Just about everything powered by electricity can have an occasional power outage or surge. Your heart, which generates its own electricity, is no exception.

“For most people, the heart’s electrical impulses travel in an orderly manner, keeping a regular rhythm. But with atrial fibrillation, the impulses in the heart’s upper chambers become disordered and misfire, causing an electrical storm,” explains Hongsheng Guo, MD, a cardiac electrophysiologist at Park Nicollet Heart and Vascular Center. “This results in an irregular heartbeat and reduced pumping ability.”

Although atrial fibrillation can occur at any age, it is more common in older adults. Today, with more people living longer, cardiologists are treating this condition more frequently.

Symptoms of atrial fibrillation may include heart palpitations, dizziness, weakness, fatigue and shortness of breath. It’s important to inform your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms. Although patients often feel significantly better after they regain a normal regular rhythm, many do not notice dramatic change when their heart goes into atrial fibrillation. When diagnosing this condition, doctors usually perform tests to monitor the heart’s electrical activity.

Treatment is vital
Although atrial fibrillation is not life-threatening, it can lead to serious complications – most notably heart failure and stroke. “Because of these risks, it’s very important for people seek treatment, even if their symptoms aren’t bothersome or severe,” Dr. Guo says.

Many options exist to treat atrial fibrillation, depending on the patient’s symptoms, underlying heart conditions and risk of stroke.

Medications may be prescribed to help the heart return to its normal rhythm or prevent the heart from beating too fast. Anticoagulants also are prescribed to prevent blood clots from forming, and reduce the risk of stroke.

Cardioversion is a common treatment that uses defibrillator paddles to deliver an electric current to the heart. This often effectively stops atrial fibrillation by allowing the heart to restart on its own.

Catheter ablation is performed by inserting a catheter (a long, thin tube) into the heart from a blood vessel in the groin. Special electrodes at the tip of the catheter deliver a high-frequency energy that blocks the heart’s abnormal electrical activities.

Maze surgery is a complex, open-heart procedure in which a surgeon makes a “maze” of multiple incisions, then stitches them together to produce scars. Because the scars are unable to carry electrical signals, they interrupt the abnormal impulses of atrial fibrillation.

New technology improves treatment
Park Nicollet is the first in the Twin Cities to treat atrial fibrillation using the advanced CartoSound Precision Guidance System. “This technology provides us with more precise 3-D mapping, which allows us to monitor ablation procedures more accurately and more carefully,” Dr. Guo explains.

“It is important for those who have atrial fibrillation to be treated. And even if they do not notice symptoms, treatment is recommended to prevent serious complications,” Dr. Guo says.

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 .