Callers get advice on atrial fibrillation procedures

It was time for a second opinion as interventional cardiologists Dr. John Day and Dr. Brian Crandall took about 40 calls about atrial fibrillation during Saturday's Deseret News/Intermountain Healthcare Hotline.

Some callers asked about medicines they were taking, while others wondered about the risks and benefits of certain procedures — including some already scheduled for the near future.

Atrial fibrillation is a common and potentially very dangerous heart arrhythmia because it can lead to strokes or heart failure. The heart's electrical system gets out of whack, and the upper chamber quivers instead of beating normally. If blood pools and a clot breaks off, the result can be stroke. And the chaotic quivering can wear the heart muscle down, resulting in heart failure.

"Most of them had been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, and some already had procedures scheduled," Day said of hotline callers. "I'd say they are in the know but have not had their questions answered."

The condition is so common that cardiologists at Intermountain Medical Center are holding a seminar for a-fib patients and their families on Jan. 17 from 9-11 a.m. or 1-3 p.m. in the Doty Education Center on the IMC campus, 5121 S. Cottonwood, Murray. Spots can be reserved by calling 801-507-3513.

Topics range from an overview of the condition to a look at medicines and procedures to treat it, as well as what might become available this year in terms of new treatments.

Several of Saturday's callers wondered if they should be seeing a heart specialist instead of their family doctor to manage their heart problems. Crandall said that would probably be a good idea.

Calls came in from across Utah and as far away as Texas. One woman had been told in the past that with persistent atrial fibrillation, an ablation to short-circuit the electrical chaos was not possible. That used to be true, Crandall said, but new technologies and techniques have opened up possibilities for people.

While treatment choices vary, options have evolved so cases that could not be helped in the past are now being treated well, he said.

Several callers asked if they should have a pacemaker. Crandall said a pacemaker is effective when someone has a heart that beats too slowly, but that's not what happens with atrial fibrillation.