Wellness Wednesday is sponsored by Intermountain Health
One in four…that’s how common atrial fibrillation, also know as AFib is. AFib is a common cause of stroke. Those are scary numbers. But treating, even fixing AFib is getting less scary as technology develops.
People come and see me, and understandably, they're concerned or scared about their new heart condition.”
With board certifications in electrophysiology and cardiology, Dr. Jared Miller sees atrial fibrillation in all its forms.
“A lot of people it's quite subtle. They wouldn't notice it sitting here, but if they were to go for a bike ride or a long walk, they might notice they got fatigued a little bit quicker. On the other end of the spectrum, there are people for whom AFib is very uncomfortable. They feel their heart racing. They feel in a regular heartbeat. They don't want to get out of bed. And most folks are somewhere in between,” said Miller.
It's more likely to appear as we age...and our lifestyle can have an impact.
“I tell patients, everything that's common sense, bad for you is bad for AFib. Everything that's common sense, good for you is good for avoiding AFib. So, things like exercising, eating healthy, keeping our body weight down, living a lower stress lifestyle, good sleep, avoiding unhealthy things like smoking or alcohol…those are all really critical for avoiding AFib in the first place, or making the condition better if we happen to have it,” said Miller.
AFib treatment often starts with blood thinning medicine, meant to reduce the risk of a stroke. 20 years ago, that might have been it. Then ablation, a form of less invasive surgery became an option...but the risks required caution. in ablation, the doctor accesses the heart through a vein in the leg. Once to the heart, the doctor would burn or freeze problem spots that triggered AFib.
“What's really exciting in our field is a new form of ablation called pulsed field ablation,” said Miller.
With pulsed field ablation Miller uses electrical pulses to stimulate rather than to freeze or burn.
“You really can't compare an ablation in 2024 to 110 years ago or even two years ago, and procedures that used to take four to six hours and require you to stay overnight in the hospital and have a longer recovery. We now have those procedures down to one to two hours and going home the same day and being on your feet walking that evening when you get home,” sad Miller.
Miller says it's safer and more efficient, changing it from a possibility in some cases to a recommended early treatment for many.
“And in a relatively short arc, we can perform a procedure, and they can come back to me and say, I didn't know I could feel this good. So, to hear someone say I didn't realize I had stopped skiing or biking or playing with my grandkids or hiking, and now they're coming back and saying they feel good. That makes my job just wonderful.”
If you think you might AFib, your primary care doctor is the person to see first. They may put you on an EKG to diagnose it. If your symptoms are more severe, like racing heart, shortness of breath or chest pain, go to the emergency room.
