Hi,ny 77 year old dad was hospitalized last year for "LOW" heart rate,he had a heart cath and many test,everything came back fine.He was was discharged home with several new meds.Well, 3 months later he was sent to the ER by his primary care dr. because of a "HIGH" heart rate,he was sent home the same day with a new prescription for Digitalis.He has been doing ok for the past year,up until 2 weeks ago,he saw his dr. for a routine visit,she called an ambulance and had him sent to the ER again for the fast heart rate. They sent him home,telling him to just see a cardiologis.He was finally able to see one today,The EKG in the office said he was still in AFIB,the dr. prescribed coumadin and Toprol.They also told him very alarming things like"he could have a stroke or blood clot hit any minute".I am scared out of my mind,can't quit worrying or crying.Is it really this serious? Please tell me he is ok,he is the only family I have.

Hi, S. Diva:

I know the cardiologist's comment came as a shock to you. It is true that afib can lead to a stroke or worse ("at any minute" may be literally true, but seems a little extreme. None of us have any guarantees). I had a cardiologist once say, "You do know that afib can kill you, don't you?" This is true, but I think he was intending to get my attention and cause me to take my medicines properly.

The doctor has given your dad coumadin (warfarin) to ward off the possiblity of blood clots forming in the atria. After he has been on coumadin for a time, if his afib doesn't convert to normal sinus rhythm naturally, the doctor may suggest cardioversion. That sounds shocking (pun), but it isn't really that big a deal.

Like your dad, I'm 77. I've had episodes of atrial fibrillation with increasing frequency for about the last eight years. And they're scary. I've had cardioversion twice. Finally five months ago my cardiologist put me on sotalol (Betapace) to control the afib, and I've had no problems since.

I've been on coumadin for four years without incident except for the nuisance of having my INR (International Normalized Ratio or prothrombin time) checked monthly.

I wish the best for you and your dad.

Bill

Diva, I was diagnosed with AF a couple years ago and had a cardioversion which took care of the problem for a couple years (as Bill said no big deal). My AF did manage to convert to a normal rythmn in all cases but they began to occur more frequently. Options offered by my cardiologist were, pulmonary vein ablation, pacemaker or do nothing and go on coumadin which will thin the blood sufficiently to prevent clotting (but it is a pain as noted by Bill). I went the ablation route which is done under general anesthesia and the procedure takes about 5-6 hours but I did go home that evening. It is a quick recovery period. So far so good, appears to have neutralized the AF. You can get more information on Pulmonary Ablation (also called Pulmonary Isolation) doing a search on Google.

Hope this helps.

John

What could this mean???Mt dad has been on the Coumadin for a week now and went in early today to have his blood drawn,they told him it was "not working" and to stop taking it.He is almost 78 and cannot hear well,so he told the nurse to call me.She has not called yet,I am so afraid.What do they do if coumadin does not work?

Diva, in my case it took about three weeks to get the coumadin regulated. I would ask the cardiologist for an explanation about the coumadin not working. Also, there is a new drug available which does the same as coumadin but you don't need the constant checking of the blood as you do with the coumadin (I can't remember what it was called but I suspect your cardiologist would know about it - at least I hope he would).

well, i have had a fib for years until the point it makes me dizzy and out of breathe. that has been almost 25yrs of it but they could not until lately diagnose it. i take coumadin and am going in for a cath procedure at the u of m on the 18th. if nothing else go wrong, it has a 85% cure rate and i may be able to get off several drugs. i don't want to be on coumadin forever but as to your father, it may be his life saver as it thins your blood.

Coumadin prevents clots the medications keep the heart rate under control. The risk of stroke if untreated is 3-5% per year. Treated with coumadin, the risk is below 1%. Your dad's age may not make him a good candidate for the pulmonary vein procedure. I know of very few EP's doing it on pts over 70. Many have cutoff's of lower age(65). Medications are probably going to be his best bet.