American College of Cardiology American Heart Association Heart Rhythm Society
Tag: atrial fibrillation
cannabis & the heart
There is lack of consensus on marijuana and its health effects. There is no question that THC helps chemotherapy associated nausea. However as this article suggest marijuana will increase risk of heart attacks in susceptible patients. Marijuana use has been associated with increased risk of stroke, though causality remains to be proven. Marijuana may contribute…
AFIB – 4 pillars of treatment
Anticoagulation Rate control Rhythm control Lifestyle (risk factor) modification Anticoagulation Anticoagulation is used to prevent stroke based on the CHA2DS2VaSC score. Patients with a score more than or equal to 2 require anticoagulation based on ACC/AHA/HRS guidelines. In Europe, they anticoagulate for a score of more than or equal to 1. Some common anticoagulants are…
AFIB – unusual symptoms
Here are some common symptoms of AFIB: 50% of patients have no symptoms Fatigue/lack of energy/”feeling old” Palpitations (irregular) (can be fast/slow) Shortness of breath Dizzness Chest pain Initial presentation with stroke Some less common symptoms of AFIB: Frequent urination (due to atrial stretch and release of natriuretic peptide from the atrium). Back pain/abdominal pain/limb…
patient reported AFIB triggers
sleep quality & AFIB
Sleep apnea is strongly associated with atrial fibrillation. However, even after adjusting for sleep apnea, quality of sleep is an independent predictor for atrial fibrillation. Here is the full article: Article summary : The 2 variables that correlated with increased risk of AFIB – time required to fall asleep and frequent nighttime awakening. This decreases…
plant based diet starter kit
Harvard health talks about how to get started on the path to a plant based diet. 21 day kickstart Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Here is a good link to motivate you to start your whole food plant based diet.
red meat = tmao = AFIB
Is this statement inflammatory? 🙂 Red meat, cheese, eggs increase TMAO (trimethylamine N-oxide) blood levels : Another study from Nature Medicine. TMAO has also been related to increased risk of AFIB in animal models. A new class of drugs has been developed to help reduce TMAO levels. What a novel concept! Another novel concept –…
low carb diet and AFIB
Low carb diets are associated with an increased incidence of AFIB according to an ARIC substudy. Low carb diets may include high intake of animal protein and low intake of fruits, vegetables and grains which together may promote inflammation – an evolving risk factor for atrial fibrillation.
CAAP-AF score
This score attempts to predict patient outcomes for catheter ablation with AFIB. This is not a perfect science, however it may help us better choose patients for AFIB ablation.