![]() Radiofrequency ablation is an option for some patients with atrial fibrillation. Warfarin (Coumadin) is used to help prevent blood clots from forming in the heart. Medications used to treat or control atrial fibrillation include amiodarone, flecainide, sotalol, diltiazem, verapamil, and ibutilide. Sedation or anesthesia is used to prevent pain that would otherwise occur with this procedure. This interrupts the chaotic electrical activity of the atria, resets the conduction system, and allows the normal heart rhythm to resume. Possible treatments include defibrillation (shock), medications, or, in some cases, radiofrequency ablation or a pacemaker.ĭefibrillation restores normal heart rhythm by delivering a large electrical "shock" to the heart. If further testing is needed, a special type of heart catheterization called an electrophysiologic study may be done. Other useful tests include a Holter monitor, echocardiogram, and/or an exercise test. The tracing is held in the device’s memory until it can be sent over the phone to a cardiology center. These devices can be used at home or at school to record an ECG at the time of symptoms. If the symptoms don’t occur regularly, this may be done using a small device called a transtelephonic ECG recorder. In order to diagnose atrial fibrillation, an ECG at the time of symptoms may be helpful. If the person is having an episode during the ECG, the heart rate will be fast, irregular, and there will be many extra "p" waves from rapid atrial contractions. The stickers are connected to a machine that records the heart’s electrical activity. This is a safe and painless test that involves putting some stickers across the chest. Medical tests: One of the first tests usually done is an electrocardiogram. If there are other heart problems, the physical findings that go along with that problem. Physical findings: If the child is having an episode at the time of the exam, the pulse rate will be fast and irregular. Symptoms: Symptoms caused by atrial fibrillation include a feeling of "heart racing", lightheadedness, low energy levels, chest pain, shortness of breath, and/or fainting. Medications called "blood thinners" such as warfarin are used to prevent the blood clots from forming. In this case, long-term treatment with medicines is needed to manage the symptoms.ĭuring atrial fibrillation, there is an increased risk that blood clots will form inside the atria that, if dislodged, could cause a stroke. Rarely, the arrhythmia does not return to normal with medical treatment and the person remains in chronic atrial fibrillation. ![]() In other cases, medical treatment is needed to restore a normal heart rhythm. In some people, the episodes occur rarely and they may stop on their own. ![]() The frequency and severity of episodes of atrial fibrillation can vary widely. How does this problem affect my child's health? Sometimes the pulse rate is lower and may even be in the normal range, but it will still be irregular. Fortunately, the AV node blocks most of the impulses from reaching the lower chambers of the heart, the ventricles, so even though the atria are beating very fast, the ventricular heart rate (which causes the "pulse") beats at a slower rate, usually less than 180 beats per minute. During an episode of atrial fibrillation, many electrical impulses around the atria cause the atria to contract in such a fast and chaotic fashion that they quiver "like a bowl of jelly". It is quite rare in children but can occur in children with cardiomyopathy, after complex heart surgery, and very rarely, in children with otherwise normal hearts.Īn arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm caused by a problem in the heart’s electrical system, also called the conduction system. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm) that causes the heart’s upper chambers-the atria- to beat very fast and irregularly. ![]()
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