications. “Even though they both worked for only a short while, at least we knew my atrial fibrillation could be reversed,” Logel says.

In August 2007, Dr. Shultz took a more aggressive approach and performed an ablation, which uses a catheter to deliver electrical energy to a small area inside the heart and “disconnect” the circuit causing the abnormal rhythm. It stopped the atrial fibrillation, but different rhythms that are sometimes seen after atrial fibrillation ablations began to occur. Logel underwent three additional procedures within a year to eliminate these related arrhythmias before achieving lasting success.

In January, Logel went in for a six-month follow-up visit and received a clean bill of health. “I’m finally cured. I’m glad my doctor and I remained optimistic and persistent,” Logel says. “I had a great deal of confidence in Dr. Shultz, and he told me up front that persistence sometimes is required.”

To learn more about atrial fibrillation and other heart conditions, go to parknicollet.com/heart. To schedule an appointment with a Park Nicollet cardiologist, call 952-993-3246 .