Health Atrial Fibrillation The television ads for the Kardia instrument that can detect atrial fibrillation of the heart ask – “do you have atrial fibrillation?” The answer from the majority of people questioned is, “What is that?” or “I don’t know.” Yet, this medical condition is very common and increases in incidence with age and, when it occurs and is not detected and treated, the risk of stroke rises significantly. Accordingly, seniors in particular should be aware of the condition, the possible symptoms and the ways in which it can be diagnosed and treated. The heart consists of four chambers – the upper chambers called the atria and the lower chambers called the ventricles. Normally, the electrical impulses to the atria are regular but in atrial fibrillation (Afib), the signals are irregular and send irregular signals on to the major pumps, the ventricles, resulting in an irregular pulse. Trained medical practitioners and electrocardiogram instruments can confirm the diagnosis. Symptoms may include a faster and irregular pulse, palpitations in the chest or chest discomfort, but many people will experience no symptoms at all. At the annual snowbird meetings when visitors at the booth had their blood pressure taken, my wife – an RN – and I would sometimes detect what we suspected was an irregular pulse associated with Afib even though the individual had no symptoms at all. We would advise the person to seek further assessment. Snowbirds must be aware of the need for immediate attention if they become aware of suspected heart symptoms such as those of Afib. Contact should be made with your insurance assistance personnel who can direct you to appropriate care. An urgent doctor’s appointment or a walk-in clinic would allow for an immediate detection of Afib and initiation of treatment. If neither was available, an emergency room visit would be warranted. When we all had a family doctor and the annual health examination was fairly routine, Afib was often discovered in asymptomatic patients. Today, such full examinations are not usually the case, and many people have no primary care doctor at all. Because atrial fibrillation is often associated with no symptoms, it becomes imperative to seek other ways to detect the condition. A nurse, a doctor or a paramedic can easily confirm an irregular pulse leading to a suspicion of possible atrial fib. A small number of affordable, personal-use ECG monitors are currently on the market, including the Kardia monitor which sells in Canada for about $100.00. The battery-powered instrument connects to your smartphone and displays your heart rhythm and rate. It can detect possible Afib and prompt you to seek medical attention. The recordings can be sent to your own doctor or, for a low monthly fee, can be monitored by the company’s cardiology staff. Some smartphones and electronic blood pressure cuffs may indicate an irregular pulse, but they cannot differentiate harmless irregularities from Afib. A review of ECG monitors can be found at www.healthline.com/health/ecg-monitor. by Robert MacMillan MD 34 | www.snowbirds.org
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