How atrial fibrillation symptoms manifest. What is the prognosis of life with atrial fibrillation and what types of treatment are there? Additional methods for diagnosing MA

The human heart creates and conducts electrical impulses through a special system. Normally, the organ contracts 60-80 times per minute with approximately the same frequency. Some diseases of the heart and other body systems lead to conduction and rhythm disturbances, resulting in asynchronous myocardial contractions. The disease that leads to such pathological changes is called arrhythmia. There are many types of arrhythmias, and some of them are quite dangerous for human life. Atrial fibrillation, or atrial fibrillation, is a serious heart disorder that requires urgent diagnosis and treatment.

What is atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation in Latin means "madness of the heart." The term "atrial fibrillation" is a synonym, and the definition of the disease is as follows: atrial fibrillation is a type of supraventricular tachycardia characterized by chaotic atrial activity with their contraction at a frequency of 350-700 per minute. This heart rhythm disorder is quite common and can occur at any age - in children, the elderly, men and women of middle and young age. Up to 30% of cases of need for emergency care and hospitalization for rhythm disturbances are associated precisely with the consequences of atrial fibrillation. With age, the frequency of the disease increases: if up to 60 years it is observed in 1% of patients, then later the disease is recorded already in 6-10% of people.

With atrial fibrillation, atrial contraction occurs in the form of their twitching, the atria seem to tremble, flickering ripples go through them, while individual groups of fibers work uncoordinated with respect to each other. The disease leads to a regular violation of the activity of the right and left ventricles, which cannot eject a sufficient amount of blood into the aorta. Therefore, with atrial fibrillation, the patient often has a pulse deficit in large vessels and heart rate irregularity. The final diagnosis can be made by ECG, which reflects the pathological electrical activity of the atria, and also reveals the random, inadequate nature of the cardiac cycles.

The pathogenesis of the disease, that is, the mechanism of its development, is as follows. The pathology is based on the re-entry of excitation into the heart muscle, while the primary and re-entry occur along different paths. Atrial fibrillation is due to the circulation of excitation in the region of the Purkinje fibers, and atrial flutter is due to the circulation of impulses along the conducting paths. For a repeated impulse to take place, it is necessary to have a zone with impaired conduction in the myocardium. Triggering of atrial fibrillation occurs after the occurrence of an atrial extrasystole, when it appears after a normal atrial contraction, but not in all fibers. Due to the peculiarities of the functioning of the atrioventricular node, there is also an irregularity in the work of the ventricles with atrial fibrillation. Weak impulses in the AV node fade as they move along it, and therefore only the strongest impulses that come from the atria enter the ventricles. As a result, the contraction of the ventricles is not complete, there are various complications of atrial fibrillation.

What is the danger of the disease

Since patients with atrial fibrillation have a lack of cardiac output, over time this can cause heart failure. As the arrhythmia persists, chronic circulatory failure progresses and can become acute. Especially often there is heart failure in individuals with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and heart defects, in particular, with mitral stenosis. It is very difficult and can be accompanied by pulmonary edema, cardiac asthma, sudden cardiac arrest and death. A lethal outcome can also occur against the background of an arrhythmogenic form of cardiogenic shock due to a serious drop in cardiac output.

Against the background of asynchronous atrial contraction, blood can stagnate, which creates serious prerequisites for thrombosis. Usually, blood clots form in the left atrium, from where they easily enter the cerebral vessels and provoke an ischemic stroke. If it is not possible to stop atrial fibrillation at an early stage, then the risk of stroke is up to 6% per year. Such strokes are a very serious disease and cause serious consequences in the future. Acute thrombosis of cerebral vessels can develop with prolonged paroxysm of arrhythmia (over 2 days), if it is not possible to relieve the attack in time.

Risk factors for the development of severe complications of atrial fibrillation are the presence of diabetes mellitus in a patient, age over 70 years, previous pulmonary embolism or thromboembolism of other localizations, severe arterial hypertension, congestive heart failure.

Types of atrial fibrillation

There are several classifications of atrial fibrillation that are used in modern cardiology. According to the nature of the course, arrhythmia can be:

chronic (permanent or permanent form) - continues until surgical treatment and is determined by the ineffectiveness of electrical cardioversion;
persistent - lasts more than 7 days;
transient (a form with attacks of paroxysm) - the development of the disease occurs within 1-6 days, while an attack of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation can be primary and recurrent.

According to the type of atrial rhythm disorder, the disease is divided into two forms:

Atrial fibrillation, or atrial fibrillation. This pathology is caused by the contraction of individual groups of myocardial fibers so that there is no overall coordinated contraction of the entire atrium. Part of the impulses is delayed in the atrioventricular junction, the other part passes into the heart muscle of the ventricles, forcing them to also contract with an irregular rhythm. Paroxysm of atrial fibrillation leads to inefficient contraction of the atria, the ventricles are filled with blood in diastole, so there is no normal discharge of blood into the aorta. Frequent atrial fibrillation carries a high risk of developing ventricular fibrillation - in fact, cardiac arrest.
Atrial flutter. It is an increase in the heartbeat up to 400 beats per minute, at which the atria contract correctly, while maintaining the correct, coordinated rhythm. There is no diastolic rest during flutter, the atria contract almost continuously. The flow of blood into the ventricles is sharply reduced, the ejection of blood into the aorta is disturbed.

Forms of atrial fibrillation, which are differentiated by the frequency of contraction of the ventricles following the malfunction of the atria, are as follows:

tachysystolic form, or tachyform (ventricular contractions from 90 per minute);
normosystolic form (ventricular contractions 60-90 per minute);
bradysystolic form, or bradyform (ventricular contractions occur according to the type of bradyarrhythmia - less than 60 per minute).

Atrial fibrillation can be assigned one of four classes according to the severity of its course:

first class - no symptoms;
the second class - minor signs of the disease, there are no complications, vital activity is not disturbed;
the third class - the way of life is changed, pronounced symptoms of pathology are observed;
fourth grade - severe arrhythmia, causing disability, ordinary life becomes impossible.

Causes of arrhythmia

Not all causes of the disease are due to cardiac pathologies and other severe disorders. Up to 10% of all cases of atrial fibrillation in the form of paroxysmal seizures are due to simultaneous causes, and the leading one concerns those people who prefer to drink alcohol in large quantities. Wine, strong alcohol, and coffee are drinks that disturb the balance of electrolytes and metabolism, which entails a kind of pathology - the so-called "holiday arrhythmia."

In addition, atrial fibrillation often occurs after severe overexertion and against the background of chronic stress, after operations, a stroke, with too fatty, abundant food and overeating at night, with prolonged constipation, an insect bite, wearing too tight clothes, heavy and regular physical exertion . Fans of dieting, taking diuretic drugs in excess also run the risk of getting atrial fibrillation. In a child and adolescent, the disease often occurs hidden, lubricated and provoked by mitral valve prolapse or other congenital heart defects.

And yet, in most cases, atrial fibrillation is caused by cardiogenic causes and diseases of the vascular system. These include:

cardiosclerosis of various etiologies;
acute myocarditis;
myocardial dystrophy;
rheumatic heart disease;
valvular insufficiency (valvular defects);
cardiomyopathy;
sometimes - myocardial infarction;
arterial hypertension;
damage to the coronary arteries by atherosclerosis;
pericarditis;
damage to the sinus node - pacemaker;
heart failure;
heart tumors - angiosarcomas, myxomas.

Non-cardiac causes of atrial fibrillation and flutter can be:

thyrotoxicosis (hyperthyroidism);
pheochromocytoma;
other hormonal disorders;
poisoning with poisons, toxic substances, carbon monoxide and other poisonous gases;
overdose of drugs - antiarrhythmics, cardiac glycosides;
VSD (rarely);
severe neuropsychic stress;
obstructive pulmonary disease;
serious viral, bacterial infections;
electric shock.

Risk factors for the development of atrial fibrillation are obesity, diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, especially when they are combined with each other. Often, under the guise of atrial fibrillation, another pathology appears - SSS - a syndrome of weakness of the sinus node, when it ceases to fully carry out its work. Up to 30% of people with atrial fibrillation and flutter have a family history of the disease, meaning it could theoretically be inherited. In some cases, it is not possible to establish the cause of the disease, so the arrhythmia is considered idiopathic.

Symptoms of manifestation

The initial stages of the disease often do not give any clinical picture. Sometimes some manifestations are observed after exercise, for example, during exercise. Objective signs of atrial fibrillation, even at this stage, can only be detected during the examination. As the pathology progresses, characteristic symptoms appear, which will largely depend on the form of atrial fibrillation and on whether the disease is constant or manifested by seizures.

The tachysystolic form of the disease is much worse tolerated by a person. The chronic course leads to the fact that a person adapts to live with arrhythmia and notices little of its symptoms. Usually, the patient initially has paroxysmal forms of atrial fibrillation, and then its permanent form is established. Occasionally, throughout life, as the provoking factors influence, rare attacks of the disease can occur, and a permanent disease is never established.

Sensations during the development of arrhythmia may be as follows (the specific list of signs depends on the individual characteristics of the organism and the type of disease that caused flickering or fluttering):

feeling of lack of air;
heaviness, tingling in the heart;
sharp, chaotic twitching of the heart;
shiver;
weakness;
severe sweating;
cold hands and feet;
strong fear, panic;
increase in the amount of urine;
disordered pulse, heart rate.

Paroxysm of atrial fibrillation can lead to dizziness, nausea, fainting and the occurrence of an attack of Morgagni-Adams-Stokes, which is quickly stopped by taking antiarrhythmic drugs. With the complication of atrial fibrillation with heart failure, the patient develops swelling of the extremities, angina pectoris pain in the heart, decreased performance, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, enlarged liver. Due to the wear and tear of the myocardium, this development of events is natural, so it is important to start urgent treatment of the disease as early as possible.

Carrying out diagnostics

Usually, an experienced cardiologist can make a presumptive diagnosis already during an external examination, counting the pulse, and auscultation of the heart. A differential diagnosis already at an early stage of the examination should be made with frequent extrasystoles. The characteristic signs of atrial fibrillation are as follows:

irregularity of the pulse, which is much rarer than the heart rate;
significant fluctuations in the volume of heart sounds;
moist rales in the lungs (with edema, congestive heart failure);
The tonometer reflects normal or lowering pressure during an attack.

Differential diagnosis with other types of arrhythmias is possible after an ECG examination. The decoding of the cardiogram with atrial fibrillation is as follows: the absence of a P wave, a different distance between the complexes of ventricular contractions, small waves of fibrillation instead of normal contractions. In flutter, on the contrary, large waves of flutter are noted, the same periodicity of ventricular complexes. Sometimes the ECG shows signs of myocardial ischemia, as the vessels of the heart cannot cope with its need for oxygen.

In addition to the standard 12-lead ECG, Holter monitoring is performed to more accurately formulate the diagnosis and to search for the paroxysmal form. It allows you to identify short atrial fibrillations or flutters that are not recorded on a simple ECG.

Other methods for diagnosing atrial fibrillation and its causes are:

Ultrasound of the heart with dopplerography. Necessary for finding organic lesions of the heart, valvular disorders, blood clots. A more informative diagnostic method is transesophageal ultrasound.
Tests for thyroid hormones. It is definitely recommended for implementation in case of newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation, as well as in case of recurrence of the disease after cardioversion.
Chest x-ray, MRI, CT. Necessary to exclude stagnation in the lungs, search for blood clots, assess the configuration of the heart.

First aid

Methods of treatment of permanent and paroxysmal forms of the disease differ greatly. With the development of an attack, emergency relief of paroxysms should be performed to restore heart rhythms. It is necessary to restore the heart rhythm as early as possible from its onset, because any attack is potentially dangerous for the development of severe complications and death.

First aid at home should include calling an ambulance, before the arrival of which the person should be laid in a horizontal position. If necessary, it is necessary to do an indirect heart massage. It is allowed to take antiarrhythmic drugs prescribed by the doctor in the usual dosage. Standards of treatment for all patients with an attack of atrial fibrillation suggest hospitalization to search for the cause of the pathology and differentiation from the chronic form of arrhythmia.

You can stop the attack with such drugs:

Quinidine (there are many contraindications to the drug, so it is not used in every case and only under ECG control);
Disopyramide (you can not give it with prostate adenoma, glaucoma);
Novocainamide;
Bancor;
Alapinin;
Ethacizin.

To prevent acute heart failure, the patient is usually prescribed cardiac glycosides (Korglikon). The treatment protocol for an attack of atrial flutter involves the intravenous administration of Finoptin, Isoptin, but with atrial fibrillation this will not be an effective treatment. Other antiarrhythmic drugs will not be able to normalize the heart rhythm, so they are not used.

A painful but much more effective procedure for restoring sinus rhythm is electrical cardioversion. It is usually used if the arrhythmia does not go away after taking medication, as well as to stop the paroxysm of arrhythmia with acute left ventricular failure. Before such treatment, sedatives are administered or general anesthesia is given for a short time. Discharges start at 100 J, increasing each by 50 J. Cardioversion helps restart the heart and eliminate an attack of atrial fibrillation.

Treatment Methods

Etiotropic therapy for hyperthyroidism and some other diseases helps to stop the development of atrial fibrillation, but under other conditions, symptomatic treatment is required for its occurrence. Clinical recommendations for the asymptomatic form of pathology suggest observational tactics, but only in the absence of a pulse deficit and the presence of a heart rate not higher than 100 beats per minute.

Medical treatment

With the development of heart failure, organic heart pathologies, a pronounced degree of atrial fibrillation, it is necessary to treat pathologies more actively, therefore, such pills and injections can be prescribed:

cardiac glycosides for the prevention of heart failure and its treatment;
beta-blockers to reduce stagnation in the small and large circles of blood circulation;
anticoagulants to thin the blood and prevent thrombosis, as well as before the planned treatment of arrhythmias;
thrombolytic enzymes with existing thrombosis;
diuretics and vasodilators for pulmonary edema and cardiac asthma.

Anti-relapse treatment of this disease is carried out for a long time - sometimes for several years. The patient needs to take the drugs prescribed by the doctor, the only reason for stopping the intake is intolerance and lack of effect.

Operations and other treatments

After the restoration of sinus rhythm, many patients are recommended to conduct breathing exercises, which will help improve the heartbeat and normalize conduction. Special therapeutic exercises are also recommended, and you can play sports only if there is no recurrence of the disease for a long time.

Surgical treatment is planned in the absence of results from conservative therapy, that is, when taking pills is ineffective. The following types of surgical interventions are used:

Radiofrequency catheter ablation. This method is a cauterization of the pathological area in the myocardium, which is the source of the arrhythmia. During treatment, the doctor leads the conductor through the femoral artery directly to the heart, gives an electrical impulse that eliminates all disorders.
Ablation with the installation of a pacemaker. It is required for serious types of arrhythmia, in which the sinus rhythm is disturbed. Before sewing in the pacemaker, the bundle of His or the atrioventricular node is destroyed, causing a complete blockade, and only then an artificial pacemaker is implanted.
Installation of a cardioverter-defibrillator. This device is sewn into the upper chest subcutaneously and is used to immediately stop an arrhythmia attack.
Operation labyrinth. This intervention is performed on an open heart. Incisions are made in the atria in the form of a labyrinth, which will redirect electrical impulses, and the organ will continue to work normally.

Nutrition and folk remedies

After the approval of the doctor, you can not be limited to conservative medicine and apply alternative treatment for atrial fibrillation. Below are the most effective folk recipes for this disease:

Collect and dry viburnum berries. Daily brew a glass of berries with 2 cups of boiling water, put on fire, cook for 3 minutes. Then leave the decoction for an hour, take 150 ml three times a day for at least a month.
Grind the yarrow grass, fill half the bottle with it, fill it with vodka to the top. Leave the product for 10 days in a dark place. Take a teaspoon of tincture against atrial fibrillation twice a day before meals for a month.
Brew 1/3 cup of dill seeds with 250 ml of boiling water, leave in a thermos for an hour. Strain the infusion, drink, divided into 3 parts, three times a day before meals. The course of therapy is 14 days.
Grind 100 g of walnuts, add half a liter of honey. Consume on an empty stomach a tablespoon every morning for at least a month.
Grind a small onion and 1 apple with a blender, take a tablespoon of the mixture three times a day after meals for 14 days.

Very important for atrial fibrillation is dietary nutrition, the consumption of only the right foods. Changing the diet often helps to reduce the clinical manifestations of the disease. You should refuse fatty meat, smoked meats, an abundance of butter, since this food only contributes to the development of atherosclerosis and the progression of arrhythmia. Spicy foods, vinegar, excess salt, and sweet foods negatively affect the heart. The diet should include lean meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, dairy products. The number of meals per day - 4-6, in small portions.

What Not to Do

In no case should patients with atrial fibrillation independently stop taking the drugs prescribed by their doctor. It is also not recommended to do the following:

ignore the daily routine;
forget about sufficient sleep and rest;
take alcohol;
smoke;
practice sports and other physical activities;
allow stress, moral overstrain;
plan pregnancy without prior health monitoring by a cardiologist and obstetrician;
try to relieve an acute attack of arrhythmia with folk remedies.

Forecast and prevention

If there are no organic pathologies of the heart, the functional state of the myocardium is normal, then the prognosis is favorable.

For the prevention of atrial fibrillation and flutter, the following measures are important:

timely treatment of all cardiac and non-cardiac diseases that can cause arrhythmias;
quitting smoking, alcohol, junk food;
reduction of physical and moral stress, regular rest;
consumption of a large amount of plant foods, intake of vitamins, minerals;
moderate physical activity;
avoiding stress, mastering the technique of auto-training;
if necessary - taking sedative drugs;
control of cholesterol and blood glucose.

Atrial fibrillation (atrial fibrillation) is the most common heart rhythm disorder, which occurs in 1 - 2% of the world's population. The frequency of occurrence strongly depends on age, under 40 years of age is 0.5% of the entire population, over 65 - 5%, and in those over 80 - 10%. The pathogenesis of the disease is based on a change in the automatism of myocardial cells, in which the sinus node ceases to be the main source of heart rhythm. With this pathology, pathological nerve impulses are generated in the muscle tissue of the atria, which "manage" the work of the heart. It is believed that with atrial fibrillation there are from 350 to 800 signals per minute.

The disease got its name because of its specific reflection on the ECG, where instead of P waves, asymmetric different-amplitude f waves with a very high frequency appear. Looking at them gives the impression of atrial fibrillation.

Causes of the disease

Atrial fibrillation, like any other disease, can develop against the background of an already existing pathology. The main precursor diseases are:

IHD (ischemic heart disease);
mitral valve defects (located between the left atrium and ventricle);
WPW syndrome (Wolf-Parkinson-White);
arterial hypertension;
diabetes;
thyrotoxicosis;
alcoholic myocardial dystrophy (heart damage due to constant alcohol consumption);
electrolyte deficiency - in most cases - a lack of magnesium and potassium.

Often provoke an attack of atrial fibrillation can:

increased physical activity or emotional arousal;
drinking alcohol, coffee;
smoking;
plentiful food intake.

Rarely enough, the cause of the disease and provoking factors cannot be identified. In this case, atrial fibrillation is considered idiopathic.

The nervous system plays an important role in the occurrence of pathology. The increased tone of its particular department can provoke seizures. The vagal type of atrial fibrillation develops with the active influence of the parasympathetic link. The sympathetic division causes hyperadrenergic atrial fibrillation.

The mechanism of development of atrial fibrillation

The disease occurs when heterogeneity of the atrial myocardium. Because of this, pathological foci appear in certain areas of the muscle tissue, in which nerve signals are generated. Unlike atrial flutter, in this case there is not one or two foci, but a much larger number of them. As a result of the joint conduction of excitation from all these sources through the atrial myocardium, an uncoordinated and inefficient contraction of the latter occurs.

If all these impulses were transmitted to the underlying sections, then the ventricles would contract by analogy with the atria: ventricular fibrillation would develop. This would lead to a violation of the ejection of blood from the heart and death.

To prevent such a situation, the conduction system of the heart is equipped with a special "filter". It is the atrioventricular node located between the atria and ventricles. Due to this structure, there is a special delay in the excess amount of nerve signals and the frequency of contractions of the ventricles is much lower than that of the atria. This protects the body from sudden death during ventricular fibrillation.

Classification

Depending on the mechanism of occurrence, as mentioned above, there are two types of atrial fibrillation:

Hyperdrenergic.
Vagus.

Characteristics of the vagal type of atrial fibrillation:

more often occurs in the male half of the population;
attacks begin with food or at night;
no dependence on physical activity or stress;
provoking factors may be a tightly tied tie or scarf, a state of rest or a horizontal position of the body, a tightly tightened belt or bloating.

The hyperdrenergic variant is characterized by:

the occurrence of seizures at any time of the day, rarely at night;
the dependence of the attack on the physical or emotional state of the body;
frequent occurrence in women.

The course of the disease can take the following forms:

Permanent - chronic atrial fibrillation without restoration of sinus rhythm.
Paroxysmal - periodic "breaks" of the rhythm with its subsequent restoration.

Clinical manifestations, symptoms of atrial fibrillation

Paroxysmal form
The peculiarity of this variant of the course of atrial fibrillation is the alternation of normal heart function with the leading source of rhythm from the sinus node and atrial fibrillation. The frequency of seizures can range from one during a lifetime to several during a day. Sometimes this form eventually becomes permanent.

With this variant of arrhythmia outside the attack, due to the normal functioning of the heart, the person feels as usual. During a sharp arrhythmia of the type of atrial fibrillation, the condition deteriorates sharply. With self- or medication restoration of a normal heartbeat, the state of health again becomes normal.

When an attack (paroxysm) of atrial fibrillation occurs, the heart begins to contract inefficiently and quickly. As a result, there is insufficient pumping of blood and its delivery to vital organs. This leads to ischemia of tissues and body systems.

With frequent paroxysms or long periods (episodes) of abnormal heartbeat, the whole body gradually adapts to such work of the heart. Subjectively, the state of health worsens at the time of transition to arrhythmia from normal sinus rhythm. During an already disturbed rhythm, a person’s condition and his sensations improve slightly.

Atrial fibrillation can manifest itself with completely different symptoms. The common ones are:

an attack of a sharp rapid heartbeat;
discomfort in the region of the heart;
severe weakness, malaise;
increased sweating, cold extremities;
feeling of fear;
dizziness up to loss of consciousness.

The above symptoms can disturb a person not only with atrial fibrillation. Almost all types of cardiac arrhythmias are accompanied by similar manifestations.

permanent form
This course of atrial fibrillation is characterized by the absence of impulse generation in the sinus node. All idiopathic sources of rhythm are located in the atrial myocardium. Often the paroxysmal form becomes permanent. This happens either when it is impossible to restore sinus rhythm, or when paroxysms are too frequent, when restoring a normal heartbeat is not justified.

The condition and well-being of patients with this variant of the course is determined by the heart rate (HR). If it is as close as possible to 80 beats per minute, then a person may not feel this disease at all. With a significantly increased or decreased heart rate, the state of health worsens.

The concept of "heart rate with atrial fibrillation" includes the number of ventricular contractions per minute. With this pathology, it is not possible to change the number of atrial contractions.

Diagnosis of atrial fibrillation

Normal sinus rhythm and atrial fibrillation on the ECG The main methods for determining atrial fibrillation is an ECG study and Holter monitoring. An important criterion for diagnosing and prescribing further treatment is the heart rate at rest. This value is the starting point for choosing the dosage of the drug. Sometimes it is important to know how fast the heart beats during exercise. For this, stress tests are additionally assigned.

By interpreting the ECG, the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation can be made based on the following changes:

There is not a single P wave.
Instead, fibrillation waves f are recorded.
Different amplitude and shape of ventricular QRS complexes.
QRS complexes are located at different distances from each other (unequal R-R distances).

All these data indicate an inferior contraction and relaxation of individual atrial myocardial fibers.

Treatment

The treatment option for the disease depends on the course and degree of developing complications. The permanent form does not require the restoration of a normal heartbeat, but implies a correction of the heart rate and an increase in the contractile function of the ventricles. The paroxysmal form requires the restoration of sinus rhythm as soon as possible.

Treatment of paroxysm of atrial fibrillation(stopping an attack in a paroxysmal form):

Provide access to fresh air.
Take a horizontal position of the body.
Take Corvalol. If the attack has not developed for the first time, take the antiarrhythmic drug recommended by the doctor.
In case of a sharp deterioration in well-being or no effect within a few hours, it is necessary to seek qualified medical help.

When providing assistance in a hospital, the rhythm is restored in two main ways:

The introduction of an antiarrhythmic drug intravenously.
The use of electropulse therapy (the use of an electric discharge).

To the choice of tactics treatment of a permanent form of atrial fibrillation must be approached with extreme caution. In some cases, we can still talk about restoring normal sinus rhythm.

The main task of treating persistent arrhythmia is to ensure adequate blood supply to all organs of the body. To do this, you need to create the optimal number of heartbeats. At an increased frequency, drugs are used that help the atrioventricular node to pass a smaller number of nerve impulses to the ventricles. With a ventricular contraction rate of less than 40 beats per minute, drug treatment is practically useless. In this case, surgical intervention is necessary. In view of the increased risk of thrombus formation in the atrial cavities, additional therapy is aimed at preventing their occurrence.

Main drugs used for atrial fibrillation:

Antiarrhythmic drugs (Novocainamide, Amiodarone).
Beta-blockers (Anaprilin, Metoprolol).
Calcium channel blockers (verapamil).
Antiplatelet agents (Aspirin, Polocard).
Minerals and trace elements - preparations containing potassium and magnesium (Asparkam, Magnevit, Panangin).
Cardiac glycosides (prescribed with the addition of heart failure - Digoxin, Strofantin).

Surgical treatment of the disease

In view of the active development of science and medicine, the surgical method for the treatment of arrhythmias is very promising. There are several different approaches:

Physical destruction of an element of an atrioventricular node or a pathological bundle of conduction of a nerve impulse to the ventricles from the atrium. This option is resorted to in the absence of the effect of drug treatment. As a result of the operation, a decrease in heart rate is achieved by normalizing the number of signals conducted to the ventricles. In this case, quite often the atrioventricular connection is completely blocked, and for normal contraction of the ventricles, a pacemaker (IVR - artificial pacemaker) is implanted in them.
Implantation of a mini cardioverter defibrillator. This treatment option is more suitable for people who have paroxysms of atrial fibrillation infrequently. Such a device automatically recognizes a violation of the rhythm and produces an electrical impulse that can restore normal cardiac activity.

Prevention of atrial fibrillation

If there is a history of at least one episode of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, it is important to identify its cause. This is necessary to prevent their recurrence. The general plan of measures aimed at preventing arrhythmia attacks:

Treatment of the disease that caused the rhythm disorder.
Taking magnesium and potassium supplements. Eating foods rich in them (pumpkin, watermelon, bananas).
Continuous intake of small doses of antiarrhythmic substances (only on the recommendation of a cardiologist).
Exclusion of the influence of increased tone of the nervous system.

The last point of prevention is effective in the presence of evidence of a vagal or hyperadrenergic form of arrhythmia.

Prevention of attacks of the vagal type of atrial fibrillation:

reduction of excess body weight;
avoid constipation and bloating;
exclusion of the horizontal position of the body after eating. Exclusion of excessive eating at night;
avoidance of sharp bends of the body.

Prevention of the hyperadrenergic type:

increase in rest and sleep time;
avoidance of stress and strong physical exertion;
the maximum possible reduction in the use of coffee, strong tea, nicotine;
taking sedative herbal preparations (tincture of motherwort or valerian).

Possible Complications

Speaking about the possible complications of atrial fibrillation, it is necessary to understand that they are divided into two types:

Developing with paroxysm.
Developing with a long course of constant arrhythmias.

The first group includes:

OLZHN - acute left ventricular failure (cardiogenic pulmonary edema);
ONMK - an acute violation of cerebral circulation due to a lack of oxygen and nutrients;
violations of the blood supply to any organ of the body.

The second group includes the so-called. late complications:

chronic heart failure with all its manifestations;
increased thrombosis and thrombosis of various organs (myocardial infarction, thromboembolic strokes).

Forecast of atrial fibrillation

The prognosis of the disease depends entirely on the timely diagnosis and treatment of pathology. Adequate treatment, which contributes to the normalization of heart rate and full blood supply to the organs of the body, leads to complications to the least extent. However, even with proper treatment, there is an increased risk of thrombosis and its complications.
Thus, with atrial fibrillation, it is quite possible to maintain a normal lifestyle for a long time.

Atrial fibrillation is manifested by a scattered, chaotic contraction of the muscle tissue (myocardium) of the atria, at a speed of 350-600 impulse waves per minute. As a result, the atria do not fully contract, the presence of blood in the ventricles weakens. Part of the blood is retained in the atria, which increases the risk of blood clots.

The presence of an outbreak of atrial fibrillation for more than 48 hours leads to a high risk of ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, thromboembolism of various organs and peripheral vessels, and severe cardiovascular insufficiency.

What it is?

This heart rhythm disorder is quite common and can occur at any age - in children, the elderly, men and women of middle and young age. Up to 30% of cases of need for emergency care and hospitalization for rhythm disturbances are associated precisely with the consequences of atrial fibrillation. With age, the frequency of the disease increases: if up to 60 years it is observed in 1% of patients, then later the disease is recorded already in 6-10% of people.

Causes

Various acute and chronic conditions can provoke a heart rhythm disturbance by the type of atrial fibrillation.

The main reasons are:

exposure to temperature factors - hyper- or hypothermia;
operations;
myocardial infarction;
excessive use of caffeine, alcohol, nicotine;
inflammatory diseases of the heart - pericarditis, myocarditis;
taking drugs with arrhythmogenic effect;
mechanical effects on the body - trauma, vibration;
some other types of arrhythmias (WPW syndrome).

The impact of the factors mentioned above on a healthy heart, most likely, will not provoke atrial fibrillation - structural and metabolic changes in the myocardium, as well as some types of non-cardiac pathology, contribute to its occurrence:

cardiomyopathy;
heart tumors;
constrictive pericarditis;
endocrine pathology, in particular;
cardiac ischemia;
acquired and some congenital heart defects;
arterial hypertension;
thyrotoxicosis;
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (calculous cholecystitis, diaphragmatic hernia);
pathology of the central nervous system;
intoxication.

Symptoms of atrial fibrillation

It should be remembered that in 20-30% of cases, atrial fibrillation occurs without symptoms, without causing any sensations. The discovery of such a form usually occurs by chance.

The main complaints of patients with atrial fibrillation include:

the main complaint is sudden attacks of rapid irregular heartbeat or a feeling of constant irregular heartbeat, pulsation of the veins in the neck;
compressive pain in the region of the heart of the type of angina pectoris;
general weakness, increased fatigue;
difficulty breathing (shortness of breath), especially during exercise;
dizziness, unsteady gait;
semi-consciousness, fainting;
increased sweating;
rarely an increase in urine (polyuria) with the release of natriuretic hormone.

With the development of a permanent form of the disease, patients cease to feel discomfort or interruptions in the work of the heart and adapt to live with this disease.

Complications

The most dangerous complications in MA:

The development of thromboembolism due to thrombus formation in the chambers of the heart.
Heart failure.
The onset of a sudden death due to cardiac arrest caused by blockage of its internal openings.
The development of cardioembolic stroke, which occurs due to stagnation of blood in the atria.
Cardiogenic shock, which provokes a significant decrease in blood pressure, as a result of which the organs and tissues of the human body cease to receive the necessary nutrition, and irreversible processes begin in them.
The formation of blood clots, which with the blood flow can enter any organ, including the brain, provoking the death of brain tissue (stroke).

Atrial fibrillation only at first glance seems to be a simple disease. Patients with such a diagnosis should remember that atrial fibrillation is a pathology, the danger of which is associated with complications arising from the lack of timely adequate treatment or the transition of the disease to a chronic form.

Diagnostics

Atrial fibrillation is diagnosed based on:

collection and analysis of anamnesis;
detection of characteristic complaints of the patient himself;
detection of certain specific changes in standard electrocardiogram records.

Electrocardiographic signs of the considered pathology are as follows:

multiple f waves are detected, confirming atrial fibrillation (flicker). This type of wave may differ in amplitude, shape and other characteristics;
the recordings completely lack P waves, which are necessarily detected in normal sinus rhythm of heart contractions;
while maintaining the QRS complexes, there is a chaotic violation of the RR intervals.

In addition, when performing standard electrocardiography, physicians are able to determine the patient's associated cardiac pathology, provoking rhythm disorders. Also, to establish an accurate diagnosis and detect all concomitant pathologies, doctors can use such diagnostic methods as: Holter monitoring, echocardiography, ultrasound of the heart, etc.

An example of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation on an ECG

Treatment of atrial fibrillation

To date, with atrial fibrillation, several methods of treatment are used to restore an adequate heart rhythm and prevent new attacks. Medications, electrical cardioversion are used. With a weak effectiveness of these methods, surgical methods of treatment are used - catheter ablation or implantation of a pacemaker. An integrated approach to therapy can prevent new attacks.

The following drugs are used for atrial fibrillation:

Blood thinners, antiplatelet agents, prevent the formation of blood clots.
Beta-blockers (betaxolol, carvedilol, nebivalol, metoprolol, pindolol, propraolol, celiprolol, esmolol) and calcium blockers (verapamil, diltiazem) - they slow down the heart rate. These medicines for atrial fibrillation prevent the overly rapid contraction of the ventricles, but do not regulate the heart rate.
For antiplatelet therapy, anticoagulants are prescribed that do not exclude the formation of blood clots, but reduce the risk of this, and, consequently, the occurrence of strokes (heparin, fondaparinux, enoxaparin).
Also, in the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation, drugs are used that prevent the formation of blood clots and the occurrence of strokes (warfarin, pradaxa).
Antiarrhythmic drugs (amiodarone, dronedarone, ibutilide, novocainamide, propafenone, sotalol, flecainide).

Regular blood tests are required to monitor drug exposure. Only a doctor will be able to choose the right pills for atrial fibrillation, since many of them have serious contraindications, as well as proarrhythmic activity, when the drug itself can unexpectedly provoke atrial fibrillation.

Before treating atrial fibrillation, the patient's comorbidities should be taken into account. Sometimes medication is started in a hospital, where it is easier for doctors to control the body's response and heart rate. With this therapy, in 30-60% of cases, the patient's condition improves, but over time, the effectiveness of the drugs may decrease. In this regard, doctors often prescribe several antiarrhythmic drugs at once.

Treatment of a permanent form of atrial fibrillation

With this form, the patient is prescribed tablet preparations that slow down the heart rate. The main ones here are a group of beta-blockers and cardiac glycosides, for example, Concor 5 mg x 1 time per day, Coronal 5 mg x 1 time per day, Egilok 25 mg x 2 times a day, Betalok ZOK 25-50 mg x 1 time per day and others. From cardiac glycosides, digoxin 0.025 mg is used, 1/2 tablet x 2 times a day - 5 days, a break - 2 days (Sat, Sun).

It is mandatory to prescribe anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents, for example, cardiomagnyl 100 mg at lunch, or clopidogrel 75 mg at lunch, or warfarin 2.5-5 mg x 1 time per day (necessarily under the control of INR - a parameter of the blood coagulation system, usually 2.0-2.5 is recommended). These drugs prevent increased blood clots and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Chronic heart failure should be treated with diuretics (indapamide 1.5 mg in the morning, veroshpiron 25 mg in the morning) and ACE inhibitors (prestarium 5 mg in the morning, enalapril 5 mg x 2 times a day, lisinopril 5 mg in the morning), which have an organoprotective effect on blood vessels and the heart.

Surgical treatment of the disease

In view of the active development of science and medicine, the surgical method for the treatment of arrhythmias is very promising. There are several different approaches:

Implantation of a mini cardioverter defibrillator. This treatment option is more suitable for people who have paroxysms of atrial fibrillation infrequently. Such a device automatically recognizes a violation of the rhythm and produces an electrical impulse that can restore normal cardiac activity.
Physical destruction of an element of an atrioventricular node or a pathological bundle of conduction of a nerve impulse to the ventricles from the atrium. This option is resorted to in the absence of the effect of drug treatment. As a result of the operation, a decrease in heart rate is achieved by normalizing the number of signals conducted to the ventricles. In this case, quite often the atrioventricular connection is completely blocked, and for normal contraction of the ventricles, a pacemaker (IVR - artificial pacemaker) is implanted in them.

Lifestyle with atrial fibrillation

All heart disease involves leading a lifestyle that is traditionally characterized as healthy. Atrial fibrillation is no exception.

Standard recommendations include light physical activity for atrial fibrillation: morning exercises, daily walks in the fresh air. A person should maintain natural mobility, should not lie down all the time (with the exception of periods of an arrhythmic attack).

A separate issue is the combination of the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation and alcohol. People with heart disease should not abuse alcohol.

At the same time, it is known that in small quantities alcohol can have a positive effect, in particular: on the nervous system (calming effect), on the digestive system (stimulates digestion), on blood vessels (expands blood vessels). In exceptional cases, a person suffering from atrial fibrillation can drink no more than 50 g of a drink with 40% alcohol and no more than 150 g of a drink with 12% alcohol per day.

Diet

The nutrition of such patients should be based on low-fat vegetable food, as well as cereals from whole grains, soups on the water. Shown are vegetable stews and casseroles, fresh salads dressed with a small amount of any refined oil, boiled or steamed sea fish.

You need to eat in small portions: overeating causes irritation of the vagus nerve, which depresses the function of the sinus angle, where pathological impulses then arise.

Separately, I would like to say about any alcohol: it should be completely excluded from the nutrition system. Even in relatively healthy people, drinking alcohol can provoke an arrhythmia attack, which can be very difficult to stop because of the rapidly advancing degenerative changes in the heart.

What is the forecast?

The prognosis for life with atrial fibrillation is determined primarily by the causes of the disease. So, for example, in survivors of acute myocardial infarction and significant cardiosclerosis, the short-term prognosis for life can be favorable, and unfavorable for health in the medium term, since in a short period of time the patient develops chronic heart failure, which worsens the quality of life and reduces it. duration.

However, with regular use of drugs prescribed by a doctor, the prognosis for life and health undoubtedly improves. And patients with a permanent form of MA registered at a young age, with proper compensation, live with it even up to 20-40 years.

Violation of the heart rhythm is a symptom of internal failures or external factors that affect the conduction system. Atrial fibrillation (atrial fibrillation, ventricular fibrillation) is characterized by an increase in heart rate up to 400-500 beats per minute. The contraction of the ventricles and atria occurs chaotically. Most often, it is detected in older men who have had heart disease for a long time. Medications form the basis of the treatment regimen. It is possible to reduce the severity and frequency of attacks of atrial fibrillation by supplementing the course of treatment with folk remedies. They saturate the body with useful substances and have a minimum number of contraindications.

Blinking (flutter) of the atria and ventricles is a chaotic contraction of individual muscle tissues, due to which hemodynamics (blood flow) is disturbed. The cause of arrhythmia lies in the violation of the conduction system of the heart. Her trigger (trigger attack) often becomes extrasystole. This type of failure is characterized by extraordinary reductions.

According to the form of manifestation, atrial fibrillation is of the following types:

According to the frequency of contractions, this type of arrhythmia is of the following types:

Reasons for the development of a failure

The main culprit of violations in the conduction system of the heart, causing atrial fibrillation, is a weakened sinus node (natural pacemaker). Its functions fill the arisen foci of ectopic (replacing) signals. Various external and internal factors affect the development of failure, which are divided into cardiac and non-cardiac. The first category includes the following reasons:

A group of non-cardiac factors affecting the development of arrhythmia:

Clinical picture

Attacks of atrial fibrillation are manifested by a whole range of symptoms. The main one among them is heart palpitations. The ventricles can contract up to 180 times per minute, and the atria up to 400-500. The heart may not withstand such a rhythm and takes short breaks, as a result of which the patient feels that it stops beating at some moments. The pulse against the background of the onset of an attack is poorly palpable. A similar phenomenon is associated due to insufficient blood flow to the ventricles, since the atria, contracting at such a frequency, cannot fill them fully.

Among other manifestations of a failure in the heartbeat, the most basic can be distinguished:

Pain in the chest area occurs due to overwork of the heart muscle or its malnutrition. The nerve endings located in the organ send appropriate impulses, which leads to the appearance of unpleasant sensations.
General weakness, loss of consciousness and dizziness is manifested due to cerebral hypoxia against the background of hemodynamic disturbances during an attack.
An increase in the synthesis of urine (urine) occurs under the influence of high pressure and a malfunction in the nervous system. Afferent nerves transmit a signal that makes the kidneys work harder.

Shortness of breath occurs when receiving physical exertion. Experts believe that this symptom is a consequence of the excitation of the respiratory center, which is provoked by malfunctions in the heart. The vagus nerve transmits impulses to the respiratory tract and a characteristic clinical picture appears.

Effective folk remedies

Heart failures are the result of a number of factors. Without their elimination, it will not be possible to fully recover. Folk remedies for the treatment of atrial fibrillation allow you to stop attacks at home. They must be used in combination with the main methods of therapy. They are based on tablets with antiarrhythmic and heart-supporting effects. In severe cases, doctors will recommend surgery. This method is used in the absence of the effect of the main course of treatment and often saves the patient's life.

Folk remedies for attacks of atrial fibrillation are prepared from natural ingredients. The most relevant recipes are made on viburnum, dill seed, dried apricots, honey, rose hips and mint. If desired, you can purchase medicinal fees at the pharmacy. The duration of the course is usually 1-2 months, followed by a break.

Phytotherapy

Traditional medicine and herbal medicine are 2 interrelated concepts. The essence of the latter is the use of plants with a healing effect and medicines based on them. As a treatment for atrial fibrillation, you must purchase (or prepare yourself) a collection of the following components:

elecampane;
valerian;
mint;
dill;
motherwort;
hawthorn;
Linden blossom.

Mix all components in the same proportion and pour 60 g of the finished collection with a glass of boiling water. The tool will need 1-2 hours to infuse, and then you can get raw materials out of it. Consume ½ cup morning and evening for 1 month.

Honey therapy

Honey has an invaluable composition, so it is often added to various decoctions and infusions used in atrial fibrillation. As a means of treatment, you can prepare the following medicine based on this component:

grind 1 kg of lemons;
mix the resulting slurry with 200 ml of honey;
The finished product should be consumed 30 ml 2 times a day.

If honey is used as a component of various decoctions or infusions, then you will need to wait until they cool down. Otherwise, it will lose its medicinal properties.

Kalina. Viburnum berries allow you to saturate the heart with essential substances. A useful decoction is prepared from them as follows:

200 g of viburnum pour 500 ml of boiling water;
put the container on a small fire;
after 5 minutes, remove from the stove;
drink a decoction of ½ cup in the morning and evening.

Dill seeds. Dill seeds stabilize blood pressure and reduce the severity of arrhythmias. You can make a decoction of them according to the recipe below:

pour 50 g of dill seed 250 ml of water;
put the container on the stove and bring to a boil;
take out the raw materials and drink 70 ml 3 times a day.

Medicinal properties of wild rose. You can prepare a rosehip decoction that is healthy for the heart according to the recipe below:

get seeds from 50 g of rose hips;
pour the purified ingredient 700 ml of boiling water;
put the container in a water bath;
after 10 minutes, remove the broth from the heat and strain;
add 60 ml of honey to the cooled product;
drink medicine before meals for 0.5 cups.

A mixture of dried apricots, nuts and raisins. You can stop atrial fibrillation and improve heart function with gruel made from dried apricots, nuts and raisins. Her recipe is as follows:

20 g of raisins, 50 g of nuts and 200 g of dried apricots mix together;
add 1 grated lemon and 150 ml of honey to the gruel;
let the medicine brew for 2-3 hours;
take 60 ml after meals in the morning.

Combination of mint and calendula. Mint and calendula relieve nervous tension, stabilize the heart rate and dilate blood vessels. A medicine is prepared from them according to the following recipe:

mix in equal proportions mint and calendula;
pour 500 ml of boiling water 50 g of the collection;
after cooling, strain the product and add 30 ml of honey;
drink 1 glass 3-4 times a day.

Diet for arrhythmia

For any type of heart failure, a strict diet must be followed. It is advisable for the patient to abandon fatty foods in favor of plant foods. In the daily diet should be more foods rich in magnesium and potassium (cocoa, nuts, cereals, sorrel, legumes, seaweed, beans). They will stabilize the electrolyte balance and improve the conductivity of the pulse.

A list of tips for the correct diet for arrhythmias can be seen below:

Fruits and vegetables should be on the daily menu. It is advisable to use them fresh.
Experts recommend reducing the load on the stomach and heart by grinding the components in a blender.
Cooking is only by boiling, stewing or steaming. Preservation, as well as fatty and smoked foods, should be discarded.
It is advisable to replace coffee with decoctions of herbs (valerian, hawthorn, motherwort) or green tea.
The amount of confectionery consumed should be reduced.
Spices and salt are recommended to stop using or reduce to a minimum.

The daily diet should be composed in such a way that plant foods are approximately 60%, and protein and carbohydrates are 20-30% each. By following the recommendations voiced, you can reduce the likelihood of seizures by improving the degree of assimilation of products and metabolic processes in general.

Atrial fibrillation often occurs in adults due to various irritating factors. Her attacks can be fatal, as there are severe disruptions in hemodynamics. As a treatment, doctors recommend sticking to traditional methods in combination with folk remedies. They will saturate the body with useful substances and improve the functioning of the heart muscle.

Atrial fibrillation is a serious persistent violation of the rhythm of the heartbeat, which can lead to the development of a stroke. The disease belongs to the category of age-related pathology and occurs mostly in the elderly. Patients aged 25 to 35 account for only 0.5 percent of this pathology. After age 69, the percentage rises to five. The reasons for the development of the disease are multifaceted. As a rule, the development of "flicker" requires a combination of several predisposing factors:

Pathology of the heart valves, especially caused by rheumatism;

Heart failure and ischemic disease;

Expansion of the chambers of the heart;

Mitral valve prolapse;

Growth of connective and fibrous tissue in the atria;

Diseases of the pulmonary system;

Diabetes;

Pathology of the thyroid gland;

Alcohol consumption;

Disturbances in the balance of electrolytes in the body;

Weak sinus pacemaker.

In addition, atrial fibrillation (AF) can be triggered by diseases of the nervous system and some mental illnesses.

The influence of some factors on cardiac tissue can be prevented. So, alcohol consumption, hyperthyroidism, lung diseases can be eliminated with a timely visit to a doctor.

Primary MA is an independent disease with long-term consequences. It can be divided into three forms: acute, paroxysmal and chronic.

The paroxysmal form is characterized by the periodic appearance of a clinical picture in the form of heart pain, severe shortness of breath and characteristic changes in the cardiogram. In most cases, paroxysms go away on their own or under the influence of medications. The prolonged existence of paroxysms without drug correction will lead to the development of a stroke (bleeding in the brain).

The chronic form exists for a long time and is characterized by various conditions. Some of them can be stopped, others cannot be corrected. It exists as long as rhythm disturbances do not pose a threat to health. In other cases, cardiac surgeons will resort to installing a pacemaker. Such attempts are not always successful due to the fact that in a patient for a long time of the existence of the disease, part of the heart muscle is in a non-viable state and it is impossible to conduct electrical signals through it.

What is atrial fibrillation and can it be prevented?

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It is not difficult to recognize atrial fibrillation - at rest, the heart begins to beat at a high speed, and even in the wrong rhythm. Of course, this symptom is also inherent in some other diseases of the cardiovascular system. However, it is definitely not worth ignoring it, you should contact a cardiologist who, after the examination, will be able to make an accurate diagnosis and decide on treatment.

You should not hesitate to consult a doctor due to the fact that any arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation, often become the causes of heart failure. But this does not always happen - sometimes atrial fibrillation, on the contrary, can be triggered by heart failure, which worsens the function and hemodynamics of the left ventricle of the heart, resulting in aggravation of myocardial ischemia, its hypertrophy and remodeling. Thus, the frequent combination of atrial fibrillation and heart failure significantly impairs the functioning of the cardiovascular system and increases the risk of a serious condition.

It is worth noting that although practitioners often encounter a combination of atrial fibrillation and heart failure, too few such cases are described in the literature. But with the right approach to atrial fibrillation, you can significantly reduce other problems with the cardiovascular system.

What is the danger of cardiac arrhythmia?

Even after detection, this disease is fraught with a large number of "pitfalls". But first of all, atrial fibrillation is dangerous because the sick person, even for several years, may not be aware of their problems. But the sooner you start treatment, the less chance of complications, including cardiac arrest.

Consequences of atrial fibrillation

According to the doctors themselves, it is not the atrial fibrillation itself that is terrible, but the consequences that it causes with the wrong approach to its treatment or even ignoring it. For some, seizures are safe for health. But with this disease, the control of some organs is simply necessary.

So, among the most dangerous consequences of atrial fibrillation:

Thromboembolism- it occurs due to the formation of blood clots on the walls of the atria. They can at some point come off and get into other organs, causing irreversible processes. For example, lead to a stroke due to getting into the brain.

Heart failure- Another serious consequence of arrhythmia. With excessive stress on the heart, swelling, shortness of breath, and constant fatigue occur.

Arrhythmias can also lead to dysfunction of the thyroid gland and many other organs.

Prevention and treatment

There are several directions for the treatment of atrial fibrillation:

taking medications to restore normal heart rhythm;

cardioversion (trans-sternal exposure to direct current of a certain strength) to bring the heart rhythm back to normal;

implantation of defibrillators (exposure to direct current) to bring the heart rate back to normal;

catheter ablation is a non-surgical technique that is based on the destruction of pathological pathways that cause arrhythmias.

Only a specialist doctor should prescribe a specific treatment, as well as make an accurate diagnosis, but below I will list some drugs that will help alleviate the patient's condition.

First of all, in case of cardiac arrhythmia, it is necessary to diagnose and treat the underlying disease, including: rheumatism, cardiosclerosis, cardiac neurosis, myocarditis, etc.

For diseases that affect the vegetative and psycho-emotional spheres, it is imperative to take prescribed sedatives, including valerian tincture, motherwort tincture, persen, corvalol, valocordin, sedative collection No. 2. And with significant manifestations, tranquilizers prescribed by a doctor (for example, Valium, Sibazon, Mezapam, Nozepam, Phenazepam).

In addition to medications to alleviate the condition, the doctor can prescribe a diet - exclude a large amount of spicy, salty, peppery foods, overeat less, especially at night, because a full stomach irritates the vagus nerve, in turn, inhibiting the function of the sinus node, inside which heart impulses occur .

It is also necessary to avoid static loads, for example, weight lifting, since a rapid increase in blood pressure leads to an increase in the work of the heart, as a result of which the pace and rhythm of heart contractions may be disturbed.

With frequent heart rhythm disturbances, the consumption of sugar and other sweets, animal fats and cholesterol-rich foods (in particular, fish caviar, fatty meats, brains, egg yolks) should be minimized. It is also better to limit the consumption of coffee, salt, strong tea.

The basis of the diet should consist of easily digestible products of plant and animal origin - cereals, cottage cheese, low-fat fish, apples, carrots, beets. Butter is better to replace vegetable oil. In addition, there should be hawthorn or rosehip tincture on the patient's table, which will become a lifesaver in case of emergency.

Atrial fibrillation and alcohol

I singled out this combination as a separate subtopic for a reason - it is the excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages in the last decade that has become the cause of an increasing number of patients suffering from severe forms of atrial fibrillation, and often the number of paroxysms does not significantly decrease when alcohol is given up. The reason for this is, firstly, a decrease in the rate of passage of a bioelectrical impulse through the myocardium during prolonged alcohol abuse, and secondly, irreversible degenerative changes that occur in the heart muscle cells themselves during hard drinking.

Therefore, at the first signs of atrial fibrillation, the volume should be significantly reduced, and it is even better to completely abandon alcoholic beverages.

Be healthy and take care of yourself!