Atrial Fibrillation Specialist

Advanced Cardiovascular Consultants

Cardiologists located in Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, & West Palm Beach, FL

If your heartbeat feels particularly fast or irregular, you might have a type of arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation. At Advanced Cardiovascular Consultants in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, and Jupiter, Florida, cardiologists Jyoti Mohanty, MD, Narayn Pillai, MD, FACC, FSCAI, Suneet Kukreja, MD, and Matthew Klein, MD, and their team treat atrial fibrillation to reduce your risk of having a stroke. To find out more about atrial fibrillation and how to treat it, call Advanced Cardiovascular Consultants, or book an appointment online today.

Atrial Fibrillation Q & A

What is atrial fibrillation?

Atrial fibrillation is a specific type of arrhythmia characterized by quivers in the upper chambers of your heart, called the atria. As a result, blood moves to the lower chambers, or ventricles, ineffectively.

If you have atrial fibrillation, you might not have it all the time. It may come and go over time, or it can develop and remain consistent until you get treatment. Either way, atrial fibrillation puts you at a higher-than-average risk for serious heart complications like stroke. It increases your chances of getting blood clots, which can leave the atria and block the flow of blood to your brain.

How is atrial fibrillation diagnosed?

Atrial fibrillation doesn’t always come with discernible symptoms. However, a simple physical exam can help your provider diagnose it even if you haven’t noticed any symptoms on your own. If you do have symptoms, they may include:

Fatigue
Weakness
Dizziness
Heart palpitations
Chest pain
Shortness of breath

These symptoms could indicate other heart problems, too, so you shouldn’t ignore them if you have them. To achieve a conclusive diagnosis and rule out other possible causes, the team at Advanced Cardiovascular Consultants may recommend an electrocardiogram (ECG), a stress test, or X-ray imaging.

What are my treatment options for atrial fibrillation?

Treatments for atrial fibrillation aim to restore the normal rhythm of your heart and prevent blood clots from forming in the atria. In order to treat you effectively, the team at Advanced Cardiovascular Consultants searches for the underlying cause of your atrial fibrillation. For example, if it comes from a thyroid problem like hyperthyroidism, your treatment centers around restoring the normal function of your thyroid.

Regardless of the cause, your atrial fibrillation treatment plan may include one or more of the following:

Heart-rate-controlling medications like digoxin and beta blockers
Cardioversion (briefly stopping your heartbeat then restarting it)
Catheter ablation (damaging parts of your heart muscle to stop abnormal impulses)
Blood-thinning medications that prevent blood clotting

The team at Advanced Cardiovascular Consultants may suggest making adjustments to your current lifestyle to promote better heart health in general. Maintaining a healthy weight, stopping smoking, and exercising regularly can all help your heart function in the best possible way.

Whether or not you have symptoms, it’s important to treat your atrial fibrillation to avoid a life-threatening complication like a stroke. For more information about atrial fibrillation and treatment for it, call Advanced Cardiovascular Consultants or book an appointment online today.

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