AFib Education
Specific AFib Treatment Options
Medications to Prevent Stroke
Rate Control
- Medical therapy
- Medications that slow down or control the rapid heart rate during AFib
- AV nodal ablation and pacemaker
An effective strategy typically used as a last resort in patients with multiple medical problems and intolerance to rate and/or rhythm control medications
Rhythm Control
- Cardioversion: medical (chemical) or electrical
A helpful way to immediately restore the heart's normal rhythm, but does not prevent recurrence - Maintenance of the normal sinus rhythm
Treatments to maintain normal rhythm and prevent recurrence:- Rhythm control or antiarrhythmic medications
- Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation
- Surgical ablation
Typically performed in conjunction with other necessary cardiac surgery, such as valve replacement or coronary artery bypass - Device implantation
In patients with coexisting heart conditions needing a pacer or defibrillator, atrial pacing may have a mild benefit in decreasing AFib. Additionally, if patients are intolerant to medications and not candidates for AFib ablation, a simpler ablation procedure, an AV nodal ablation procedure may be performed. This procedure involves an ablation to disrupt the normal electrical pathway connecting the atria to the ventricles in order to prevent rapid heart rates that result from AFib. A pacemaker is then required to pace the heart since the ventricles beat too slowly on their own.
