Angina – Unstable Angina Pectoris

Atrial fibrillation (also known as AF and AFib) is a condition in which your heart’s atria (the two upper chambers) flutter, or fibrillate. This causes an arrhythmia. To understand how the problem occurs, it’s important to appreciate how your heart functions.

The organ has four chambers: two atria (upper chambers) and two ventricles (lower chambers). Within the right atrium, a group of cells known as the sinoatrial node generates electrical impulses. These impulses spread throughout your atria, causing them to contract. As the contractions cause blood to move from the atria into the ventricles, the impulses travel to the atrioventricular node. This is another group of cells that sits between the ventricles and atria. Once the ventricles are filled with blook, the signals move from the atriventicular node through the ventricles, resulting in contractions.

In AFib, the electrical signals do not start at the sinoatrial node; they start elsewhere. Rather than following the uniform path described above, the signals spread erratically through your atria. That causes them to flutter. Moreover, the impulses overwhlen the atrioventricular node, which, in turn is unable to transmit the signals to the ventricles at the same pace they recieve them. The result is that your atria will fibrillate and your ventricles will beat faster than normal, but your heart’s rhythm will be completely disorganized.

How It Impacts Your Life

Because your ventricles receive a barrage of electrical impulses, they contract more quickly than they should. They do so before they can fill completely with blood. As a result, when they contract, less blood is sent throughout your body. You may notice a shortness of breath, disorientation and exhaustion after even light physical effort.

You’ll also feel your heart beating more quickly and harder than is normal. This is due to the organ working harder to send a sufficient amount of oxygen-rich blood throughout your body.

The most serious complications of atrial fibrillation are stroke and heart failure. Stroke can occur as the result of blood clots that form within the atria, especially the left atrium. If one of the clots moves from the atrium, it can reach a carotid artery and cause a stroke. Heart failure can occur due to your ventricles beating too quickly as the result of receiving a stream of electrical impulses.

How Atrial Fibrillation Is Treated

Atrial fibrillation is not always dangerous. Mild cases may be treated with anticoagulants that will prevent clotting in the atria. However, severe caseas are, in most cases, best dealth with using surgery. Many years ago, open chest surgery was necessary in order for the surgical team to access the heart. Today, AFib can be resolved through a minimally invasive maze procedure.

During maze surgery, a surgeon will create a maze of scar tissue on the atria. The scarred tissue cannot conduct electricity, so the signals are forced to travel along the maze created by the surgeon. This helps to control the impulses and thereby, regulate the heartbeat. If you suffer from AF, ask your doctor whether a maze procedure is a viable solution.

A lot of people misunderstand the causes and potential side effects of atrial fibrillation (commonly known as Afib). Even among those who have coped with the disorder for years, there is a mistaken belief that the condition is harmless. In reality, it is not. It can lead to stroke, heart failure, and other consequences.

To review, Afib is characterized as an erratic discharge of rapid electrical impulses that spread across your heart’s atria (i.e. the two upper chambers). Rather than contracting in sync with your heart’s ventricles (i.e. the two lower chambers), the atria flutter – or fibrillate. In some cases, the disorder causes no noticeable symptoms. In other cases, the patient might be at risk of experiencing medical events that can be life-threatening.

In this article, we’ll explore some of the dangerous risks involved with not addressing atrial fibrillation. We’ll also describe an operation called the maze procedure that a growing number of surgeons are using to resolve the condition.

The Risk Of Stroke

A stroke is caused by blood clots that clog one of the arteries of the brain. The clots seldom form in these arteries; instead, they form elsewhere, break away, and travel with your blood.

Atrial fibrillation can result in the pooling of blood with one or both of your atria. As a result, the blood begins to clot. As long as the clots remain inside the atria, they pose little danger. However, they can break away and move through your ventricles on their way to the aorta.

Blood flows from your heart into the aorta and toward your brain. The clots can move with your bloodstream until they reach and clog a main artery. That produces a stroke. Common symptoms of a stroke can include partial paralysis, eye problems, and difficulty remembering things.

The Risk Of Heart Failure

Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle is overworked to the point of exhaustion. This can happen for a number of reasons, including coronary artery disease, diabetes, and of course, atrial fibrillation. In the latter case, the rapid electrical signals cause the atria to flutter so quickly that they eventually wear themselves out and weaken the heart. That reduces your heart’s ability to pump blood effectively throughout your body. As a result, the heart muscle becomes enlarged and is further weakened.

Secondary Side Effects

The reduced ability of your heart muscle to pump oxygen-rich blood to your tissue and organs can produce a number of secondary side effects. For instance, your lower extremites (i.e. ankles and feet) may start to swell. Moreover, it’s quite common for the abdomen to also begin expanding.

Depending on the severity of the Afib-induced heart failure, you may experience a level of organ damage. This is due to your organs not receiving a sufficient supply of oxygen-rich blood.

You might also develop a persistent cough and shortness of breath if the condition produces excess fluid around your lungs. Unless Afib is resolved, these side effects can become permanent.

Maze Procedure To Resolve Afib

The most common method for addressing atrial fibrillation is the maze procedure. This is an operation during which your surgeon will create incisions or use catheter ablation to produce a maze of scar tissue across the surface of your atria. Scar tissue cannot conduct electricity. By designing this path, your surgeon can reroute the erratic patterns of the electric impulses. In effect, the surgeon is able to guide the signals along a defined path, thereby eliminating the fluttering and restoring a uniform rhythm for your heartbeat.

Atrial fibrillation can remain undetected for years. This is one of the reasons many patients never seek treatment. The problem is, the condition can be potentially dangerous, depending on its severity. If you suspect you have Afib, consult your doctor regarding whether the maze procedure is an appropriate solution for your circumstances.

Blood flows between your left atrium and left ventricle through the mitral valve (MV). Normally, the sinoatrial node produces electrical impulses that travel through the atria (your heart’s upper chambers) before reaching the ventricles (the lower chambers). The impulses trigger contractions. As the left atrium contracts, blood is sent through the mitral valve. The valve opens and allows blood to flow through, then closes to prevent backflow from the ventricle.

MV failure can be caused by the stenosis (narrowing) or leaking (also known as regurgitation). Both problems can be caused by congenital defects, disease, or rheumatic fever. A regurgitant mitral valve may also be caused by coronary artery disease. Below, we’ll take a look at mitral valve repair for both stenosis and regurgitation. We’ll also explore why reparing the valve is usually a better method than replacing it.

How Narrowing Is Resolved

Mitral stenosis, whether due to a congenital defect or rheumatic fever, is characterized by the valve’s flaps (or leaflets) being fused together. Since the opening between the atrium and ventricle is narrowed, the atrium is forced to work much harder than normal to force blood into the ventricle. The condition is not immediately life-threatening, but can eventually lead to heart failure.

When the MV suffers stenosis, a procedure called mitral commissurotomy can be performed. It can be done through open surgery (i.e. cutting through the breastbone) or by catheterization. In the latter case, a balloon is affixed to a catheter which is threaded to the mitral valve. Once the catheter arrives at the site, the balloon is inflated and stretches the valvular opening.

How Regurgitation Is Resolved

Stenosis is less common that regurgitation. It is often due to a cleft in the valve (also called leaflet prolapse). Because the valve fails to completely seal the opening between the left atrium and left ventricle, blood can leak from one chamber to the other (in both directions). In many cases, the cleft can simply be sewn closed, thereby resolving the leakage.

Another approach is annuloplasty. The valve’s leaflets are naturally attached to the heart by a ring-shaped annulus. Annuloplasty is a procedure during which a surgeon positions a synthetic ring around the annulus to provide support for the leaflets.

Advantages Of Repairing Over Replacing

There are situations in which the mitral valve has become so defective or damaged that repair is no longer an option. In such cases, it must be replaced. That said, whenever possible, a surgeon will recommend repairing the valve over replacing it. There are many advantages to doing so.

For example, there is less likelihood of infection or stroke due to the absence of foreign material. There is also no need for anticoagulants, which must be taken by the patient when a replacement valve is used. Moreover, the survival rate among patients who undergo mitral valve repair is higher than the survival rate for those who receive replacements.

Mitral valve repair surgery is an effective approach for resolving stenosis or regurgitation. While valvular defects rarely present immediate danger to a patient’s life, the surgery can provide an improved lifestyle.

Most people have heard about the great benefits of the acai berry. One of the most crucial is the fact that it helps people with heart problems, slows them down or even prevents future heart issues. How does the acai berry doe this and what exactly is it that it does?

One of the most concerning health issue with the heart includes cholesterol. Around 490,000 Americans alone die every year due to Coronary Heart Disease and elevated cholesterol levels. With the ability to regulate or maintain cholesterol levels, many people throughout the world would be able to lead healthier lifestyles.

That’s where the acai berry comes into play. There are several compounds in the acai berry that help reduce cholesterol levels, blood pressure and promote antioxidants within the body. Regular use of the acai berry in any form can help lower cholesterol levels and ultimately a better heart. However, it’s not just cholesterol that acai takes care of. The calcium-rich fruit also reduces the impact and stress of osteoporosis on and maintains skeletal strength. Not only this, but people who suffer from high blood pressure also seem to have a diet low in calcium, according to some studies. If they add calcium to their diet, their blood pressure is reduced. This keeps strain off of the heart. And what better way to get more calcium without the cholesterol of milk and other dairy products than the acai berry? It’s readily available in different forms from juice to powders and supplements all over the world as it becomes more well known.

Vitamin E, also found in abundance in this berry (twice the Daily Value!), plays an important role as well. It’s very useful for fixing damaged tissue and a protective agent. “Acai” high fiber content is very favorable to the consumers proper intestinal function, ” reports Dr. Herve Rogez , “Fiber accelerates the intestinal processes and has a very important role in avoiding colon cancer, The D.V. is 35g of fibers/adult a day, Acai consumers reach this dose very easily.” Not only do consumers protect themselves from heart, skin and other problems, but acai has also shown great potential for fighting and possibly curing cancer.

Acai’s high fiber content also accounts for a healthy heart and body. It is very beneficial for proper digestive function. It’s also key in avoiding and preventing colon cancer. Keeping your body healthy help the heart beat easier and overall body processes work at their most proficient.

Overall, the acai berry’s many benefits don’t stop just at boosting energy and having many antioxidants. With new experiments and continual research on this superfood, many things are being discovered about it every day. It might one day even help battle cancer. But even without knowing that, with the berry’s ability to cleanse and keep the body healthy, it is becoming more and more popular, especially with those who are looking to become healthier without having to resort to drastic measures. And with acai becoming more popular, it is also becoming more easily available all across the world in supermarkets and other shops.

The maze procedure is the primary form of treatment for resolving atrial fibrillation (Afib). If the condition is not severe, doctors may suggest alternative solutions, such as anticoagulants, electrical cardioversion, and medications. When medications are prescribed, the goal may be twofold. Your doctor might seek to reduce the rate of your ventricles’ beating and control your heart’s rhythm. It’s important to underscore that none of these approaches cure Afib; they merely represent strategies to treat the symptoms.

The underlying cause of atrial fibrillation is erratic electrical signals that spread rapidly through your atria in a disorganized pattern. Below, you’ll learn about the different types of maze surgery that are performed to cure the disorder. The procedure has evolved over the last 25 years and now involves minimally invasive techniques.

Cox Maze III

The original method (called the Cox Maze) was developed by Dr. James Cox in 1987. It involved the surgeon making a series of incisions into the patient’s atria to create a maze through which the erratic electrical signals could be guided. This takes place due to the presence of scar tissue, which does not conduct electricl current.

Since 1987, Dr. Cox’s method has evolved. The Cox Maze III is one of a series of iterations and still uses incisions to create scarring. Becuase of the complexity of the procedure, many surgeons have abandoned it for other methods that yield the same results with a lower mortality rate. One of those methods is called the Cox Maze IV.

Cox Maze IV (Surgical Ablation)

This iteration of Dr. Cox’s original procedure uses surgical ablation to create scar tissue rather than incisions. The ablative energy can come from a number of different sources, including microwave, cryoablation, bipolar radiofrequency, laser, and ultrasound. It is just as effective as the previous version, but can be performed in less time with fewer complications.

The Cox IV is typically performed when the patient is already undergoing other open-heart procedures (i.e. coronary artery bypass graft, mitral valve repair, etc.) It can be done while the patient’s heart is arrested or while it is still beating. While the Cox IV can be used to cure atrial fibrillation, most Afib cases that are standalone are resolved through the minimaze strategy.

Minimaze

The minimaze method is a minimally invasive procedure for curing atrial fibrillation when the patient does not need other types of heart surgery. If the patient is only suffering from Afib, there’s no need to perform open heart surgery or arrest his or her heart. The minimaze can be performed with a few small incisions.

The entire operation takes a few hours. The surgeon will make three or four cuts on both sides of the patient’s chest. The ablation tool, thoracoscope, and other instruments are inserted through these incisions to access the heart.

Catheter Ablation

Catheter ablation is similar to the minimaze, though the path taken to the heart is slightly different. It too, is a minimally invasive strategy. A catheter is inserted into the groin, arm, or neck, and guided toward the heart. A small hole is made in the septal wall to allow the catheter to pass from the right atrium to the left atrium. There, it ablates the tissue to create a conduction block. As with other forms of maze surgery, the conduction block prevents the passage of erratic electrical signals.

Maze surgery has evolved substantially since Dr. Cox developed his original method in 1987. The tools available to surgeons have likewise evolved. From the Cox III and IV to the minimaze and catheter ablation, new methods are currently in development. The up side is that atrail fibrillation can now be cured without the need to endure open heart surgery. For many patients, that opens the door to finally resolving a longstanding heart condition.